Tools for Deeper Insight
Useful tools for seeing what is often difficult to see.
Good coaching and team development start with a clear understanding of what is happening. Sometimes conversation is enough. Sometimes a well-chosen assessment can add another layer of perspective.
I use professional assessment tools selectively, when they can genuinely add value to the work. They provide useful guideposts for coaching conversations, team development, and decision-making — helping to surface patterns, strengths, preferences, potential areas of friction, and perspectives that may not otherwise come into the room.
CliftonStrengths®
CliftonStrengths helps individuals identify the patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaviour that come most naturally to them. It can provide a useful language for understanding individual strengths, working relationships, leadership style, and how strengths may be used — or overused — in different situations.
Belbin Team Roles®
Belbin provides a different lens, focusing on the roles people naturally tend to play within a team or on a board. It can help team and board members understand how they contribute, where there may be gaps or overlaps, and how different working styles affect collaboration and performance.
360° Feedback
A well-designed 360° process brings together perspectives from colleagues, direct reports, peers, and other relevant stakeholders. It can reveal how a leader's impact is experienced by others, identify patterns that may not be visible through self-reflection alone, and provide a valuable foundation for focused development.
Used together, when appropriate.
No assessment tells the whole story. The value comes from bringing the information into context.
Combining different perspectives can create a richer picture of the individual, the team, and the relationships around them. I use assessments as guideposts rather than prescriptions — a starting point for deeper conversation, reflection, and practical action.
The goal isn't to put people into boxes. It's to give people and teams a clearer starting point for what comes next.
