From the very beginning, we knew our Personal Skills Map would go far, but it has actually exceeded our greatest expectations. There are now 120 masters and doctoral-level dissertations, papers and books published on this popular instrument. Not only that, but the Personal Skills Map now has over 8,500,000 (8.5 million) administrations. The fact that no other instrument even comes close to these numbers tells us that we must be doing something right!
The Personal Skills Map is the most popular assessment in the marketplace to address personal effectiveness skills. Personal effectiveness skills are the critical skills employers are demanding from educational institutions that claim to have their students “career ready.” These skills are not taught in math or science class, yet they are critical skills for succeeding in the workplace. The Personal Skills Map has over 30 years of research to address skills such as decision making, time management, motivation, commitment, stress management and more.
History
In the early 1970s two consulting psychologists (Darwin Nelson, Gary Low, 1976) began to research personal success skills. At that time IQ was thought to be the best predictor for success. When they took a closer look at IQ they found that, while some people with high IQs were successful in life, many others crashed and burned. What they found was that individuals with modest IQs can succeed far beyond anyone’s expectations. What made the difference? Basic academic skills coupled with social/emotional skills (emotional intelligence) make all the difference. Their early research has just now begun to be verified by hundreds of researchers in the field, who are finding that Social/emotional skills are the most critical element for personal effectiveness and success in our society.
The Breakdown
Now let’s take a closer look and breakdown each scale individually:
Scale
• Interpersonal Assertion
• Interpersonal Awareness
• Empathy
• Drive Strength/Motivation
• Decision Making
• Time Management
• Commitment Ethic
• Stress Management
• Physical Wellness
• Interpersonal Aggression
• Interpersonal Deference
• Change Orientation
Purpose
• Be assertive
• Possess awareness of self and others
• Be empathetic
• Maintain high levels of motivation
• Possess decision-making skills
• Manage time efficiently
• Commit to an activity or a project
• Manage stress
• Stay healthy
• Avoid aggression
• Avoid deference
• Avoid resistance to change
These are the core enabling skills needed for an individual to succeed in today’s fast-paced, change-orientated workplace.
Assessments Drive Instruction
Each scale in the Personal Skills Map possesses a comprehensive skill enhancement system to help develop, strengthen and enhance each skill. The entire skill enhancement system consists of over 100 hours of individual and group skill building activities. Our management system makes it easy for administrators to customize lessons and track each student’s progress. The management system administers, scores, and stores the assessment results while at the same time electronically assigns the lowest two skills measured by the Personal Skills Map for skill enhancement. This allows for more effective learning and more efficient use of the administrator’s time.
Anytime, Anywhere
Our unique Conover® Online™ system seamlessly ties the assessment process to the skill enhancement process. This new internet-based delivery system requires no installs and runs on all computer systems and mobile devices, including iPhones, iPods and iPads. Data is stored in the cloud for easy access 24/7. Built on the concept of universal design, Conover Online embraces the latest assistive technology to make these programs accessible to all.
Want to see for yourself? Click here for access to a free trial account.
