What Personality Tests Get Wrong About Leadership Under Pressure

I've taken tons of personality tests, and I'd guess you have too. Did you find them helpful?

I did.

StrengthsFinder was close to life-changing for me in knowing what I'm good at.

So here's how I could use it. When my wife asks me to do the dishes, I can hand her my StrengthsFinder printout. Futuristic, Focus, Strategic. My top three.

"Sorry, babe. Where do you see in these three that I'm good at doing tasks to be of service?"

Or I could print out my love languages. "Sorry, babe. Where do you see acts of service as one of my love languages?"

And she could take them too. It might turn out she's not really a dishes person either. So now we've got two printed-out test results and a full sink of dishes.

The problem is those tests tell you how you show up 97% of the time, when things are good, when things are fine. Nobody has ever ruined their life, their team, their company, their marriage, or their kids by their 97%. It's the other 3%. It's the moments under pressure. And no personality test I've ever taken has asked me about those.

Most of those tests just give you a verdict. This is who you are. This is how you communicate. And a verdict feels really good in a moment of uncertainty, so we'll take any label, even false certainty, to get out of the hard place.

The IFQ® is different.

IFQ® stands for Identity Fear Quotient®, and the theory behind it is right there in the name: under pressure, when you feel threatened about who you are, you make a leadership mistake. That's the thing it measures.

Go take those other tests. If they help you learn your strengths, that's great. I know my zone of genius, and I've worked hard to spend my time there. But I'm trying to help you figure out where your character breaks down under pressure, because that mistake sets the false ceiling on your team, your culture, and who your people can become.

So here's the practice: Finish this sentence, in writing: "A leadership mistake I make under pressure is..."

Mine is I talk myself into clarity and I talk everybody else into confusion. I give too much context and it turns into word salad.

Yours won't be on any printout. Write it down, then watch for it this week. It doesn't have to be a big moment. Pay attention when you feel even the slightest bit of pressure.

Every assessment has a theory, and the Identity Fear Quotient® (IFQ®) puts its theory in the name. Four questions. It takes 15 minutes. You will see the mistake you make under pressure, in your own numbers.

Take the IFQ®