The i3 assessment tool is built on the foundation of celebrating an individual’s unique and diverse personality, as we believe that what makes us different, makes all the difference. We champion and encourage being your authentic self in both your personal and work life, rather than altering your behaviour to “fit in”. We therefore thought it would be interesting to compare the i3 profile output found within 3 sets of identical twins. There is a myth that has often led us to believe that twins have the same personality. If they look the same, surely, they must think and act the same?
We’re putting that myth to the test to explore beneath the surface of what can often appear identical.
Here is what we found…
The first big similarity between the two profiles is that they have the same indicators at the top and bottom, with perceiving being the most instinctive and organising being the least. When speaking with Jo, she said that her and her sister Lesley are quite similar when it comes to struggling with workload and not wanting to let go of work to others.
On the other end of the scale, perceiving at the top shows that both Jo and her sister are quick thinkers with lots of ideas and are great at problem solving. Jo noted that being such high perceivers can often lead to both sisters being very reflective and sometimes overly critical of themselves, an area to be aware of if you are a high perceiver.
The most notable difference in the profiles is where responding and enterprising are situated with them being almost opposite of one another. Jo could really resonate with this as she said that Lesley will prioritise family and friends whereas she will weigh up the situation based on value and where she will be the most valuable. Adding value may not always be with family and friends and could be elsewhere, whereas Lesley leads from her heart.
Jo and Lesley’s uniqueness can also be seen in their productive environment with Jo’s being task ordered, preferring to work in quieter, secluded locations and Lesley’s being task flexible, still liking structure to the way she works but with more flexibility and variety to the location.
Our next case study shows two profiles of a very contrasting nature. Penny is high responding and low promoting, suggesting that she is careful with her use of words to avoid offending people and that she is always willing to provide emotional support due to her caring nature. Katherine has responding in the lower section of her profile and promoting in the upper half, meaning she is a lot more vocal, with the power to easily motivate and encourage others. She is less likely to make decisions based on her emotions and not consider the impact it may have on others compared to Penny.
As Enterprising is at the top of Penny’s profile, this shows she is generous with her time and resources. She also finds that effective business ability comes naturally to her.
Another area of contrast is the practical indicator which is positioned in the top section of Penny’s profile and at the bottom of Katherine’s which suggests that Penny is much more hands on and enjoys working in a team, whereas Katherine may struggle with getting tasks done and can often get distracted.
The productive environments show very different pictures. Penny is task ordered, working in a methodical and structured way contrasting to Katherine who is social flexible, enjoying being surrounded by people in a variety of different locations.
The first thing to notice when looking at the final case study is that no indicator is ranked in the same order within the profiles, providing completely contrasting personalities with unique sets of gifts. When speaking with Stacey she said “We are really similar but really different too. We are both very family oriented and career driven but our approach to working scenarios is very different.”
Stacey’s profile is highly practical, a great team player who you can always rely on to get the job done. In contrast Dominique is a promoter with strong people skills and very vocally confident, this is also influenced by organising as she is driven by goals and great at delegation.
Enquiring comes least instinctively to Dominique, unlike Stacey who ranks highly with this indicator. Dominique is less likely to be found deep in research and will not need to know the finer details in contrast with Stacey, who will want to know the facts and figures before making any decisions. Stacey could relate to this as she said “Enquiring is something I identify with as I need to know the details and purpose to be able to invest my time into it. If I don’t know or understand that, the level of work will not be my best. I will finish it, but I won’t be proud of it.”
The sets of twins in the case study outside of their professional lives, run an incredibly successful dance school together, instinctively drawing upon their individual gifts and strengths.
Stacey recognises their differences as their strengths and can see how it has positively impacted their business. “Dominique has these huge sky-high ideas and wants to conquer the world. She has the drive to get there but lacks the knowledge and detail to make it happen, this is why we work really well together with our dance school. Dom has a vision and I set the groundwork to make it happen.”
To conclude, the case studies have shown that although physically identical none of the profiles were exactly the same, in fact they showed many areas of uniqueness. This highlights that we all have our own individual personality DNA with distinctive and special gifts that we should embrace!
“I may be a twin, but I am one of a kind”
Jerry Smith
