My Coaching Tools:
PrinciplesYou Assessment
One of the most important parts about coaching is being able to help provide increased self-awareness and insight for clients. It's also very important for clients to know how they prefer to think, how they engage with others, how they apply themselves, and how they show up in certain situations.
One way to increase this self-awareness is through assessments, and one assessment that I believe provides an incredible amount of value is the PrinciplesYou assessment, created by Ray Dalio and Adam Grant.
PrinciplesYou is a free assessment that provides personality archetypes, which include tendencies, talents, and opportunities for growth. This assessment can be used effectively with both individuals and teams, as results can be compared with others you work and interact with who have also taken the PrinciplesYou assessment.
As a coach, I have taken and administered various self-assessments, and there are a few reasons why I believe the PrinciplesYou assessment is so effective. The first is that it clearly outlines your archetype's talents and growth needs. This is incredibly useful information to consider when articulating goals and focus areas for coaching. The second reason this assessment is effective is because it provides details around how you might show up given various situations. This provides opportunity for increased reflection and deeper understanding of various motivational and interpersonal orientations. Finally, the PrinciplesYou assessment can compare a client's assessments outcomes with members of their team to better understand how to engage more effectively.
Like any self-assessment, there are limits to the PrinciplesYou assessment because you are answering questions based on how you perceive yourself in a given situation, which may be biased. Additionally, results may depend on what situation you are thinking about when answering the assessment questions. However, I believe this assessment provides far more benefit than harm, and would recommend it to both individual clients and their teams to gain increased awareness and alignment on how to best work together.
Having a deeper understanding of strengths, tendencies, and areas for opportunity is critical to continued growth, and assessments like PrinciplesYou can provide invaluable insight for clients, teams, and coaches.
Learn more about PrinciplesYou here.
Reference:
PrinciplesYou from Ray Dalio. PrinciplesYou. https://principlesyou.com