“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom,”
– Aristotle
I first came across Hogan Assessments when I interned at a boutique Consulting firm, while pursuing my Masters in IO Psychology in the US. The firm used to use Hogan for Selection, and the science piqued my interest. I started reading up on Hogan – scouring our library for material, whitepapers, and anything I could lay my hands on. And Hogan grew on me. Even when the internship ended, the science stayed with me – I was hooked. And Hogan remained with me. In 2020, when I was back in India, I attended the Hogan Certification Workshop and became a Hogan graduate, which gave me the opportunity to continue working with this fascinating tool, in my consulting journey. I soon realised that this is what I wanted to do going forward – I wanted to help people and organizations achieve their true potential.
As I worked with clients, I also gained a deeper insight into my own personality. Upon reflection, I find that 2023 was perhaps the year of discovery for me, as I uncovered all the Hogan scales playing out for me. For instance, my Interpersonal Sensitivity – I realized that I like making cordial relationships and don’t like offending people unnecessarily. While this worked as a strength, I also experienced the reverse of the scale too – and began appreciating Mark Twain’s quote, “Too much of a good thing is bad ….” Having had the insights from my own Hogan scales helped to manage my behaviors; and through experience I began to realize exactly how much cordiality is needed, and where to start drawing the line. I also realized that being high on Adjustment could be a blessing in disguise – especially because handling pressure well and maintaining a positive attitude has helped me in my work as a consultant managing multiple clients. But at the same time, I have also experienced the watchout of Adjustment – because I used to regularly overlook the stress of others. Now, I manage this by checking in on my team.
My Sociability and Inquisitive scales support me in my current role – being outgoing, approachable, curious and open-minded; have helped me build relationships and be open to new ways of doing things at the workplace. And, being equally aware of my derailers, has helped me manage them, and I can prevent them from becoming brakes in improving my performance. Being aware that my Imaginative and Dutiful scales trigger under stress, I can now keep a lookout for the stressors. I have many ideas – and know that some of these may be unrealistic. That awareness now leads me to give more time to flesh out the ideas and filter – I now simplify, analyze and only then suggest the idea! Being high Inquisitive, I also catch myself getting distracted – but self-awareness helps me recover in time, and I use simple things – like a to-do list; and bring myself back to focus. The strategic self-awareness has helped me become a better version of myself by approaching people and situations in a mindful way.
I resonate with my values – especially, Altruistic. I enjoy helping my colleagues and supporting and motivating my team, encouraging development and building morale. High Aesthetics and high Hedonism also support my work. I value creativity and focus attention on the look and feel of my deliverables and surroundings. And, I finally understand what really drives me – helping others and working towards their well-being.
Hogan showed me a mirror and helped me know myself better – and that awareness helps manage myself better, become a better version of myself – from the workplace to my personal life, from relationships to situations. And in knowing myself better, I found my purpose. I now want to give it back, and use the same knowledge to help our clients, my team and more people become self-aware.
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