Where Do You Fit on the Team? The Superpower of the Core Value Index

I’m not exactly a personality test junkie, but I’ve taken a bunch of them—Myers-Briggs, DISC, Enneagram, Strength Finder, etc.—because, while they can’t tell you everything about how you’re wired, they can tell you a lot. They can give you a lot of insight into how you see the world, relationships, stressful situations, and why you might respond the way you do in certain situations. I (John Lovell) sat down recently with Adam James to talk about how our personalities influence our team dynamics. Adam walked me through the Core Value Index (CVI). This is an invaluable psychometric assessment that provides insights in our unique strengths and weaknesses and how those qualities play out as we integrate into friend groups, church groups, and careers.

John Lovell: What is CVI (Core Value Index) and why is it essential that everybody know their CVI?

Adam James:What you discover on teams is that all team problems, business problems, and organization problems are people problems. What you don't know about yourself controls you. If you continue to run into the same issues on the team--communication problems, conflict issues, etc., it might be because you have blind spots and so you can unknowingly continuing to do things that aren't helpful in situations because you don't know certain things, namely pitfalls, that you should be aware of.

And, along those same lines, what you don't know about your teammates will limit your success. Because if you are trying to do something that somebody else on your team is just gifted and wired to do, you're limiting your success as a team.

So understanding the strengths and weaknesses and what each person is uniquely suited for makes a massive difference in the personal fulfillment. And for people that are satisfied in their work and fulfilled and go, "I can't believe I get to bring this contribution to the team," the team's going to get better and stronger as well.

Core Value Index: The Four Types and Their Core Values

JL: What are the CVI categories and how do we know where we land? 

AJ: The four primary contributors, social contributors, and even business practitioner types are builders, merchants, innovators, and bankers. 

Builders are all about action and results. Merchants are all about vision and relationships. Innovators are all about solving problems. They're about solutions, systems, processes, innovating better ways to do things. Bankers are all about information preservation and efficiency. 

JL: How do I know what I am? 

AJ:We all have varying degrees of each type, but a dominant type the we operate from. We're all a mix of all three, and you, John, are a high builder. You're action-oriented. As the name of the CVI indicates, there's a core value associated with each type. 

The CV of a builder is power: personal strength invested to make a positive difference. Of course, there are positives to each, but also dark sides. As long as they know what to do now and they have confidence that they can figure out what to do next, they'll get it done. They're excellent decision makers, so they usually end up leading and building things. 

The merchant's CV is love: but not in the sense of lovey dovey and Hallmark movies, but love in the sense of nurturing the strengths and abilities of others. They're team builders with vision and relationships. Merchants are all about inspiration and relationships. At a moving party, for example, the merchants are going to be like, "Hey, I got some pizza here and some drinks. We're going to get everything moved, but let's connect. We're going to have a good time in the process," because they value that connection.

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The innovators have a CV of wisdom. They're more cognitive in their approach. They see things the way they are and think, "What can I improve? How can we make it better?" They also have an investigative approach to things. Think Sherlock Holmes. But also Elon Musk. How can we make this better? Whether it's a product or process or loved one. They see the better way. 

Bankers have a CV of knowledge. At a house moving party, bankers come alive. They make sure all the boxes are labeled by bedroom and contents. They love checklists, safety meetings, very organized processes, and a strong aversion to risk or unknowns.

The Power of Core Values in the Context of Teams

JL: What happens if I'm primarily a merchant, I'm operating in the role of a banker and I'm not a banker.

AJ: You might be exhausted and somewhat unfulfilled. We all have preferred contributions that are hardwired into us. This is work we are well suited to do and it takes energy from us to operate outside of those primary areas of strength. Conversely, the right contribution will give us energy. So even if you're working long hours, but you're working in the preferred area of your core value, you'll love it. You'll be like "I can't believe I get to do this."

So, it's really important that you have the right people in the right spot, doing the right kinds of work on your team or organization. This will lead to greater fulfillment, greater team cohesion, and, pragmatically speaking, greater efficiency and effectiveness for your organization.

Learning to Value Others and What Matters to Them

JL: Why has this particular personality assessment become so important to you?

AJ: The number one key to healthy and effective relationships–personal or professional–is to understand and to honor your core values and the value of others. The CVI reveals and evaluates these core values more profoundly than any other assessment I've seen.

It's going to help you maximize your contribution, help you elevate people as needed, get them in the right spot doing the right kinds of things. And then you'll know how their core values complement yours in a given situation or decision-making process, and it'll help mitigate friction along the way. You'll also have a framework for conflict resolution, communication, and knowing who to pull in on certain projects. This applies to friendships and marriage relationships, too.

The Dark Side of the CVI Types

JL: What about the down sides of these personalities? AJ: There are dark sides of course. And at the risk of over simplifying, builders will bully and bull doze, merchants will manipulate, innovators will overwhelm you with all the possibilities you've never considered, and the bankers will shut you out of their bank of knowledge and insight.

The dark side usually emerges in people when their core values aren't honored appropriately. That's why the CVI is all about self-awareness, understanding your tendencies, your default, your weaknesses. This allows you to watch for them in yourself and in others to avoid pitfalls, especially in times of stress.

Of course this doesn't mean catering to snow flakes and avoiding conflict. Instead, it allows for healthy conflict and for each member to contribute their unique gifts to finding solutions. Humility and respect is critical to healthy conflict and healthy teams. Unity is a superpower for teams, families, and organizations.

Train Hard. Train Smart. Build Healthy Teams. Live Free. And take the CVI test. It's free here.