This year I decided to run a detailed personality test through ChatGPT and the results impressed me. I was curious about what new insights AI could provide with such data.
The Hogan Test is a personality assessment used to identify strengths, potential challenges, and ideal work environments. At Valispace, this was part of a Leadership Coaching initiative designed to help us better understand our strengths and weaknesses and grow within our roles. The results consist on simple scores, from 1 to 4, for more then a 100 personal characteristics.
The statements were very aligned with what I've been discovering about myself in the past year and closely matched my discussions with colleagues, making me confident that the Barnum effect was not in play. Additionally I reviewed my ChatGPT "memories" to make sure there was no previous data that could influence the analysis.
Reflecting on my journey, I realized what I genuinely enjoy, the environments where I thrive, and what makes me happy. It took many frustrations, conversations, and deep reflection to reach these insights. Revisiting the Hogan Test results with ChatGPT (using the 4o model) after four years, and seeing how closely they aligned with my recent self-discoveries, was both surprising and validating.
"This person would excel in innovative, independent roles where they can explore complex ideas and work without strict oversight." "They may struggle in environments that require a lot of team collaboration, rigid adherence to rules, or social interaction for motivation. They thrive in analytical, strategic, or creative roles that value independent thought and risk-taking."
I don't know if this might feel "superficial" to a reader who doesn't know me, or if this text is just resonating with my own thoughts and feelings at the moment, but this felt like a spot-on analysis. It made me wonder if I could have reached some of these conclusions earlier if I had gone deeper into these test results. Or maybe I just wasn't ready for it.
This realization made me reflect on my time at Valispace, where I navigated a diverse range of tasks and responsibilities. Though my official role was Head of Customer Success, my responsibilities extended to product work, development, support, technical sales, and more. I did many things that I didn't necessarily enjoy because I believed they were important for the company's success—a trait that GPT4o correctly described but wasn't on my radar until recently.
"...your inclination to follow through on tasks and responsibilities, regardless of personal interest, due to a strong sense of doing what’s ‘right’ or necessary. This aspect of your personality helps you stay committed to solving problems when they’re important."
In such high-paced, high-stakes scenarios, I just went through it all, never really questioning where my "happy place" was. Over the past year, various factors pushed me to invest more energy in self-reflection and identify the moments and activities I enjoyed most. Unsurprisingly, my "happy place" was where I could be creative and work on complex problems. For example, last year, I really enjoyed digging into the Variant Management problem, talking with customers and engineers, and designing potential solutions.
As GPT4o wrote at the end of the analysis:
"A coach would encourage you to seek out roles or projects that allow for creative problem-solving, such as strategy, R&D, or product development. You thrive where there is room to innovate and experiment."
And this is exactly the path I'm focusing on as I move forward.
Regardless of my own personal insights and growth, I encourage everyone to dig deeper every now and then and search for your motivations, triggers and feelings. Chat about it with people that you trust and feel comfortable, but don't forget to try talking with your "matrix multiplication mentor" as long as you give enough context and information.