If you visited a foreign country and could speak the native language, would you use it to communicate? The answer is clearly yes, as they would connect more easily with you and what you are saying. They would even be more likely to trust you.

Psychometrics help organisations learn about their people. But they also allow their people to develop more self-awareness.

Despite this, I still hear a lot of negativity around psychometrics’ place in people in boxes. The most negative point of view suggests they challenge inclusion efforts. But most leaders have taken at least one assessment in their careers. It’s worth considering whether psychometrics really are the problem, or if it’s how they’re used.

Or more simply, what’s all the fuss about psychometrics?

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Common criticisms

Despite their use, some people remain unconvinced. Often, people have said psychometrics can: 

• Put employees in a box and take into consideration our multi-facilitated nature
• Negatively impact inclusion during recruitment and succession planning 
• Present legal risk, as seen in the cases of Ms Brookes vs the UK Government and Mr Meier vs British Telecom

I’ve worked in organisations that rolled out DISC, Insights, Lumina, Strengths, and the Strength Deployment Inventory company-wide, and I’ve seen the impact they have on collaboration and sales performance. Drawing on this experience, I believe we should take a closer look at whether these considerations truly justify rejecting their use.

What happens when we use them well

Psychometric tools, when used well, give leaders a clearer picture of their people and teams. They turn what we sense about a team’s strengths into practical insight that guides our decisions. Our capacity to use them wisely reflects the maturity of our leadership.

Used effectively, they can:

• Support personal and professional development by revealing patterns and strengths
• Add scientific rigour to recruitment, improving fit and reducing bias
• Create a visual snapshot of how an organisation works and where growth is possible
• Complement what leaders sense intuitively about their teams

They cannot be used alone, however, as this would be short-sighted and potentially place people into boxes and limit growth. The science community accepts that many tests are an approximate measure. They remain very useful because they predict meaningful outcomes and create a shared language for discussion.

Psychometrics for personal growth

When used for individual development, the conclusions we draw from a test matter. A psychometric result should never be seen as proof of ability or limitation. It’s a starting point for understanding where strengths come easily and where growth might take more effort.

To use them well, we wouldn’t say:
Alex scored 8.2 on adaptability, so they are more adaptable than most of their peers

We should say:
Alex’s results suggest they are likely to adapt effectively to varying situations

This approach works at an individual level, but it’s equally important to step back and look at the organisation as a whole. Psychometrics like RIASEC (Holland) may help with career goals and vocational fit, or Lumina can support more widely with what we would call a whole-person personality profiling.

Reading people data like financial data

We study financial data in depth, yet people are our greatest asset for financial success. Reading people data with a similar approach unlocks real growth. A CFO would never buy another company based on a single source of financial data. They study earnings, cash flow and market trends, then weigh this against context like leadership strength and competitive position. Psychometrics are one source of data, and they inform your human capital requirements. So, a wider, more holistic approach is required. 

When using psychometrics as a tool, we should have open conversations about their findings. This supports awareness and reflection that encourage skill and behaviour development. Coaching conversations that pull out how and why team members behave in a particular way are crucial. Coaches and consultants who provide this more complete picture alleviate any risks around inclusion.  

Creating fair and inclusive assessments doesn’t always require expensive redesigns. Many small adjustments can make psychometric testing more accessible for people who are blind, visually impaired or neurodivergent. Employers could:

• Provide a narrated or spoken version of the test so questions are read aloud in a neutral way (or provide someone to help those with additional needs)
• Allow extra time or flexible breaks to reduce pressure
• Make sure online platforms work with free screen readers such as NVDA or the built-in tools on most devices
• Make sure the test works in a regular web browser so people with visual impairments can use their own accessibility settings or assistive technologies

Simple actions like these can support all users and reduce risks of exclusion or discrimination. To support workplace behaviour and communication to improve sales or project management proficiency, you may wish to consider tools like DISC.

Reflections

Without structured insight, leaders rely on instinct alone and often causes missed potential, mis-hires, and more resistance to change. 

It is right that, used without consideration, psychometrics can appear to put people into boxes and pose legal risks. They can bring balance to how we see and understand ourselves, the teams we lead and talent within our organisations. 

Essentially, they are data, which only becomes meaningful when explored with curiosity and context (so not as a single source of truth). Data ethics and human-centred design remind us that the goal isn’t to classify people but to understand them in ways that build trust and drive better decisions. It is important to define the goal of the tool you choose and make sure participants understand how and why they are using it. Psychometrics are most valuable when used to help us see people as they really are, but do not replace the art of listening and observing that the best leaders do. 

Used wisely, psychometrics strengthens trust and collaboration.

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