Know Thyself

In Classical Greece there was a temple called the Oracle of Delphi. In it resided a priestess who, it was said, had been granted the power of prophesy by the god Apollo. Supplicants would undertake the long and arduous journey in order to ask their questions and hear the advice of the gods. Upon arriving at the temple, supplicants would enter the forecourt within which were carved inscriptions of what became known as the Delphic Maxims. The most famous of these inscriptions was “Know Thyself”.

To many supplicants this must have seemed a cryptic phrase to inscribe in a place where visitors came to seek guidance. If one already knew oneself, what purpose could the oracle serve? However, do we really know ourselves? We do have some knowledge. A great deal of what we know comes from considering our behavior. Who doesn’t regularly ask themselves, “Why did I do that?”, “Could I have handled that situation better?” When considering our behavior, we often discover the patterns and enduring personal characteristics that are commonly known as personality traits.

Personality traits can be defined as habitual behaviors, thoughts and emotions. There are a number of ways to categorize personality traits and to measure them. The five factor model, for example, has the following list of traits - openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Over time, a number of personality assessment tools have been developed that measure those and additional traits with a high degree of accuracy. One assessment offered by The Human Resource Potential Center measures sixteen personality traits.

Personality assessments such as 16PF provide valuable insights to a person seeking to know themselves. When considering an important question such as a choice of career such assessments are particularly useful. For example, a person with a highly extraverted, socially bold personality might be well suited to a sales position.

Choosing to take a personality assessment can be a life altering decision. In addition, coaching and feedback sessions further help to turn the assessment results into more self-awareness resulting in more meaningful decisions related to careers and life challenges. The Human Resource Potential Center is a certified provider of many prestigious assessment tools and has many years of coaching-feedback experience. Life is a long and sometimes arduous journey. Taking concrete steps to “Know Thyself” is a crucial decision. In an age without oracles the Human Resource Potential Center can give you the guidance you need to recognize your own innate qualities and make discerning choices that can result in personal and career success and happiness.