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The California Psychological Inventory (CPI)

Identifying Leadership Behaviors, Attitudes, and Preferences

What kind of person are you? If you had to describe yourself, what traits and characteristics would you identify? What would you say are your strengths? What areas do you need to develop? And how do you compare with other professionals?

One way of answering these questions is to talk with friends, family, co-workers and bosses. Unfortunately, this is time-consuming, and people may not have sufficient insight or experience to answer you conclusively. Another, quicker approach is to complete a personality test that's been validated and proven reliable. Likewise, if you want to improve your understanding of team members or your evaluation of job candidates, having them complete a psychometric test is an efficient and dependable means of doing so.

There are many different psychometric tests, so it's important to become familiar with the most popular psychometric tests that businesses use. Many people are familiar with the Myers-Briggs Typology Indicator (MBTI) as a personality assessment. However, tests like Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness (DiSC), Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior (FIRO-B), and the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) are also widely used.

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Your Reflected Best SelfT - Getting a deeper understanding of your strengths
Behavioral Assessments - How personality affects the way people do their jobs*
Myers-Briggs Personality Testing - Understanding how we relate to the world*
The DISC Model - Understanding people's personal styles*
FIRO-B - Understanding your interpersonal needs*
Benziger's Personality Types - Checking you're using your natural talents*
Using the Life Career Rainbow - Finding a work/life balance that suits you*
Success Programming - Affirming your successful future*

A full list of Mind Tools articles is available here.

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