There is an assistant director in my department who is awful to work with. She makes her team nervous to fail, so they are dishonest with her about the status of projects. I’ve voiced this concern to my director, whom we both report to, but nothing has changed. I want to have an honest conversation with this assistant director, but I’m not sure how to approach it. Any suggestions?

A man is worried that his wife is losing her hearing but that she won’t acknowledge it, so he asks the family doctor for advice. The doctor suggests an experiment. The man should stand in a different room and ask his wife the same question at different distances, moving closer each time.

In my experience, it is easier to work on teams with people who are alike.  When people are really different, it seems like there is much more friction on the team. I am now a manager of a team that has a lot of different types of people, and I don’t know how I can create a cohesive, well-running team with this group. It seems like it might be easier to change out some of the team members, but that doesn’t seem right or fair. How can I get everyone to work well together?

The S in SDI and CSA both stand for Strength. Same word, but vastly different meanings. Understanding how the two assessments define strength is key to understanding the differences between the assessments themselves.

Why do people get defensive about a normal question? Isn’t that a “you” problem?

This is the third article in a series that addresses the numerous questions we’ve received about how the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI) compares to other workplace personality assessments. This installment looks at the five-factor model of personality, often called the Big Five.

This is the second article in a series that addresses the numerous questions we’ve received about how the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI) compares to other workplace personality assessments. This installment looks at the original DISC concept, which is the basis for multiple variations on the theme of DISC assessments. The first article covered the MBTI. …

This is the first article in a series that addresses the numerous questions we’ve received about how the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI) compares to other workplace personality assessments. This installment compares the SDI to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The SDI and MBTI assessments measure different aspects of personality, and therefore have different outcomes. The …

Psychological safety depends on trust in each other’s intentions, and the SDI assessment can help people bring their best self to a conversation so they feel safe to contribute to the Pool of Shared Meaning. Whether it be a team or a 1:1 relationship, open and productive dialogue depends on an atmosphere where people in …