Believe it or not, writing about psychometric testing can get pretty heavy. In the interest of keeping things light around here, let’s talk about big screen (and TV) bosses (and psychometric testing)! The idea is that any leader, in any industry, of any size can use employee assessment tools to recruit better, lead better and build better teams. Here’s how that would happen in a magazine HQ, a TV land paper company and private investigator firm.

Miranda Priestly from“The Devil Wears Prada”

Miranda is nothing short of a perfectionist. Her work is brilliant and flawless, so she expects the same from her team. It’s no easy task working for Miranda. Heck, even an easy task like getting coffee is literally no easy task. The standards for her office and the work that comes out of it are set very high, and that means that all of her hiring is done at the highest caliber.

Miranda is hardly the type of woman who is interested in making her way through hundreds of resumes, but she is also not the type of woman who would leave the hiring of her staff up to anyone else.

How to Lead Like Miranda:

She is interested in finding the perfect person, in a short amount of time, and as efficiently as possible (aren’t we all). Although it varies with the company and the job, on average 250 resumes are received for each corporate job opening. Psychometric testing is often used in the hiring process to ensure a perfect match, every time. Beyond hiring for a cultural fit, employers can assure that this new hire will fit perfectly into the established team alignment.

Michael Scott from “The Office”

Poor Toby aside, Michael Scott genuinely wants to be the best boss in the world. He has a vested interest in his team, and nothing would make him happier than making them happier, but as we all know, he rarely hits the mark. The passion and will are there, but he never quite gets it right.

Almost 50% of the workforce would change jobs to feel more appreciated. The catch is that most managers don’t know how to do that, they don’t know what their employee’s motivators are, and they certainly don’t know how to set up a process to ensure that they get what they need.

How to Lead Like Michael:

Well, maybe is should be “How to lead like Michael Scott tries to lead.” Psychometric testing is the easiest, most effective way to uncover the motivators, strengths, weaknesses, and personality and work types within any organization. When leaders know what their employees’ needs and wants are, it’s a lot easier to deliver.

Charlie Townsend from “Charlie’s Angels”

Quite possibly the first, and most effective remote team manager, Charlie is a hands-off kind of leader. He knows just how stressful this job can be, and he doesn’t feel the need to add to that stress by micromanaging his team. Charlie is well aware that micromanaged workers tend to escape the stress of work by using far more sick days than their non-micromanaged counterparts. Because long-term sickness absences account for 75% of all absence costs to businesses, Charlie prefers a culture of responsibility and accountability.

The reason Charlie can facilitate, rather than micromanage, is because he trusts that his team will deliver. He is able to rely on a strong team dynamic, in which all members have the same objectives and a shared strategy.

How to Lead Like Charlie:

Team alignment like the Angels have doesn’t usually just fall together; teams need to be crafted thoughtfully. Psychometric testing allows managers to craft teams ideally by making subjective people matters, objective. In this manner, teams can be assembled with the confidence of psychometric science. The end result is that managers have to do less managing, and more facilitating in an aligned team.

So which boss are you? Do you try to be everyone’s friend like Michael Scott? Are you a taskmaster, who is rarely satisfied or impressed like Miranda Priestly? Or, are you more of a facilitator, who prefers a culture of accountability? It doesn’t matter what type of leader, or what type of organization you’re from, each step of the talent lifecycle, from recruiting to team alignment, can be improved upon with the use of psychometric testing.

Bio: Ryan Mead, CEO/Partner

Vitru is an online application that provides tools to evaluate and build better teams. Powered by science yet practical and easy to use for a variety of teams. From students and nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies Vitru works!

Great organizations, regardless of size or mission, understand that powerful team chemistry is impossible to force; but when it happens, it’s magic.

Vitru allows team leaders to create and assess teams virtually and in doing so helps quantify what makes an outstanding team outstanding.

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