Tester Lester's Results

Where This Fits

Specialization is an APPROACH value, which emphasizes deep expertise and mastery in a specific skill or field. People who prioritize specialization are often highly motivated by the opportunity to refine their abilities, become experts, and develop a unique niche within their profession. Focusing on specialization can be incredibly satisfying, as it often includes measurable growth, recognition of expertise, and unique contributions that make work feel both significant and personally rewarding. Whether in creative fields, technical roles, or analytical areas, specialization offers the chance to stand out as a go-to authority within an organization.

What You’re Seeking

If specialization is among your top values, you are looking for roles that enable you to deepen your expertise and demonstrate your skills in a clear, impactful way. You likely find fulfillment in mastering techniques or topics that not everyone around you is able to do, and you appreciate roles that allow for measurable, steady growth toward mastery. Developing a specialty often means focusing on skills that are quantifiable, allowing for concrete progress and enabling others to recognize your contributions.

Specialization pairs well with values like Autonomy (working independently to build expertise), Purpose (knowing your specialized skills are meaningful and valuable), and Training (opportunities to advance skills through formal or informal education). Together, these values contribute to creating a sense of satisfaction from mastering complex tasks and being trusted to handle important aspects of your work.

Crafting Your Position

Elevate your expertise by creating opportunities to develop and showcase specialized skills.

1. Identify Your Core Strengths: Take inventory of the skills you enjoy developing and could envision becoming an expert in. Focus on skills that are in demand in your field and that genuinely interest you.
2. Seek Out Skill-Intensive Tasks: Volunteer for projects that require deep technical knowledge, specific problem-solving abilities, or unique talents. By repeatedly working on these tasks, you will accelerate your path toward expertise.
3. Pursue Continuous Learning: Enroll in relevant courses or certifications, attend workshops, or engage in advanced training programs related to your specialty. Not only will this build your expertise, but it will also signal your commitment to your field.
4. Create Documentation and Resources: Develop resources like guides or process documentation for others based on your specialty. This practice not only reinforces your knowledge but also positions you as a resourceful expert in your area.
5. Request Skill-Focused Feedback: Ask your manager or peers to provide feedback on specific skills that are central to your specialization. This feedback will give you actionable insights into areas of improvement and reinforce your growth.
6. Showcase Your Skills in Team Meetings: Use team meetings to demonstrate how your specialized skills are benefiting the organization, whether through presentations, reports, or offering to mentor colleagues. This boosts visibility and reinforces your role as the team’s expert.

Potential Pitfalls & Solutions

Stay adaptable while maintaining focus on your specialization goals.

1. Pitfall: Risk of Skills Becoming Too Narrow
   Solution: While deep expertise is valuable, make sure to monitor trends in your industry to avoid becoming too specialized in a skill with diminishing relevance. Diversify slightly within your area to stay current and adaptable.
2. Pitfall: Difficulty Balancing Team Collaboration with Specialist Focus
   Solution: Communicate clearly with team members about your area of focus and how it benefits the team. Encourage teammates to approach you for expertise within your specialty, while still engaging in collaborative work to maintain a team connection.
3. Pitfall: Frustration with Generalized Tasks or Rotating Responsibilities
   Solution: Embrace general tasks as opportunities to apply your specialized knowledge in different contexts. Use each task to subtly reinforce your expertise by finding unique ways your specialty can enhance the outcomes.
4. Pitfall: Overemphasis on Self-Promotion
   Solution: While showcasing expertise is important, balance this by supporting others’ successes. Regularly recognize team achievements as well, showing that you’re committed to shared goals alongside your specialized contributions.

By cultivating a focused path toward expertise while remaining adaptable and collaborative, you’ll establish yourself as a trusted, highly capable professional. This approach will allow you to grow your skills continuously and maintain long-term relevance in your field.

Where This Fits

Leadership is an ENVIRONMENT value, focusing on the importance of strong, effective, and inspiring guidance within the workplace. For those who value leadership, work satisfaction is closely linked to belief in the company’s mission and respect for its leaders. A healthy leadership culture can provide you with motivation, a sense of direction, and trust that the organization’s goals align with your own. Whether you aspire to lead directly or simply value being part of a well-led team, leadership plays a critical role in how you experience and engage with your work.

