Fit - When Talent and Intelligence Just Won't Cut it

Is there a recipe for high performance?Are there a set of characteristics, behavioral strategies, personality traits or a psychological profile which underpin world class performance in any domain?That's what this author researched. He found there was no formula. As he puts it: "There were no statistically significant correlations that marked certain traits as must-have characteristics or processes for achieving high performance."There is no "performance lottery". Author Warren Kennaugh realized that this is good news actually, because it means all of us can improve and potentially achieve high performance.Kennaugh realized that fit is vital to achievement. Kennaugh says that there are only three areas you need to examine to ascertain fit. There is a key framework.You need to understand fundamental parts of your personality in three key areas: 1. your intrinsic motivation or purpose 2. your favored patterns of behavior for meeting those needs and 3. how you sabotage yourself under pressure."When you understand this framework, you can finally take charge of your performance, success and happiness by ensuring fit!" writes Kennaugh.In Part 1 of this book, Kennaugh describes what we thought led to high achievement such as talent, strengths, the 10,000 hour rule for mastery, the 10-year rule etc. Kennaugh posits that each of has has four or five favorite behaviors or patterns of behavior which we've developed as a part of our personality. Kennaugh recommends the Hogan Assessment which assesses how someone does what they do, why they do it, and what screws them up. You can elevate performance with these insights, Kennaugh says, and improve performance. You can also find an environment and culture which is the best fit for your behaviors and purpose.What I found fascinating is that quite often small shifts can impact performance dramatically. Kennaugh gives the example of an executive who always needed his work to be perfect before he responded to others in the company. What they wanted, often, from him was an estimate, or a best guess early on, to be followed up by his perfect answer a few days later. They liked his accuracy, but sometimes wanted a best guess right away. The author coached him how to feel comfortable giving an estimate by having the right introduction to his answer by indicating he hadn't fully thought it through, but based on the incomplete thinking or information he had, he thought the answer could be such and such. His co-workers were thrilled. It was a small shift, but it had been keeping him from getting promoted to a high level as some speed in answering was wanted.We have 3 primary motivations: how to get along with others, how to get ahead and how to make meaning.This book discusses the difference between identity (who we think we are) and reputation (how others perceive us). Reputation can be boiled down to the five factor model: 1. extraversion 2. agreeableness 3. conscientiousness 4. emotional stability and 5.intellect/openness to experience.Using the Hogan Assessment, you discern your bright side, dark side (stuff that derails you) and your inside (the values which motivate you.) There are 10 basic values according to Hogan. You can see which ones you most respond to and what kind of work fits that.Kennaugh states: "Elevating performance is rarely about curing someone. It's about self-awareness and learning to work within their current process so we can make small, practical 1 per cent shifts that accumulate to significantly impact trajectory."Everybody has a little bit of crazy under the surface says Kennaugh. Understanding what can derail us and having strategies to manage it, can improve performance and keep a career from getting derailed. There is discussion of the kinds of things which derail different personalities.Once you understand yourself, and see your behavior through the lens of your preferences, interests and values, then you can use your bright side gifts, and avoid your dark side derailers. That's fit says Kennaugh. It also relates to engagement in work.I found this book valuable because it's one of the few which addresses what kinds of things derail the different personality traits. Also, I love the idea of incremental shifts as to ways of changing behavior. To get the full value of the book's message in your life, you'll probably want to take the Hogan Assessment. 5 stars because the message in this is profound. To get the full benefit, you'll need to do the assessments and think about your behaviors, and what small incremental shifts you want to make.

A decent book on finding out your personality traits (both positive and negative) and how they might apply towards your career. The personality traits are based on Hogan assessment tests which until reading this book I'd never heard of.There are a variety of these models around in business circles, for instance I've done the Lencioni one in the last year at my current employer. The idea is that if you know your various personality strengths and weaknesses you can find a better fit job wise, you can be more effective in your current job by leveraging your positives toward greater impact and so on.This book is interesting in that it gives you short tests for each trait and then a small section on famous or influential folks who might have that trait. For instance American football coaches Pete Caroll (Go Hawks!) and John Gruden are referenced, both having very different personalities and coaching styles but both owners of superbowl victories.I think that regardless of which of these types of tests you think is the 'best' (and Kennaugh clearly thinks Hogan) it is very important to figure out a way to get an honest accounting of your own traits and how they can help and hurt your career. I also like the early messaging in the book that it's not so much talent or even a specific set of traits that determines how far you'll go. There was a great anecdote in the book about two world class athletes, one with a classic type A ultra competitive and focused attitude and another with a playful notion to see what they could do.The book suffers from a couple of issues though:1. The Hogan test scores are pretty consistently referenced. For instance a passage might say that if you score above 65 in X it might mean these things. The only problem is the book doesn't contain the tests so those scores are meaningless to the reader.2. There is never any section bringing all the traits together. There is definitely specific information on what each individual trait might mean good or bad to career or sport, but the puzzle is never put together. I presume if would be if you took one of these tests and/or hired a career coach that uses them. To his credit Kennaugh DOESN'T try to sell you anything in the book. I also think that it wouldn't be honest to try to have you take the small checkbox surveys and try to spit out your ideal career. However it *WOULD* have been nice to see some case study type examples showing how a few (possibly fictional) people scored on a test and how a coach might direct that person based on the results.It was a worthwhile read and if nothing else should get you thinking or revisiting your strengths and weaknesses.

This is a well researched book, which makes it one of the few books on personal performance I consider worth reading. It discusses the Hogan model (HPI, HDI and MVPI) and the interpretation of it's results, as well as how this model works compared to other popular models, like the Five Factor Model.This book is not a manual or workbook, but an outline of the Hogan tool set. It does have questions that may help you place yourself somewhat with the profile models, but these do not give quantitative scores that would be need to get an accurate assessment, because the book is partly a vehicle for the author to promote his business, which, from his client list, seems to have had some decent wins and a positive impact. It's still very readable.

I knew a fellow who when terminating people would always say the same thing. "It's not you, it's not me, it just isn't a good fit". A kind way to let someone go but it begs a bigger question. What makes an otherwise qualified person a "good fit"? The author tackles the topic largely by relying on personality tests, primarily the Hogan tests. I thought it was an interesting read with plenty of opportunity for self assessment. It does not really provide guidance on identifying an appropriate career or adjusting a job title to accommodate a certain personality. However it does provide a context in which a person can assess and analyze their own traits which is a good starting point to identifying the right career and organization. .

The core idea is to know yourself through objectively analyzing your personal strengths and weaknesses and then making use of that knowledge to achieve optimal performance. To do this, the author puts forth something called Hogan Personality Profiles, a series of self-administered tests. The failure here is not including a scoring mechanism. This is worthwhile read in the sense that it pushes you to identify personal strengths and weaknesses, though you’re very much left in limbo as to what to do with this knowledge once you acquire it.Jerry