If you are a consultant, coach or trainer and you are using a PeopleMaps report with your clients, it is only a matter of time before someone disagrees with something in their report.
The first thing to note is that it is OK to disagree with something in the report, in fact, it’s natural. This does not mean that there is something wrong with the system.
It’s perfectly fine for someone to disagree with something in their report and you should encourage them to talk it through. Don’t ever feel you have to defend the report or PeopleMaps. The client is the priority.
It’s Normal
Personality behaves more like a wave than a digital point. Profiling systems pick points on the curve of the wave and the majority of people will be at one side of the point or the other. The higher the resolution, the closer one will be to each point on the curve.
In a typical PeopleMaps report, it is expected that one would agree with about 80% of the statements. With the 20% in contention providing insight into what makes the individual unique. Never forget, that we are all unique and that all personality profiling systems are simplifying the complex to help us understand and work with it.
Identifying statements that an individual disagrees with is a useful exercise in itself and discussion around those points will also deepen the individual’s understanding of their personality, which is, after all, the objective.
identify the specific Gauges and Scores they have an issue with. Ask them what score they would have expected. How far is it from the actual score? if it’s not that different, then perhaps they do not disagree that strongly. Getting into a discussion about what score they suggest and why, is a great way for both you and the client to gain a deeper understanding of their perosnality, which is again, the point in all of this.
In some cases, an individual will agree with almost 100% of their report. This is OK too.
What About When They Disagree With Most of the Report
It is a rare occurrence to have someone disagree with most of their report. If it happens here are some options to consider.
The first thing to note is that hundreds of thousands of people have completed an assessment and been in agreement with most of their report. This argument, however, will not help you convince a client to change their mind, so there isn’t much point in taking this approach. I mention it here so that you, the consultant/coach, can take comfort and have confidence in the PeopleMaps system.
Get Specific
Some people will say things like “this is all wrong”, but when you ask them to be specific, you find that they actually only disagree with a few things. it may be that they disagree strongly with one thing only but because they disagree strongly, it affects their emotions and they, therefore, declare “this is all wrong” when what they mean is “this one part is very wrong….but the rest of it is quite accurate.” Some people have a strong emotional reaction to their report.
So the more specific you can get the person to be, the better.
Are they Being Pedantic?
Some people disagree with how something is expressed, yet, when you ask them to describe it in their own words, you discover that the meaning is the same it is just the phrasing and wording that is different. Some people are more pedantic than others and the wording is very important to them, so do not dismiss it out of hand but see if they can see that the core meaning is similar, if not identical.
Are They Inside The Pentangle?
We don’t have time to explain the PeopleMaps Map in detail, however, it may be worth checking to see if the individual is located inside the pentangle, on the lakeside. This is a complex area of personality, as these individuals have very high levels of flexibility. Most profiling systems would not even be able to spot that they are different. As a result, their report can throw up some anomalies and provide food for deeper discussion.
Did They Understand How To Complete The Questionnaire?
Very occasionally, someone misunderstands how to complete the questionnaire. It is always worth checking with the person that they clearly understand how to complete the questionnaire.
There is no harm in letting someone retake the questionnaire afresh and this may be your only option. Please just ensure they understand how to complete it.
Are They Deliberately Being Misleading?
PeopleMaps would argue that it isn’t possible to manipulate the results to your advantage. We claim this for two reasons; 1) You would need to know what results is being sought and 2) You would need to know how to create that result. So while it is certainly possible to enter nonsense and produce a nonsense result, it is not likely that one could do so to any advantage.
A job applicant can enter nonsense data into every part of the application process, including their CV and their Job Application. Naturally, they can also enter nonsense into the personality questionnaire too, however, not to their known advantage.