Have you ever tried to explain your life's purpose in a 20 second elevator ride? Many "successful" people say this is an essential thing and that we all should have an elevator speech. I'm not sure I buy into it fully, but as I have embarked on this new venture, I decided to take some time to think about formulating an elevator speech about the BASIS-A.
I have been asked many times "How is the BASIS-A different from what is already out there?" I guess the true, yet boring, answer is that it's not drastically different from other personality assessments in that there are items to answer and that your answers yield scores on a variety of scales related to how you think, feel, or behave. If you've taken other personality assessments, your experience with answering each item on the BASIS-A will likely feel the same as it does on other inventories. (You may be thinking to yourself that this is quite the boring blog post...but keep reading, it gets better).
While your experience of taking the inventory may not be different, the understanding you can get from the BASIS-A is shockingly different than other inventories and here is why - Adlerian psychology, which is the foundation of the BASIS-A, is a psychology of USE, not possession. What does that mean? That means your scores on the BASIS-A go beyond the "having" of certain traits/strengths and point to how you actually use these traits/strengths in everyday life.
For instance, one scale on the BASIS-A assesses whether you are detail-oriented and rule-focused or more independent and creative. To know that you are one way or the other is not the key; rather, how you use your trait in your career, relationships, friendships, with your self care, and so on is the important point. And just like with other inventories, getting feedback from an expert can make a huge impact. This takes me back to where I started...here is my elevator speech:
I am an expert in the BASIS-A Inventory, an assessment based on Adlerian psychology that goes beyond possession of various traits to illuminate how you use those traits in all areas of your life. A consultation with me offers a comprehensive understanding of your key strengths and how you utilize them in as little as 90 minutes. Contact me if you're interested.
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