It’s no secret that effective team dynamics are crucial for an organization’s success.
But as it turns out, we’ve found that many family businesses struggle with internal disagreements and miscommunication.
In these cases, we often recommend using behavioral assessments – not only to help resolve existing challenges, but also to proactively create a more cohesive and productive team environment.
Let’s explore how behavioral assessments can be your secret sauce for team-building.
What is a Behavioral Assessment?
A behavioral assessment is any type of instrument that helps you, as a leader in your organization, better understand what people are great at and how you might deploy that greatness.
It helps identify your team’s strengths, their motivations, and the way they approach their work.
For example, you might learn about your team’s default tendencies and some of their default behaviors when it comes to things like leadership, working collaboratively, the pace of work – and even their level of compliance.
This level of knowledge then gives you insight into what kinds of roles people on your team are best at – plus, the kinds of roles and tasks that can make them feel fulfilled and purposeful.
This understanding can lead to conversations about how team members can better align their tasks with their strengths, enhancing overall team dynamics.
When Is a Behavioral Assessment Helpful?
If you’ve ever been in any kind of coaching situation, you may have participated in a behavioral assessment.
These instruments can be profoundly helpful in that setting.
But a behavioral assessment can be valuable in any situation in which a team wants to work together with better results.
If team members are willing and able to become more self-aware and want to explore how they can best employ their strengths, a behavioral assessment provides a strong foundation for that kind of discussion.
It can also help members of your team become more aware of the opportunities that are available for them.
We also typically recommend behavioral assessments when teams are entering into a change process or when there seems to be a level of disconnect or discomfort in the way everyone’s working together.
This can often help shed light on the root causes of these disconnects, helping team members understand that differences in behavior most often are unintentional and not meant to cause friction.
This understanding can lead to a more empathetic and cohesive team environment.
The Behavioral Assessment: Real-life Application
I recently worked with a team of around a dozen members, who all took individual behavioral assessments.
Then I sat down with each one of them, individually, to go over their results – and we had some really open and vulnerable discussions around what they felt their strengths were, what they felt their purpose was within the organization, and the opportunities they had to use more of their strengths for the good of the organization.
It was a great way to have a completely safe discussion around the opportunities to shape their own leadership styles, along with areas of their work that were becoming a disadvantage to the organization.
And that’s what I really love about these kinds of assessments – they represent a way to disarm people, to create a common language and a more objective measure of performance.
Going through this process as a team also can help groups recognize each other’s strengths, which helps managers better deploy resources and can help your team celebrate each other’s individual contributions to the overall team.
Tips for Using Behavioral Assessments
If you’re ready to engage in a behavioral assessment with your team, here are some tips to get you started:
Mitigate Fear and Misperception
Sometimes team members can be a little scared about what exactly you’re looking for, or how they’re being “tested.”
It’s important to be clear that there’s no right or wrong outcome from any assessment instrument.
Instead, you’re looking to better understand each other.
In other words, a behavioral assessment isn’t designed to identify who is or isn’t good at their job – instead, it provides insight into behaviors team members exhibit and how they contribute to the value of the organization.
Get Team Buy-in
Make sure your team understands the purpose and benefits of the assessment.
Clarity and alignment of expectations are key to gaining their buy-in.
Explain how the insights gained will be used to enhance their work experience and improve team dynamics.
Keep the Momentum Going
One of the worst things you can do is administer a behavioral assessment, go over the results with your team once, and then never mention it again.
Chances are, your team will come out of their assessment feeling truly seen and heard – so it’s important to continue nurturing that feeling.
Keep talking about the results of your assessment – and keep using the results to shape how you work with your team.
Show them that you were paying attention and that you understand them that much better after going through the process.
Doing so also proves to them that they are worth the investment of time, energy and money a behavioral assessment requires.
Behavioral assessments can be a powerful tool for building a strong team culture.
By promoting self-awareness, improving communication, and creating a deeper understanding of individual behaviors, these assessments enhance team dynamics and productivity.
When you implement them thoughtfully and consistently, they can transform the way teams work together, leading to a more cohesive and successful organization.
If you’d like to talk more about using behavioral assessments with your team, we’d love to help. Reach out today to set up a consultation with one of our trusted family business advisors.