What You’re Seeking

With leadership as a top value, you’re looking for a work environment with credible, transparent, and supportive leaders. You’ll thrive in a company with a clear mission, where leadership sets the tone for an inspiring culture. Opportunities to take on supervisory or project-based leadership roles are also important, as they allow you to develop your own style and put your leadership instincts to use. When strong leadership is present, you can feel more engaged and committed to your work, confident in the direction the company is moving.

Leadership pairs well with values like Purpose (aligning with a meaningful mission), Clarity (clear communication from leaders), and Autonomy (leading your own work and contributing meaningfully). Together, these values help create a motivating and stable work environment where you can develop both your skills and your leadership potential.

Crafting Your Position

Strengthen leadership qualities in your role by seeking visibility and opportunities to contribute strategically.

1. Engage Actively with Current Leaders: Seek regular feedback and insights from your direct manager or department head. By engaging with leadership, you’ll not only learn but also build rapport with key figures in your organization.
2. Volunteer for Team Leadership on Projects: If formal leadership roles aren’t immediately available, take the lead on smaller projects or volunteer to coordinate team tasks. These experiences allow you to develop and showcase your leadership skills in a practical context.
3. Develop a Personal Leadership Style: Reflect on leadership styles you admire and practice incorporating those elements into your interactions with others. Whether you lead directly or indirectly, consider ways to foster a positive and motivational influence on your colleagues.
4. Stay Informed About Company Strategy and Vision: Make an effort to understand the organization’s mission, goals, and strategies. When you have a clear sense of the company’s direction, it’s easier to align your work with larger objectives and to motivate those around you.
5. Take Initiative to Mentor or Support Peers: Offer mentorship to newer colleagues or peers who are working on unfamiliar tasks. Providing guidance, even informally, builds your leadership experience and shows that you’re committed to the team’s growth.
6. Share Ideas and Solutions Proactively: Voice suggestions on improvements or innovative ideas during meetings or one-on-ones. Leadership isn’t limited to formal titles; your proactive problem-solving and initiative can make a meaningful impact and help establish you as a trusted contributor.

Potential Pitfalls & Solutions

Balance your desire for strong leadership with adaptability to diverse styles.

1. Pitfall: Frustration with Ineffective Leadership
   Solution: Focus on the aspects of the company’s mission or work culture that resonate with you, even if specific leaders don’t fully meet your expectations. Seek informal mentorship from leaders who do inspire you, even if they’re not directly in your line of management.
2. Pitfall: Risk of Overstepping When Acting in a Leadership Capacity
   Solution: When stepping up, especially if it’s informal, clarify your role with your team or manager. Set respectful boundaries and communicate openly, ensuring that your support complements rather than conflicts with existing leadership.
3. Pitfall: Difficulty Navigating Hierarchical Bureaucracy
   Solution: Work within existing systems to make an impact, using clear communication and patience. Emphasize constructive feedback and solutions when advocating for improvements, and consider aligning with allies within leadership to champion your ideas.
4. Pitfall: Feeling Stifled in Roles Without Leadership Opportunities
   Solution: Look for ways to add leadership elements within your current role. This can include mentoring, managing small projects, or advocating for workplace improvements. If long-term leadership growth seems limited, consider building skills that position you for a future leadership role, either within or outside the organization.

By building strong relationships, seeking opportunities to lead projects, and aligning with inspiring leaders, you can integrate your leadership values into your role. This approach will allow you to create a positive, motivating environment for yourself and those around you.

Where This Fits

Remuneration is an OUTCOME value, focusing on compensation, rewards, and financial security. For those who value remuneration, fair and competitive pay is central to feeling respected and satisfied at work. A good compensation package provides not only financial security but also serves as recognition for one’s contributions, reinforcing a sense of value and accomplishment. Transparency and fairness in compensation are particularly important, as they ensure that your efforts are accurately reflected in your pay and provide a clear path for financial growth.

