Research supports the validity of using personality tests in the workplace: this 2018 study from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) found that personality assessments are a reliable tool in predicting job performance. Personality testing companies have accumulated data from hundreds of thousands of people throughout the years, allowing them to become effective tools for improving hiring decisions, team dynamics, and overall employee performance. 

Personality assessments such as Culture Index, Predictive Index, CliftonStrengths, TTI Success Insights, Kolbe and Enneagram are powerful tools that can unlock the full potential of your team.  While taking these personality assessments can be a fun exercise, they can also be used to optimize your hiring process and workplace dynamics. When used effectively, personality tests transform your company’s culture, enhance communication, and align your team’s strengths with business goals. 

Finding the perfect fit for an open role these days is like finding a unicorn because you must find the right combination of personality, experience, and attitude. It’s not just about finding the right skills; it’s about finding the right fit. Here’s how to effectively integrate personality assessments into your hiring strategy. 

Culture Index

Using tools like Culture Index in hiring decisions is a game-changer for understanding candidates beyond their resume. This assessment helps gauge traits such as autonomy, social skills, stress tolerance, and follow-through—essential insights for knowing how well someone will integrate into your company’s culture. It also reveals their level of ingenuity, energy, logical thinking, and how much drama they might bring to the workplace. In essence, it can be a valuable tool for identifying candidates with the right personality for any given role.  

CliftonStrengths (StrengthsFinder)

CliftonStrengths, formerly known as Strengths Finder, by Gallup is a fantastic tool for better understanding where there might be gaps in your existing team. Hiring a coach to facilitate this process can help maximize actionable insights. CliftonStrengths identifies 34 themes based on “talents” including executing, influencing, strategic thinking and relationship building. It then provides the test-taker with a report on their top 5 strengths. 

By identifying each individual’s strengths and weaknesses, you can better assess the balance of skills within the broader team. Understanding strengths is also valuable for making strategic future hires, ensuring that new team members complement existing deficiencies. Hiring too many people with the same strengths creates an imbalance—diversity in skills is key to a well-rounded, high-performing team. 

TTI Success Insights

TTI Success Insights is another great exercise for your existing team. TTI’s comprehensive DiSC (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness Conscientiousness) assessment goes beyond the basics, providing 13 pages of insights into communication triggers and how to interact with different personality types. It’s particularly effective for improving coworker relationships, especially in teams that are struggling to get along. TTI’s “Wheel of Strengths and Weaknesses” helps identify where individuals excel and struggle, making it easier to coach your team and enhance collaboration. By better understanding these dynamics, you can foster a more cohesive and productive workplace environment, ensuring that employees connect and work together more effectively. 

Kolbe

Kolbe is a fantastic assessment when making key leadership hires. It reveals your “quick start” level, meaning how quickly someone initiates tasks, their fact-finding abilities, and their problem-solving approach. The Kolbe assessment is also a valuable tool for entrepreneurs looking to identify their own natural strengths and how they instinctively take action. In some ways, Kolbe overlaps with other tools like Culture Index by helping determine how a person organizes projects or gathers information. 

Enneagram

The Enneagram’s nine personality types provide insight into core motivations, making it a useful tool for relationship-building within teams. It’s great for developing self-awareness and a better understanding of how to “click” with different personalities, fostering stronger connections among employees.  I enjoy comparing enneagrams with friends, and it can also be a fun team-building exercise. By being aware of each other’s Enneagram types, you can better navigate relationships in the work environments, creating stronger, more harmonious connections.  If you feel Enneagram is too personal for the workplace, I’d recommend the PRINT survey to better understand your employees’ motivations. 

When using personality assessments, it’s crucial to remember that they’re just one component of a comprehensive hiring process. While candidates may sometimes provide the answers they think you want to hear, these surveys still offer valuable insights when used correctly. Personality assessments can reveal deeper motivations, strengths and behaviors, helping you make more informed decisions about new hires and existing team dynamics alike. I believe they are a worthy investment for any CEO looking to build a high-performing team. 

The post How to Leverage Personality Tests in Your Company first appeared on Chanie Gluck.

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital media, podcasts have emerged as a powerful and popular medium for sharing ideas, stories, and expertise. If you find yourself contemplating whether to embark on the podcasting journey, you’re not alone. The decision to start a podcast is a significant one, and various factors should be considered before starting.  

The Power of Voice  

Podcasting offers a unique platform to communicate directly with your audience through the power of voice. Unlike written content, podcasts allow your personality to shine, creating a more intimate connection with your listeners. Whether you’re an expert in a specific field or a storyteller at heart, a podcast provides a dynamic outlet for your message.  

Niche Appeal  

One of the strengths of podcasting lies in its ability to cater to niche audiences. Regardless of how specialized your interests or expertise are, there’s likely an audience out there eager to tune in. For example, my Leaders In Medical Billing podcast – if you’re not in the medical billing space, you are not listening to that one.  Podcasts enable you to reach and engage with a community that shares your passions, fostering a sense of connection that can be challenging to achieve through other mediums.  

Accessibility and Convenience  

In an era where multitasking is the norm, podcasts thrive on their accessibility and convenience. Listeners can tune in while commuting, exercising, or doing household chores. By offering content that fits seamlessly into people’s daily routines, you can capture and retain the attention of a diverse audience.  

