PMAI Results

After waiting around for multiple days, and calling their customer service number and receiving no calls back, I FINALLY received the results for my PMAI assessment. I still never received a response from the company; the link they sent me randomly became active with no warning. I assume this is because they had so many people taking the test, but if one class room of students overloads their testing facility than how professional is this company?

However, that is irrelevant when it comes to the results and in my case I tested highest in the areas of Jester, Warrior and Creator. I can see how this is possible because the Jester "....you assume that life is meant to be enjoyed." This statement could not be more true for me. I firmly believe that becasue we only have one life to live you must talk full advantage of the opportunities that come your way. Life is meant to be enjoyed! However, this can be a double-edged sword. Sometimes the most enjoyable things in life can take you away from the things that are not as fun, but still crucial to an active adult life. Something else the Jester possesses that I can see in myself is the ability to use humor in an awkward situation. Humor can help to diffuse an otherwise difficult situation. The second archetype I tested highly for was the Warrior who "...assume that the tough prevail." I believe this to be true because without hard work I don't believe it is possible to be truly successful. In my mind your success is gauged in what you are able to accomplish, not what you have to show for it. The third most dominant archeytpe in my life is the Creator who says "...you assume what can be imagined can be created." I can see this because I am fairly creative and often start many different projects. However, many of these projects remain unfinished, so it is important for me to realize this and work towards a better work ethic. This also ties back into my Jester side because I would often rather have fun than sit around and finish a project.


These top three archetypes are the most dominant in my life but following these by less than three points each are: Innocent, Seeker, and Lover. This just means that at this point in my life, I still have some personal growth to accomplish and over time my views on things will become more focused. The only archetype I scored significantly lower in than all the others was Orphan. This again probably goes back to my Jester and Creator types because I do not like to play it safe; instead I would rather take a risk and learn from my mistakes.

What Leadership is to Me

Leadership is a quality that is often hard to define, but is often one of the most sought after qualities of any management level position. That being said, it is important to define what leadership means to you as a person before you are able to effectively lead. To me, leadership is a combination of many different things, and when these things are synthesized a truly great leader is present. Over my school career I feel like I have been taught many different things about what it takes to be a leader. I have been told you must be charismatic, articulate, tall, motivated, and many other things that turned out to not be true. I have learned that leadership is a quality that someone can develop over time, and ANYONE can be a leader. This being said I think that it is extremely important to always be working on making yourself a better leader. There is always room for growth, and leadership theories are constantly changing. It is extremely crucial to stay current on these theories in order to ensure that you are not a replaceable entity.

Trait Based Leadership Theories- Pros and Cons

Trait based leadership theories emphasize the idea that some people have natural born abilities, or traits, that allow them to become better leaders. These trait based theories have come under fire over time, as more and more people believe that leadership skills can be developed, therefore weakening the trait argument. There are many pros and cons for each side. One of the pros is it helps to identify skills that people need to work on. For example, if someone realizes they are lacking in a specific area they can work to improve this. It can also provide focus for a person. On the other hand, if a person focuses to much on these traits they can miss some aspects of a great leader. Someone is not really born with an “honesty trait” so this is one skill that someone must work on for life. Also, by saying that leadership traits are inherited, that means some people can not be leaders. This goes against almost everything I have been taught in school, so I can’t fully believe the trait theories.

Leadership Traits I Admire

Leadership traits will give you the ability to rise to the top of any career. One of the most important qualities of a leader is trustworthiness and honesty. If you can't be trusted as a person, no one will ever trust you as a leader. And once trust is broken, it is one of the hardest things to regain. Having employees that trust their leader is extremely important, especially in times of transition or turmoil. Another leadership trait that I admire is drive. I admire this quality because it is an encompassing term that many other traits fit under. In order to be a successful leader one must always be looking forward. It is never good enough to do just your job; if that was not the case we would all be replaced by robots. To be a successful leader in today's competitive environment you must constantly be bettering yourself, and this requires drive. Drive, honesty, and integrity are the most important traits a leader can possess in my mind.