Insight reports mirror back truths and falsehoods in equal measure.

Knowing yourself is difficult. How very appealing it is therefore to have people tell us about our behaviours and what they mean. When completing insight reports, we are happy to answer multiple questions knowing they will be aggregated into an output suggesting what our answers mean about us. It feels like a mystery is being unlocked for us.

The question design of these insight reports works by repeating question patterns and seeing the trends in our answers. The questions are worded slightly differently to see how definitive our responses are to the concept being explored. The methodology is well-tested by researchers and has much rigour and reliability.

Yet, the data set upon which the report is then wholly based is provided only by one individual – with only their 180° view of their own situation.

The problem? We have preconceptions about ourselves. We believe idea X, so we answer the questions consistently, and the results then confirm our belief in idea X. A person who presents as an extrovert and is told they are an extrovert will answer in a way that confirms this – and never understand why being around people exhausts them. With one subject responsible for answering the questions, the results will always be unreliable, mirroring back truths and falsehoods in equal measure.

With Entelechy’s Character-based system, individuals still provide a 180 self-assessment; but this is then augmented with a minimum of three other people’s 360 assessments of that individual. Having other people offer perspectives on Character does not mean these other opinions are more valid than the individual’s. Instead, by asking more than three other people to offer a 360 assessment, it is possible to identify patterns in the individual's Character that might otherwise have been hidden. Rather than confirming preconceptions and feeding into a misunderstanding, these 180 and 360 insight reports allow learners to see what they didn’t know before.

Imagine how powerful it would be to receive feedback that says being expressive is your strength when you felt it was a growth opportunity. An individual might still challenge that being expressive is a strength, yet they have now had a view of themselves questioned. It is precisely this that offers the possibility for change, rather than merely confirming their perspective of themselves.

If you want to learn more about our insight reports, . We feel our methodology offers the most opportunity for individuals to change their lives – using the insights to power growth.

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