What You’re Seeking

If remuneration is among your top values, you’re looking for roles that provide competitive pay, clear compensation structures, and opportunities for performance-based increases, such as bonuses, raises, or commissions. You’ll thrive in environments where financial rewards align with the level of effort and impact you bring to the organization. A role with transparent compensation policies and clear pathways for earning growth is likely to provide you with greater motivation and job satisfaction.

Remuneration pairs well with values like Leadership (having a voice in compensation discussions or pay policies), Purpose (aligning compensation with meaningful work), and Predictability (clear structures for raises and bonuses). Together, these values help create a secure, equitable, and rewarding work environment where your contributions feel valued.

Crafting Your Position

Optimize your earning potential by clearly communicating your value and negotiating effectively.

1. Negotiate Based on Value, Not Just Tenure: Highlight the specific contributions and value you bring to the organization during salary reviews. Document your achievements and impact to build a strong case for performance-based raises or bonuses.
2. Seek Clear Compensation Pathways: During goal-setting sessions, discuss the company’s compensation review schedule and how performance is evaluated for raises or promotions. Knowing the timing and criteria gives you a roadmap for financial growth.
3. Consider Commission or Bonus Opportunities: If your role allows, explore commission structures, performance-based bonuses, or profit-sharing options. These additional earning opportunities can provide significant rewards for high performance.
4. Stay Informed on Industry Pay Standards: Research market rates for your position and experience level. Knowing what’s typical in your industry strengthens your case in salary discussions and ensures your pay aligns with industry standards.
5. Align with Transparent Organizations: Look for employers that are open about their pay structure, benefits, and growth opportunities. Transparent organizations are often more proactive in ensuring fair pay and minimizing pay-related frustrations.
6. Build Skills that Command Higher Pay: Identify in-demand skills in your industry and focus on continuous learning and development in those areas. Specialized skills can make you more competitive and increase your leverage in salary negotiations.

Potential Pitfalls & Solutions

Balance a focus on remuneration with realistic expectations and open communication.

1. Pitfall: Frustration Over Pay Inequities
   Solution: Approach pay discrepancies constructively by discussing your contributions and requesting clear guidelines on how to reach higher pay levels. Addressing compensation proactively rather than reactively can help mitigate frustration.
2. Pitfall: Risk of Prioritizing Pay Over Job Satisfaction
   Solution: While pay is important, ensure other factors such as work environment, growth opportunities, and job satisfaction are also considered in job choices. A high-paying role with poor job satisfaction can impact your overall well-being.
3. Pitfall: Lack of Pay Transparency
   Solution: Seek organizations with open pay policies and discuss compensation upfront during interviews. If transparency is limited, ask clarifying questions to understand the pay range, growth potential, and criteria for raises.
4. Pitfall: Difficulty Advocating for Pay in a Sensitive Manner
   Solution: Frame compensation discussions in terms of your value to the company rather than personal needs. Prepare specific examples of your impact and contributions, and emphasize how fair compensation aligns with continued high performance.

By focusing on roles that provide fair pay, clear compensation growth paths, and recognizing your contributions, you’ll find positions where your financial goals are supported. These approaches will help you create a rewarding, satisfying work experience that aligns with both your career and lifestyle goals.

Where This Fits

Flexibility is an ENVIRONMENT value, which relates to the physical and structural setting of your work. If flexibility ranks highly for you, you likely want a work environment that allows you to set your own schedule or adapt your work hours as needed. Flexibility empowers you to structure work around your life rather than the other way around. This adaptability can increase job satisfaction, reduce stress, and lead to greater overall well-being. A flexible work environment is outcome-focused, emphasizing results over rigid schedules and offering you a sense of freedom in how and when you work.

What You’re Seeking

With flexibility as a top value, you are looking for roles that allow you to manage your own time, ideally with an option for remote or hybrid work. You’ll find fulfillment in jobs where the focus is on deliverables and results rather than specific office hours, giving you the ability to balance work with other personal commitments. This type of environment also benefits people who work best with autonomy and minimal micromanagement, enabling them to thrive through self-motivation.