Establishing Authority  

Podcasting provides a powerful platform to position yourself as an authority in your field. Consistent and well-researched content can showcase your expertise, attracting not only listeners but potential collaborators, clients, or industry peers. It’s a chance to amplify your voice and contribute meaningfully to conversations within your niche.  

Challenges to Consider  

While the allure of podcasting is undeniable, it’s essential to acknowledge the challenges. Creating high-quality content consistently demands time and effort. Technical aspects, such as recording and editing, may pose a learning curve for beginners. Additionally, building and sustaining an audience requires dedication and strategic promotion. I wouldn’t start a podcast without having the key tools and people in place to do the editing, graphics, show notes and uploading the episode onto various podcasting platforms. 

The Verdict  

So, should you start a podcast? The answer depends on your goals, interests, and commitment. If you have a passion to share, a message to convey, or a desire to connect with like-minded individuals, podcasting can be a rewarding endeavor. However, it is crucial to approach it with realistic expectations, understanding the investment of time and energy involved.  

In conclusion, a podcast can be a potent tool for self-expression, community building, and professional growth. Evaluate your motivations, assess your resources, and if the prospect excites you, take the plunge into the world of podcasting – where your voice has the potential to resonate and you can become a thought leader in your industry. 

The post Should I Start a Podcast? first appeared on Chanie Gluck.

But did you know that expressing your creative side can not only help you discover what you truly want, but also improve your mental well-being and enhance your work performance? As Julia Cameron, author of The Artist Way, suggests, artists who don’t have a way to express their creativity can end up feeling resentful. That’s why I highly recommend taking up a hobby that brings you joy outside of work.

For example, I found that taking weekly painting classes has been the perfect outlet for my artistic creativity. Every week, I walk into class with a blank canvas and within a few hours, my vision turns into reality. Over the years, I’ve built up a full collection of paintings, and I can see how I’ve improved over time. Not only has it been an enjoyable and fulfilling experience, but it has also opened my mind to other joys and perspectives.

As entrepreneurs, we tend to live and breathe business, but when we take a break from the grind and let our creative side take over, it gives us time to reflect and view the world from a different perspective. This can also be beneficial for our mental health and well-being. By finding a hobby that you truly enjoy, you can open yourself up to other joys and reduce the risk of burnout.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I took my art class virtually and looked forward to it each week. Now that in-person classes are an option, I prefer to be surrounded by other creative people in a physical setting. There is an energy and creativity that happens when we are around others who share our passions.

By taking up a hobby outside of work, you can not only enhance your mental and emotional well-being, but also bring new creative energy to your business. So why not find a hobby that brings you joy and helps you express your creativity? It may just be the key to unlocking your full potential as an entrepreneur.

If you have any hobbies you enjoy outside of work, please share them in the comments below 👇🏼

The post Fueling Your Entrepreneurial Spirit: The Benefits of Pursuing Creative Hobbies first appeared on Chanie Gluck.

Making it to the list gave us the global exposure we were looking for and something important to celebrate with our team.  I decided to make a special trip to India and celebrate this milestone in person with all the people that made this possible. 

The look on their faces was so much more than I imagined. It was even better than making it to the Inc 5000 – I saw the gleam of pride and a sense of accomplishment in their eyes.

Every employee got a special gift, and we ate cake, laughed, danced, and talked about new goals we want to achieve. We encouraged and supported each other.

Then I boarded another 26 hour flight home.

Was it worth it? 100%.

I feel blessed to lead our team of excellent humans and this award truly belongs to them!

Attending the Inc 5,000 Conference and Gala in October 2022 was one of those moments in my entrepreneurial journey that signifies a turning point in my career. A point where I finally feel that I’ve made it to the big league.

In most professions, you go from being an amateur to an experienced executive. Entrepreneurial life is different. 

When do we graduate to being professional? For some it’s hitting revenue targets, profitability targets, building a solid team or hitting a big goal. Those are all great metrics. Yet being a part of Inc 5000 – a group of the fastest-growing companies in the USA is truly inspirational.

Thank you Inc. Magazine for creating this community where we can continue to inspire each other and change the world for the better!

The post Inc 5000 first appeared on Chanie Gluck.

They are incredibly successful in business.  They nurture others and are tenacious beyond measure. But that is not the hallmark of what I found in common among these Enterprising Women. 

These women are masterful at overcoming challenging obstacles. Some I spoke to were once single parents – either divorced or the death of a spouse. These terrible tragedies at the time seemed heartbreaking to these women while it was happening. But they kept their faith – in themselves and believed that everything will work out. They instinctively knew that even though life seemed bleak, there was a greater purpose calling them. And now, the same women are happy – in new relationships, businesses, families, philanthropies, and life experiences. 

The message for us all – but especially for those who intend to be (or raise) an Enterprising Woman, is this: The universe may have some great plans in store for you and is guiding you in that direction.  Dream big dreams and get aligned with what you were meant to do and contribute to this world. 

Thank you to Marina Ilari for nominating me and the many remarkable women I connected with.  

The 2023 Enterprising Women of the Year Awards Celebration & Conference will be hosted May 21-23, 2023 at the Wyndham Grand in Clearwater Beach, Florida!

Honorees will be recognized on the evening of May 23 at the Gala Awards Dinner.  

If you have been in business for at least three years and are a women-owned company or a partner in a firm you can submit a nomination at www.enterprisingwomen.com. 

Honorees are recognized for at least three years of revenue growth, leadership in their communities, and mentoring or supporting other women or girls.  

The post Enterprising Women first appeared on Chanie Gluck.