Stop Guessing Who Your People Are and Get Data

Here’s the problem with how most leaders try to understand their teams. They guess. They observe behavior and make assumptions. They ask people how they’re feeling and hope the answer reveals what’s really going on. And then they’re surprised when communication breaks down, when conflicts escalate, when talented people don’t perform the way they expected. Because guessing isn’t a diagnosis. And without diagnosis, you can’t fix what’s actually wrong.

I’ve profiled hundreds, maybe close to a thousand people at this point with personality assessments. And I see patterns that most leaders miss completely. Not because I’m special, but because I have data they don’t have. I know how people prefer to receive feedback before I give it. I know what energizes them and what drains them before I assign work. I know their natural communication style before I try to reach them. And that data transforms how effectively I can build teams, develop individuals, and solve problems that would otherwise destroy relationships.

But here’s what’s interesting. Despite overwhelming evidence that personality profiles work, people resist them. They say people change, so profiles aren’t accurate. They worry profiles will label people or force them into boxes. They question whether these tools are really that useful. And underneath all those objections is the same fear: what if the data reveals something uncomfortable that we’d rather not face?

The Pain of Leading Without Data

You’ve experienced this frustration. You have someone on your team who’s talented but struggling. You try different approaches to reach them. You give feedback the way you’d want to receive it. You assign work you think they’d enjoy. And nothing works. The relationship deteriorates. Performance suffers. And eventually you’re looking at moving them off the team or into a different role because you can’t figure out how to help them succeed where they are.

That’s what happens when you lead by guessing instead of data. You’re treating symptoms without understanding root causes. You’re prescribing solutions without running diagnostic tests. And just like a doctor who prescribes medication based on how you say you feel without running blood work, you’re masking problems instead of fixing them.

Think about this comparison. I used to go to traditional doctors who’d ask how I was feeling and prescribe medication in under a minute. Literally fifty-three seconds from describing my anxiety to getting a prescription with side effects that included heart problems and infertility. No diagnostic testing. No investigation of root causes. Just mask the symptoms with pills and hope that works.

Then I switched to naturopathic doctors who run comprehensive blood tests every three months. A hundred different data points showing exactly where my cholesterol is, where my blood sugar is, where everything stands. Based on that data, they identify root causes and fix them with non-invasive naturopathic treatments. Within a month, my anxiety was gone, my weight problem was gone, everything was resolved. Not masked. Fixed.

The System Avoids Diagnostic Data

Here’s what I want you to understand. Most construction companies avoid personality profiling because they’re uncomfortable with what data might reveal. They prefer to guess at people’s motivations, communication styles, and needs rather than actually finding out through diagnostic assessment. And that creates a systematic pattern of misunderstanding, miscommunication, and missed opportunities to help people thrive.

The construction industry values action over analysis. We promote people who appear decisive, who jump into solutions, who seem confident even when they’re guessing. And we undervalue the diagnostic work that would actually give us accurate information about how people work best. So we end up making decisions about team composition, role assignments, and communication approaches based on assumptions rather than data.

That’s like running a construction project without surveying the site first. You might get lucky and build something that works. More likely, you’ll discover problems after you’ve committed resources to wrong solutions. Personality profiles are the survey data for team building. They tell you what you’re actually working with instead of what you assume you’re working with.

I’ve profiled people using the Myers-Briggs sixteen personalities assessment along with what I call player cards that include a “This Is Me” form. On the left side, people answer questions about how they like interaction, how they prefer feedback, what they need from their team. On the right side, they take the personality assessment. And they always match. Always. The personality profile validates what people have said about themselves, giving you confirmation that you understand them correctly.

But here’s the key insight that transforms how you use these tools. Personality profiles don’t exist to label people or force them into boxes. They exist to accentuate strengths and neutralize weaknesses. When someone’s profile says they can be too needy or too selfless or slow to make personal decisions, that’s not damning information. That’s diagnostic data that helps them grow and helps you support them better. Nobody gets fired for profile weaknesses. They get coached to compensate for them while leveraging their strengths.

How Diagnostic Data Transforms Teams

Let me walk you through why this matters so much for building high-performing teams. Patrick Lencioni’s model says teams need five things to perform: trust each other, have healthy conflict, set goals together, hold each other accountable, and perform. But I add a sixth step at the foundation: know each other. Because you can’t trust people you don’t actually know.

Think about the team dynamics this creates. You can’t perform unless you hold each other accountable. You can’t hold each other accountable unless you’ve set standard goals together. You won’t set goals together unless you have healthy conflict and people speak up. You won’t have healthy conflict if you don’t trust each other. And here’s the kicker: you won’t trust each other unless you know each other. Personality profiles are how you actually know each other instead of guessing.

At field engineer bootcamp, the winning team won because they held each other accountable. They held each other accountable because they had healthy conflict. They had healthy conflict because they trusted each other. They trusted each other because they communicated effectively. And they communicated effectively because they figured out themselves and how they like to communicate individually first. It started with individual people getting clarity on who they are, then being able to work through the phases of team development, and ultimately performing at a level that let them win.