Flexibility complements values like Autonomy (control over how you work), Predictability (setting your own stable routines), and Excitement (adapting to changes in a dynamic environment). Together, these values help you find a fulfilling work-life blend that enables both productivity and personal satisfaction.

Crafting Your Position

Increase your flexibility by setting clear goals and demonstrating consistent results.

1. Establish Open Conversations About Flexibility: During meetings with your manager, discuss your work style and preferences around flexible hours or remote work. By explaining how flexibility enhances your productivity, you can help set the foundation for a supportive work environment.
2. Request Outcome-Based Goals: Propose setting goals based on specific deliverables or outcomes rather than time spent. This gives you room to manage your own time while still ensuring productivity aligns with organizational objectives.
3. Communicate Proactively: Share regular updates on your work progress. By keeping your manager in the loop, you reinforce that flexibility doesn’t hinder your performance, which helps to build trust and maintain the flexibility you need.
4. Use Flexibility to Meet Deadlines Ahead of Time: Show the benefits of flexible working by occasionally completing tasks ahead of schedule. Consistently exceeding expectations can demonstrate that a flexible arrangement is beneficial for everyone.
5. Experiment with Ideal Work Hours: Test different schedules to discover when you’re most productive and share these insights with your manager. For example, if you work best in the mornings, propose arranging meetings in the afternoon or blocking focused time earlier in the day.
6. Respect Key Office Hours: Even in a flexible role, be mindful of times when team interaction is essential. Flexibility works best when balanced with respect for the needs of the team, which will help maintain trust and mutual support.

Potential Pitfalls & Solutions

Flexibility requires setting boundaries and managing expectations to avoid conflicts.

1. Pitfall: Lack of Structure Leading to Overwork
   Solution: Set personal boundaries around work hours, even when working remotely. Use tools like a set “end of workday” reminder or a scheduled walk to create a clear break between work and personal time.
2. Pitfall: Misalignment with a Less Flexible Team or Manager
   Solution: Align with your team by openly discussing flexible work arrangements, and clarify times when you’ll be available to collaborate. Reinforce your commitment to the team while also advocating for your preferred working style.
3. Pitfall: Risk of Being Perceived as Less Committed
   Solution: Be visible in team communications and proactive in sharing your achievements. Make a point to attend important meetings and be responsive, so others recognize that flexibility supports rather than diminishes your productivity.
4. Pitfall: Finding Flexibility Hard to Achieve in Traditional Work Cultures
   Solution: If you’re in a traditionally rigid environment, propose a trial period of flexible hours with measurable goals. Show evidence of increased productivity or reduced stress, which can help make the case for a more permanent arrangement.

Flexibility allows you to align your work life with personal needs, creating a balanced and satisfying environment. By building trust, delivering results, and staying communicative, you can integrate flexibility into your role to enhance both productivity and well-being.

Where This Fits
Location is an Environment value, reflecting how much a particular physical or geographic setting matters to your job satisfaction. With Location as a lower priority, you’re adaptable and can thrive in diverse settings, whether urban or rural, near family or far away. This adaptability is a key advantage, allowing you to focus on finding roles that align with your career priorities instead of limiting yourself by geography. Recognizing this also helps you maintain a broad range of opportunities while understanding that location needs may shift as personal circumstances change.

Leveraging Lower Values
Embrace geographic flexibility to expand your career options.
With Location low on your priority list, you’re open to pursuing roles based on factors other than geography, which allows for greater career exploration and potential advancement. This openness lets you focus on roles that fulfill higher priorities, such as Autonomy, Remuneration, or Variety, without needing a specific physical setting to feel satisfied. While this flexibility can be a strong asset, balancing it with occasional consideration of long-term location needs can help build both career and personal stability.

Strategic Advantages
Use geographic flexibility to seek roles that prioritize your most important career goals.

