Here at Floricane, we're big fans of Insights® Discovery. It's one of several tools we use with clients, but it's my personal favorite. Aside from being more accurate than any other personality profile I have used, it is simple to understand, gives organizations and teams a common language, and is incredibly robust. Last week I spent four days in Austin, TX at the North American headquarters for Insights® and was able to see firsthand just how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Now, for those of you who may not know; I am a pretty big nerd. I spent my plane ride to Austin perusing a 200+ page research document on the validity and reliability of Insights®. So, I was admittedly geeking out when I got to learn about the equations that are used to create the Insights® charts and graphs. The staff got so tired of my questions that they put me in touch with their research team based in Scotland. And that was just on the first day.
As the week went on, we explored all of the possibilities of Insights®. There are dozens of workshops, hundreds of exercises, and thousands of conversations that you can engage in - all stemming from 24 simple word choices that comprise the Insights® Evaluator. Yet of all the interesting things I learned last week, none of them are top of mind for me when I think about my time in Austin. The first thing I think about are the relationships I formed.
You see, at its core, Insights® is all about relationships. Sure, self-awareness is fun and thought provoking, but using that self-awareness to build and enhance meaningful, effective relationships is where true value is created. This point was really made clear to me as I made an intentional effort to adapt my default style to better connect with others I met. It was challenging and exhausting at times, but the resulting relationships I formed are well worth it.