That’s not accidental. That’s systematic. Know yourself, then know others, then build trust, then have healthy conflict, then set goals, then hold accountable, then perform. Skip the “know” steps and you’re building on sand. Include them and you have data that guides every other step.

Here’s how personality profiles provide that diagnostic data:

• Reveals how individuals prefer to receive feedback before you damage relationships by giving it wrong • Shows what energizes versus drains each person so you can assign work that plays to strengths • Identifies natural communication styles so teams can bridge gaps instead of talking past each other • Highlights potential blind spots and weaknesses so people can compensate before they cause problems

These aren’t labels or limitations. These are insights that let you meet people where they are instead of expecting everyone to adapt to your preferred style. When you have this data, you stop guessing and start knowing.

Why Data Beats Assumptions Every Time

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow. We work with builders who understand that guessing about people creates dysfunction while diagnostic data creates high-performing teams. We use personality profiles not to label but to understand, not to limit but to leverage strengths.

Let me address the common objections directly because they keep people from using tools that would transform their teams. First objection: people change, so profiles become outdated. Yes, people change. That’s why you use profiles as a snapshot of where someone is now that helps them have a stake in who they want to become. The profile starts conversations about growth, not ending them.

Second objection: what if the profile isn’t correct? That’s why you use validation methods like the “This Is Me” form that confirms the profile matches how people see themselves. And if there’s doubt, you can take the fifty-dollar paid version of the Myers-Briggs through the official website for more accuracy. In over five hundred profiles, I’ve never seen one that wasn’t useful even if it wasn’t perfectly precise.

Third objection: will it force someone into becoming that personality type? Only if you misuse it by making life-altering decisions based on profiles instead of using them to accentuate strengths. You’re not deciding whether someone should get married or change careers based on Myers-Briggs. You’re helping them understand their natural patterns so they can leverage what works and compensate for what doesn’t.

Fourth objection: will people be labeled? Only if you focus on weaknesses instead of strengths. Properly used profiles help people understand themselves better and give teams language to discuss differences constructively. The information isn’t damning. It’s developmental.

Final objection: can this really be that useful? Absolutely. Until we know who we are, we can’t reach higher levels of achievement. And until teams know each other, they can’t build trust that leads to performance. Data doesn’t guarantee success, but guessing guarantees misunderstanding.

The Challenge: Run Diagnostic Tests on Your Team

So here’s my challenge to you. Stop guessing who your people are and get diagnostic data. Have everyone take the sixteen personalities Myers-Briggs assessment. Create player cards with “This Is Me” forms that validate the results. Use the data to understand how people prefer feedback, what energizes them, how they communicate naturally, and where they need support.

Then use that data to build your team systematically. Start with knowing each other. Move to trusting each other. Enable healthy conflict by understanding different perspectives aren’t wrong, they’re different by design. Set goals together with full participation from different personality types. Hold each other accountable because you understand what accountability looks like for each person. And watch your team perform at levels guessing never enabled.

This isn’t about labeling people or putting them in boxes. It’s about getting the same kind of diagnostic clarity for teams that blood tests provide for health. You wouldn’t let a doctor prescribe medication without running tests to see what’s actually wrong. Why would you try to lead people without data about how they actually work?

The current condition is we’re not solving problems with data. We’re assuming things and masking problems with consequences like firing, moving, or shunning people. The challenge is to reach out for help, take these assessments, get player cards done. First know yourself, then know others, and use it to build teams that actually perform instead of just hoping things work out.

As Socrates said, “Know thyself.” That ancient wisdom applies to modern team building. You can’t build high-performing teams with people you don’t actually know. Get the data. Use it wisely. Build something remarkable.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Don’t people change over time making personality profiles outdated?

Yes, people change, which is why profiles are useful snapshots of where someone is now. They start conversations about growth and development rather than ending them. Use profiles as current diagnostic data that informs how you work with someone today, not as permanent labels that lock them into fixed categories forever.

How do I know if a personality profile is accurate for someone on my team?

Use validation methods like the “This Is Me” form where people self-report their preferences separately from the assessment. When their self-description matches the profile results, you have confirmation. If there’s significant mismatch, that’s valuable data too that tells you to dig deeper and understand what’s happening.

Won’t using personality profiles create labels that limit what people think they can do?

Only if you misuse them by focusing on limitations instead of strengths. Properly used profiles help people understand their natural patterns so they can leverage what works and compensate for what doesn’t. The goal is developmental insight, not fixed categorization.

What if someone resists taking a personality assessment or doesn’t want their results shared?

Make it voluntary and clarify the purpose is development not evaluation. Some people need to see others benefit before they participate. Start with leaders and early adopters who model vulnerability. Never use profiles punitively or force participation. The value becomes obvious when people see how it improves team dynamics.

How often should teams retake personality assessments?

Annually or when significant role changes occur. The core personality traits are relatively stable but how people show up can shift with experience and development. Regular reassessment keeps your data current and shows people how they’ve grown over time.