• Flexible Approaches: Consider a wide range of locations when exploring job opportunities. Your openness to location can make remote, travel-based, or international roles more accessible, broadening your career horizons and increasing the chances of finding a role that meets your core values.
• Using This Value as Support for Higher Values: If high values include Autonomy, Remuneration, or Variety, seek roles that emphasize these strengths rather than a specific setting. For example, a position that offers growth and learning in your field may be worth relocating for, even temporarily, if it aligns with your primary goals.
• Opportunities for Quick Wins: Keep an eye on how your location preferences evolve over time. Regularly assess if a particular geographic fit would enhance your career or personal life. This approach allows you to remain adaptable while being mindful of your potential needs for a stable base as your life and career progress.

Where This Fits
Variety is an APPROACH value, describing the degree of change or diversity someone desires in their day-to-day tasks. Some individuals thrive in roles with a wide range of activities, while others prefer a more predictable environment. If variety ranks lower for you, it indicates a comfort with consistency and routine, allowing you to focus deeply on a set of core responsibilities.

Leveraging Lower Values
Embracing predictability to master your role and reduce anxiety
With variety as a lower priority, you likely find satisfaction in consistent, well-defined tasks that allow you to develop expertise over time. This approach can enhance your skills in specific areas, as you have the opportunity to refine and optimize how you approach tasks without frequent shifts in focus. Predictable roles can also contribute to a strong sense of stability and reduce the stress that often accompanies high-variety positions. By working in a setting where responsibilities are known and outcomes are expected, you can increase both confidence and competence. This clarity frees up mental energy to direct toward efficiency, accuracy, and quality, ensuring that your work remains both fulfilling and effective.

Strategic Advantages
Leveraging predictability for focus, mastery, and peace of mind

• Flexible Approaches: Seek roles with established routines and clear expectations, where you can focus on honing your skills without the need for frequent task-switching. A predictable workflow will allow you to settle into a rhythm, leading to greater job satisfaction and less daily stress.
• Using This Value as a Support for Higher Values: Use the stability of your role to prioritize values that bring meaning or satisfaction, such as deepening relationships with colleagues or achieving high standards of accuracy. With routine tasks, you’ll have more mental bandwidth to engage in meaningful connections or high-quality work.
• Opportunities for Quick Wins: Establish a routine that supports focus and productivity, such as creating a checklist of core tasks. You can also set goals to track improvement in key areas, gaining satisfaction from building proficiency and adding value in a consistent, reliable way.

Where This Fits
Excitement is an ENVIRONMENT value, relating to the level of stimulation a person seeks in their work setting. While some people thrive on high-energy, fast-paced roles, others find greater satisfaction in stable, consistent environments. With excitement as a lower priority, you have the flexibility to pursue roles that may not be high-adrenaline but still offer meaningful work. Recognizing this preference highlights your ability to excel without requiring a constant influx of high-intensity tasks.

Leveraging Lower Values
Embracing a steady work environment that aligns with personal balance
Having excitement as a low priority doesn’t mean you don’t value engagement—it simply means you don’t rely on your job to deliver constant stimulation. This can be a tremendous advantage, as it opens you up to a wider range of work environments, particularly those that are stable, structured, and supportive. You may find satisfaction in roles that focus on reliable outcomes and long-term projects without the need for frequent thrills or constant change. This preference can also support stronger work-life balance, allowing you to reserve your energy for other pursuits outside of work that bring excitement or adventure. By understanding this value, you can focus on roles that align with your strengths, where steady performance is valued over constant action, creating a work experience that’s sustainable and satisfying.

Strategic Advantages
Focusing on stability and balance to create fulfilling work routines

• Flexible Approaches: Opt for roles that emphasize consistency and reliable processes. Jobs that offer a clear, steady workload and well-defined tasks allow you to work at your best without needing an adrenaline boost.
• Using This Value as a Support for Higher Values: By not relying on work for excitement, you have more bandwidth to pursue what matters most to you, such as growth, creativity, or mastery in your role. You can focus on building expertise, developing projects, or supporting team goals with a clear mind and steady engagement.
• Opportunities for Quick Wins: Set up routines that allow you to feel productive and accomplished without needing frequent highs. For example, creating a weekly schedule with clear milestones or periodic check-ins can help maintain steady motivation, supporting your best work without requiring a highly stimulating environment.

