You might be considering a personality assessment for your veterinary hospital. There are likely a variety of reasons why assessments are right for you. Here are the top five reasons I think personality assessments might make sense for you:

• Performance Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Team Building
• Succession Planning
• Hiring & Recruitment

As you may already know, I’m a fan of DiSC as the go to assessment for veterinarians who want to make better decisions and improve overall performance in their hospitals. I know that these considerations can be applied to many other assessments but this list is built with DiSC in mind as the most qualified assessment to accomplish these goals.

Performance management

Not only can you use assessments to build your teams, they can also help individuals to improve themselves. Your staff can identify areas where they want to improve and managers can help set reasonable expectations for improvement. For example, an assessment may reveal that one of your employees has difficulty with time management that will allow you to create a development plan to help that employee improve. Additionally, personality assessments can also be used to identify employees who have high potential and who may be good candidates for different, important roles in your hospital.

Conflict resolution

Every team will experience conflict. In fact, if your team has no conflict at all, it’s very difficult to grow. Conflict can be very healthy. There is a point where conflict becomes detrimental to productivity. Assessments can be used to understand how different personalities might contribute to the conflict and provide guidance on how to address it. For example, an assessment may reveal that two employees have very different communication styles, which is causing a conflict. A manager can use this information to develop strategies for effective communication between the two employees.

Team building and management

As you think about your team (other vets, vet techs, office staff, etc), take a moment to appreciate the variety of personalities you work with. Some are outgoing and energetic. Some are reserved and contemplative. You likely have those that are drivers and want to take charge. Personality assessments can be used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each of your team members. More importantly, they can be used to understand how different their personalities interact and work together. This can help you or your managers develop strategies for effective communication and collaboration. You can use these strategies to build teams that are well-balanced and able to work together more effectively.

Succession planning

Assessments can be used to identify high-potential employees who may be good candidates for future leadership or management roles. As with hiring and recruitment (listed next) you don’t want to use an assessment to disqualify someone from advancement but rather use the assessment to develop a growth plan for that employee. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of employees, managers can develop plans for succession and career development that will ensure that the organization has a strong pipeline of leaders for the future.

Hiring and recruitment

Historically, personality assessments have been used as a pre-hire tool. Candidates have not been hired based on the results in a personality assessment. Using any personality assessment as a reason to hire or not hire is never recommended. Just because someone has a particular personality profile doesn’t mean they will be a bad employee. We need all types of people to run an effective hospital. All roles can be played well by all personality types. However, assessments can provide guidance in how they might fit in the team. They can help you identify how to integrate that new employee most quickly and efficiently in your hospital. Additionally, personality assessments can also help to identify potential red flags—not as a reason to disqualify them but as a something to watch for while you are adding them to your team.

What Does Them Really Mean For You?

Personality assessments are a powerful tool for organizations looking to improve performance and make better decisions. From identifying the right candidates for a job to resolving conflicts and planning for the future, personality assessments can help managers and leaders understand their employees and create strategies that will lead to success. By using personality assessments to their fullest potential, you can help your hospital build better teams, create effective leaders, and achieve your goals.