The Pattern
Reading. The same friction follows you across jobs. That part is yours.
This test looks for patterns in how you experience work. It is not a clinical instrument and it does not diagnose anything. If you are being harassed, bullied or discriminated against, this test does not apply to you and the answer is not you; talk to HR, an employment lawyer or a therapist. If work is affecting your health, see a doctor.
Your Pattern score is 58 or higher. The same kind of friction has come up with more than one manager, the same criticism has followed you from one job to the next, and it did not start with a recent change. This test calls that reading The Pattern. It is the honest answer to the question you asked: on this evidence, part of it is you.
That is not a verdict on who you are. It describes something you do that keeps producing the same result in different rooms, and something you do can be changed. It is also the most useful reading of the four, because it is the only one where the fix is entirely in your hands. You cannot change a company or a manager. You can change a habit.
A clear line first. If you are being harassed, bullied or discriminated against, this reading does not apply to you, whatever your score, and the answer is not you. Use the resources at the foot of this page.
Now look at your other bars, because they show what the pattern is made of. If Feedback is high, criticism is bouncing off: you explain before you listen, and people have stopped telling you things. If Friction is high, the pattern is the need to have the last word. If Ownership is high, you decided before you tested. One of the three is usually higher than the others. Start there.
What to do this week. Pick two colleagues who have seen you work for a year or more, one of whom you have disagreed with. Ask each of them one question, in person: what is one thing I do that makes working with me harder than it needs to be? Say thank you, and nothing else. Write both answers down. If they match each other, or match criticism you heard in an earlier job, you have found the habit.
What to do with this result
If you do not manage people
Your three answers. After the two colleagues, ask your manager one more question: if I changed one thing about how I work over the next quarter, what would you pick? Write the three answers side by side.
Your six weeks. Choose the one habit that appears twice and change only that, for six weeks. Tell one person you are doing it and ask them to tell you when you slip. Then take this test again. If Pattern is the same but Feedback and Friction have dropped, the change is working, because the old jobs will not rescore themselves.
The leader you want to become is a set of habits too. The free leadership style quiz shows which ones you would lead with.
If you manage people
If you manage people, your team is asking this question about you, whether or not they say it. A pattern that follows you across jobs follows you across teams as well, and your reports feel it first. The 360 lite asks three to five of them to score you on four dimensions and shows the gap between their view and yours. Run it before you decide what the habit is.
If the pattern has sharpened since you took on the role, take the leader burnout test: depletion looks like a character flaw from the outside and is not one. The 5 Minute Leader is the daily habit set, five minutes a day.
Next step
If you need support now
This page is not a crisis service and nobody reads your answers. If you are thinking about harming yourself or you are in danger, reach a person today. In the US, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or text HOME to 741741 to reach Crisis Text Line.
In the UK and Ireland, call Samaritans on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258. Anywhere else, call your local emergency number. If work is affecting your sleep or your health, see a doctor. A coach is not the right first call for that, and neither is a quiz.
If this is a legal matter
Harassment and discrimination at work are legal questions, and a quiz cannot answer them. In the US, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission explains what the law covers and how to file a charge at eeoc.gov. In the UK, ACAS gives free, impartial advice at acas.org.uk. An employment lawyer can tell you what applies to you. Nothing on this page is legal advice.
The other results
- The PlaceLittle points at you. On this evidence, it is not you.
- The PairYou and this manager, together. The fix is between you.
- The SeasonMixed evidence, a hard stretch. A season, not a verdict.
About this result
This is one of 4 results from the Am I the Problem at Work: the common denominator test, a free tool that shows the score without an email. Aggregate figures are at the statistics page once 30 completions have been reached. More free tools are at the tools shelf.