The Birkman Method
Behavioral assessment on steroids
Darcy and I were teaching a class at Stober Manufacturing last week, and during our Birkman training a group leader shouted “Dang! This is like Culture Index on steroids!” Brilliant! And one of many reasons we love the Birkman.
Why we use Birkman
I have taught and trained in many tools, including DiSC, Myers Briggs (16PF), Highlands Ability Inventory, StrengthFinders, etc. I’ve studied and trained with Enneagram, Culture Index and Predictive Index.
They all do amazing things. So why the Birkman?
Understand your behavior, not just your category
Recently I taught college students on how they are wired using the Birkman as part of a fabulous training program Cassady Schiller CPAs and Advisors hosts each summer. During the recap, a young woman remarked “Wow, in school they have us take all kinds of tests. But the Birkman was totally different. Those tools told me what color or title I fall into, but this tells me how I got there. It’s the first time I’ve ever understood my behavior and not just my category.”
Multiple assessments in one
With thorough measures of personality, motivation, and interest, the Birkman produces what typically requires multiple assessments. It demonstrates that distinct factors account for the majority of variance in job performance and job satisfaction. And we can impact these areas through knowledge and understanding.
- How my Usual behavior and positive “best self” show up every day. How I operate and how I align with scoring patterns of others. I can finally see if I am unique or operating in similar patterns to others.
- What I Need from the world to feel like I am grounded and operating at my best.
- What happens when I am Stressed and how to recognize my stress patterns and pop right back out of them.
- What I am Interested in and what Motivates me.
- How I handle my Image as I go through my day.
The Birkman measures 77 different behaviors!
While these are the five key areas, the Birkman also measures job alignment, management styles, brain styles, social styles, and work/learning styles – a total of 77 different behaviors.
As with any tool, we can show you the basic colors areas you fall into for Usual, Need/Stress, and Interests as outlined below. But if a team, executive, or leader is ready to grow and learn about who they are and how they work together, it requires delving into more information than simply knowing what letter, four-part combination, or defining word category you score. People are complex and we want to help pinpoint how to help people and organizations STRETCH to the next level through self-awareness and leadership of others.
The key to self-awareness
If you are:
- Hiring high-level team leaders
- Expecting your Executive Teams to thrive
- Growing your leadership talent
- Needing Executive Coaching or conflict resolution
Birkman is your solution. I have not found any other tool that helps a leader or team become more self-aware than the Birkman. And we will stand by the fact that self-awareness is the first step in leadership effectiveness.
Reach out if you would like to learn about yourself through this powerful assessment. There are more than 50 reports available for exploring your wiring and how you interact with other people and full teams. If you’ve taken the Birkman Assessment and want to learn more about it, we offer an online course in The Power of Birkman.
A quick review Birkman colors
Are you objective and make quick decisions, or do you like spending time reflecting on different options? What kind of activities do you like—planning, painting, or construction? Your Birkman Color(s); red, green, blue, or yellow, quickly communicate your different preferences and behavioral patterns. Here are some traits that associate with each color:
- Red: represents action, energy, likes practical results
- Green: represents persuading and communicating with people
- Blue: represents innovation, creativity, and working with ideas
- Yellow: represents order, repeatability, procedures, and systems
Birkman Colors are an easy way to talk about your unique personality type. They are measured by four benchmarks: Usual Behavior, Interests, Needs, and Stress Behavior.
Take a look at this infographic in order to see some of the most common characteristics for each color—which one do you think you are?