During a recent engagement, ROI Executive Coaching leveraged the Birkman Method® assessment to combine cognition & feeling to affect powerful change.

Coaches and other change agents can find it very useful to acknowledge the role of emotion. Neuropsychologist Dr. Louis Cozolino (2002) underscored this fact when he noted, “Intellectual understanding of psychological problems in the absence of increased integration with emotion, sensation, and behavior does not result in change…There is a recognition that the evocation of emotion coupled with conscious awareness is most likely to result in…personal growth.”

The Birkman Method® assessment is unique for its ability to report the potential emotional stress behaviors if underlying needs are not met. This assessment creates a complex and useful picture of individuals that spotlights their usual behaviors, underlying needs, and resultant stress when needs are not satisfied. The Birkman Method® measures eleven (11) components on a scale of 1 (low) to 99 (high) and measures Usual Style (public self) Need (private self), and Stress (Red-Zone emotion) for each component. In Birkman terms, when needs are met, Green-Zone emotions (Ringleb & Pagon, 2009), or the individual’s usual, positive most productive self will emerge.

This assessment tool was particularly powerful, because it enabled the coach and client to articulate triggers for Red-Zone emotions that might be affecting the person’s performance and effectiveness on the team. These challenges were captured on individuals’ trackers and explored during coaching sessions. By applying knowledge gained through the Birkman Method®, individuals were able to combine emotion (“How did that situation make me feel?”) with cognition (“Why did I feel that way?”) to generate insights and create personal growth.