Take a second right now and analyze your worldview.

Do you believe that a) everything you do is inextricably linked to a central perspective, that all of your actions, thoughts, and beliefs are related to one unifying set of morals and principles?

Or do you believe that b) your idea of life is a bit more multifaceted, and you pursue many unrelated, sometimes contradictory ends that seem not to converge at any point?

Put your pencils down. If you answered A, the Greek poet Archilochus would say that you were a hedgehog. You’re in good company, according to philosopher Isaiah Berlin in his famous essay on Tolstoy; Dante, Dostoevsky, and Nietzsche were all hedgehogs as well. If you instead answered B, you would be considered a fox along with such great minds as Aristotle, Goethe, and James Joyce. Congratulations! What a quick, simple way to summarize yourself, right?

What if you believe you’re more multifaceted still? This hedgehog-fox classification system is somewhat pigeon-holing despite its reputable academic backing. There are a plethora of quizzes online to determine what television show character you are, what drink you are, who your ideal celebrity date is, all based on a personality profile. Take enough of these surveys and you might start to get a more accurate picture of who you are. After all, finding out that you’re a Carrie Bradshaw instead of a Samantha Jones speaks volumes. Volumes.

This search for self-awareness, the question of “who am I really” spans a lifetime. Prepubescent teenagers begin trying to determine where they fit in while their parents’ mid life crises keep Ferrari dealerships in the green. Us twentysomethings deal with a phase of our lives that cultural anthropologists are calling “emerging adulthood” wherein we try and determine the time frame for our financial and physical independence. In short, you can’t escape this search, even though the ends seem as elusive as Carmen Sandiego. Having a firm sense of self-awareness is important, and not just because, as the saying goes, “if you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything.” If you don’t understand yourself, who will?

The question is: why is being self aware so vital to your success?

It was Bob Dylan who said “the times, they are a’changin’.” We’ve written several times about the shift from emphasis on competency toward an emphasis on creativity. Understanding who you are and where your strengths lie allows you to point out how you can add value to your organization. When the workplace becomes less about what you do well and more about what you can do, it becomes simply important to know the answer. You won’t understand your potential until you can grasp how you operate, what energizes and weakens you, and where it is you excel–not what it is you excel at.

How, then, can you begin to know yourself? At Monar, we’re fans of both the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the DISC as good places to start. Both are assessments designed to give you a better idea of your work style and personality type. The MBTI uses your perceptions and your judgments to inform you as to your decision-making processes, the way you take in information, your focus in the world, and how you work with structure. The DISC tries to determine your situational behavior in whatever environment it is that you think about while taking the assessment. While the MBTI can give you a broader sense of who you are, the DISC can help you figure out how you act in response to different environmental factors. Both can provide you with a starting point toward figuring out who you are and how you react.

Whether hedgehog, fox, Betty, or Veronica, who you are matters. And knowing who you are matters even more. Self definition in any form is important–you don’t want to get passed over when the times call for you to stand out. So take the time and delve a little deeper into yourself. Personal exploration gives you the basis for personal development.

**Want to take the MBTI or DISC and get started with your personal awareness? Email staff@monarconsulting.com and we’ll administer the assessment along with a 30 minute feedback session regarding your results.