Where This Fits
Clarity is an APPROACH value, reflecting how much individuals seek defined goals, roles, and expectations in their work. Two people can work equally well in the same position, with one thriving on clear guidelines and the other enjoying flexibility. If clarity ranks lower for you, it reveals your comfort with less-defined work environments, which can allow you to excel in roles where flexibility, adaptability, and creative problem-solving are key.

Leveraging Lower Values
Turning tolerance for ambiguity into a strength for flexibility and innovation
When clarity is a low priority, it indicates a high tolerance for ambiguity and an ability to function effectively without strict guidelines. This adaptability can be a significant advantage in dynamic work environments where roles are evolving, and processes are not rigidly defined. Understanding this about yourself allows you to focus on roles where you can bring fresh perspectives to open-ended tasks and approach challenges without needing extensive direction. While some thrive in structured environments, you may find greater satisfaction in situations where you can forge your own path, contribute to innovation, and remain open to change. Keeping this flexibility in mind can also enhance collaboration, as you’re more likely to embrace unexpected ideas or shifts without needing constant recalibration.

Strategic Advantages
Embracing flexibility and adaptability in environments with limited structure

• Flexible Approaches: Seek projects that have room for experimentation and creative problem-solving rather than set routines. Without needing rigid guidance, you can more freely engage in tasks that require initiative, allowing you to bring out strengths in dynamic, fast-changing environments.
• Using This Value as a Support for Higher Values: Leverage your tolerance for ambiguity to prioritize values that matter most to you, such as creativity or teamwork. Since you don’t rely on extensive clarity, you can focus more on interactions, brainstorming sessions, or strategy building—aligning efforts with your primary values rather than predefined tasks.
• Opportunities for Quick Wins: Take advantage of environments with less structure by volunteering for new or unconventional projects where guidelines are being developed. This lets you showcase your comfort with ambiguity and may even allow you to shape roles or processes in ways that align with your strengths.

Where This Fits
Sociability is an Environment value, reflecting how much interaction and connection with others impacts your work satisfaction. With Sociability as a lower priority, it means you’re comfortable working independently or with minimal social interaction, which can help you stay focused without being drawn into office dynamics. This independence lets you prioritize tasks and outcomes over relationships, giving you flexibility in considering roles that may be remote, solo, or minimally collaborative. Recognizing this can help you focus on your unique strengths, though some conscious attention to team dynamics can support your overall success.

Leveraging Lower Values
Focus on independent work styles while cultivating strategic connections.
When Sociability ranks low, you don’t rely on socializing to feel fulfilled at work, allowing you to thrive in roles with limited interaction. This autonomy helps you avoid distractions and stay productive, making it easier to prioritize efficiency and performance. If values like Autonomy, Specialization, or Purpose are high, your comfort working solo or remotely enables you to invest in roles where personal expertise or self-driven goals matter most. However, keeping occasional focus on networking can still support advancement, even if it’s not your primary motivator.

Strategic Advantages
Use your low need for social interaction to focus on individual contributions and strategic connections.

• Flexible Approaches: Seek roles where you can work independently or remotely without needing high levels of interaction. This approach allows you to stay productive while reducing distractions. Independent or project-based roles can also align well with your preference for minimal sociability.
• Using This Value as Support for Higher Values: If values like Autonomy or Specialization are high, focus on positions where individual expertise is essential, and recognition comes through contributions rather than social influence. Your ability to work effectively without social reinforcement can make you a valuable contributor to focused or technical projects.
• Opportunities for Quick Wins: Practice proactive, strategic networking. While you may not need frequent interactions, occasional efforts to connect with key colleagues or industry contacts can boost career growth. This can include participating in targeted meetings, professional groups, or sharing expertise with others, helping you stay connected in ways that support long-term progress.