To think work personality tests f*** you up

[managerofchaos]

Just that really I was quite oblivious to what a weirdo I am until a few years ago I had to do a Myers Briggs thing - turns out I'm I N T J
So others apparently regard me as odd, I was blissfully unaware of this until then. However luckily for me I was old enough for it not to have a huge impact on how I feel about myself - although I can't deny it does ring true in many ways.
But now my lovely son in his first adult job post degree has had to do a similar test where he has turned out to be " blue"
He has to try and be more "red" or he won't progress in life !? That's what he has taken from it.
What do others think?
Should we all be confronted with our positives and deficits?
Are they true?
Can you overcome this once you've been intensely and expensively evaluated it there any way to change?

Unfortunate we over value ‘outgoing’ people and personalities over quieter ones - can you imagine how unbearable work places would be though with an office full of ‘characters’... sounds like you have no craic

ENTJ (actually turning more I as I age) and Blue all the way. And Belbin Completer-Finisher.

Also in data analytics and apparently turning into a bridezilla.

You are not alone and you can (sometimes) delay your responses.

These things generally get discredited every ten years or so. I am an accountant, and, funnily enough would be wholly unsuited to being a salesman. I don't need to do a test to reveal that.

These tests are not scientifically validated and don't mean much.

So if not helpful to you, ignore!

The thing is, these global consultancy firms have to have something to 'sell'.

A consultant will make a promise (to the board)
Come and speak to the staff
Write up what they have been told
Sell it back to the company.

Oh, and then go somewhere else without actually having to 'do' anything.

These tests should be conversation starters. As many previous examples have pointed out, that is their value.

For the OP - I’d ask your son to reflect on whether he wants to commit his future to an organisation where all managers are the same “type” or whether he should gather experience to move to another company in future.

I think they're very easy to game.

These tests are bollocks. If they ask you over and over again in umpteen questions what kind of person you are, then it's hardly surprising that at the end of it they.... surprise surprise.... make a pretty good assessment of what kind of person you are! Calling it a colour or a collection of letters just makes it sound as though they've invented something clever. They haven't.

My personal and unscientific opinion is that these tests are a backdoor way of perpetuating discrimination.

I think these things are of limited value.
I have done the colour behavioural styles one you mention but also did a more in depth strengths profile one with my team. The outcome was very variable with one person's description being very accurate and another a work of fiction - obviously how they would like to see themselves and evidence of their delusion.

I think resilience is key to success so he needs to take anything useful he found and then move on- it's an indication of how he felt in the day not an unchangeable diagnosis of his personality.

My personal and unscientific opinion is that these tests are a backdoor way of perpetuating discrimination

I agree with this. I worked at a company that did the Insights colour one on staff. Most of the leadership team cam out red so other people started lying to get red as their top colour as they thought that would help the, get promoted. Then you had other people using their colour to excuse shitty behaviour. “Oh I’m a red that’s why I talk loud in meetings! Can’t help it”. Or “I have to have all the detail, because ima blue”.

It became polarising and fucking tiring hearing people excuse their bad behaviour as well as people making assumptions. “Oh you’re yellow I bet you don’t do detail”. You can see people on this thread revealing in their letters or colours. I honestly couldn’t give a shit about it all and find people that like it quite self absorbed. People should focus on the job in hand and getting along with their colleagues to get things done than indulge in silly psychometric navel gazing shite.

Ha thank-you all,
It has been really interesting ( and fun) reading your responses.
Also thanks to those who offered to look at his results.
We had a chat about it today in the light of your insights / opinions, and have decided that any company that tries to let you know how to communicate with others by having a large coloured Lego brick on your desk is perhaps oversimplifying complex issues.
Maybe time to look for something else!

BoomTish that is really interesting. Thank you