Psychometric testing.  The very mention of it sends a shiver down some clients' spines. Californian claptrap they say. I used to be a sceptic so I know where they're coming from. 

Assuming for a minute that all psychometric tools are of equal value (which I do not for a minute believe to be the case - there is some terribly dodgy 'science' out there), the real danger with all psychometrics is the reinforcing of one's own prejudices about oneself - and then using those prejudices to avoid doing the things that one doesn't like doing. "Oh, I can't possibly do that because I am an ENTJ", or similar.

This for me is the big problem. However elegant Marcus Buckingham's 'play to your strengths' theories (see www.marcusbuckingham.com or read 'The One Thing You Need To Know'), we cannot as managers and leaders give our teams carte blanche to avoid certain pieces of work by virtue of their 'typing'.  This is particularly so in smaller teams where individuals need to be able to turn their hands to infinitely varied tasks, and do all equally well.

So whenever we offer psychometric testing to clients, it is always on the basis that this is a tool for development; to find out what the weaknesses are, and to fix them. Progress not stagnation.  Couraud offers both MBTI and Insights personality profiling on this basis alone, and this is why it works really, really well.  Based on Jungian theories of personality, both tools enable us to take a good long look at ourselves and our colleagues - and work out how to work better together.

Because if you don't do the last bit (which is all down to the quality of facilitation and follow-up coaching), you'd be better off not wasting your money.