Personality Profile? Sure. But which one?

I encounter this question more and more often in my work as a consultant. And it’s a valid one. The market is full of tools: personality questionnaires, strengths profiles, motivational analyses, colors, types, Top 5.

Almost every one promises to do a great job.

At the same time, expectations for diagnostic tools are high and often contradictory.

• It should be quick. But it should provide deep insight.
• It should compare. But it shouldn’t judge anyone.
• It should support decision-making. But it should also spur development.

No single tool can do all of that at once. And it doesn’t have to.
That’s why I start with a rather simple, seemingly unremarkable question: What exactly does the assessment tool compare against?
To other people—that is, to a norm group? To the requirements of a specific role? With the image others have of me? Or only with myself? There are suitable tools for each of these questions.
Depending on the answer, a tool may be best suited for something entirely different. Those who want to provide a well-founded rationale for a succession or an internal hire need an external benchmark. Those who want to spark a conversation within the team are often better off with tools that deliberately avoid any kind of evaluation. That may sound like less, but in workshops it’s often a major advantage. People who don’t feel judged open up more easily.

That’s why we aren’t tied to any one tool. We choose the tool that fits the question, and for every one we use, we have certified consultants on our team.
Here’s an example from everyday life: A subject-matter expert is set to take over her first team in a year. No one doubts her professional competence. But how will she lead?
This is where we like to use SHL, which we’ve recently added to our toolkit. The OPQ shows, across 32 dimensions, how she behaves in her day-to-day professional life and compares her to people in similar professional groups. Here, the comparison with others is helpful, because her new role presents challenges she hasn’t faced before. The MQ complements this by revealing what truly drives her at work and what drains her energy.

It’s precisely this second perspective that’s often the more fascinating one. Whether someone can lead is one thing. Whether it also motivates her is an entirely different question—and sometimes the more important one.

The real value, however, never lies in the result alone. It emerges in the conversation that follows.
What particularly inspires me about my work at 5P Consulting is this moment. When the report is on the table and someone says: “That explains a lot.” When numbers become a language for their own strengths, and that language translates into concrete steps for everyday life.

A profile only becomes effective when people work with it. In feedback sessions, within the team, and in the many small situations where they’ll make decisions a little more consciously in the future.
And perhaps that’s exactly where the value of good diagnostics lies.

Not because of the colorful graphics. Not because of the label. Not because of the certainty of finally being “a certain type.”
But because it helps people understand themselves better and grow from their strengths.

Time to take a closer look: https://www.5p-consulting.com/en/assessment-diagnostik/diagnostische-tools