Chapter TwoKnow Yourself

A cartoon image in the background of the page depicting a person's head (bottom). The top portion of the head is flat over which a cliff is mounted and a person is standing on that cliff.
A cartoon image in the background of the page depicting a woman's face. A ladder is depicted near the face of that woman. A lady is landing over the woman's head with the help of that ladder.
  1. Look in the Mirror
  2. The Moment of Self-Truth
  3. Traits: Your DNA
  4. Drivers: What Motivates You?
  5. Competencies: Essential Ingredients for Success
  6. Experiences
  7. From Self-Knowledge to Success

Most people don't like being assessed. It makes them feel vulnerable. They make assumptions about their strengths (usually overestimating them) and underplay their weaknesses. As for their blind spots, they'd rather not know about them. Doctors run into this all the time with patients who would rather pretend everything is fine than face the truth about needing to improve their health. In the same way, in-depth assessment information can help you monitor and improve the health of your career by identifying your strengths, pinpointing your weaknesses, and helping you see where you will likely be more successful.

When companies get into the assessment game, there's a natural tendency to feel that this is mighty intrusive. What right, you might wonder, does a prospective or current employer have to ask me to take tests that ...

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