As a Highlands Certified Consultant, my work with clients focuses on helping them work wisely in their current position. I help them see how natural abilities can enhance a current job, or how using abilities can help them move to another position that draws directly on their strengths.

Everyone who completes the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB) receives a Work-Types report, and it is a masterful tool to facilitate these transitions. Here I go over several of the strengths of the Work-Types section of the HAB report, and how you can use it in your professional development.

It’s not written in “Highlandese.”

The Work-Types section uses generic terminology to describe composites of abilities that apply to a variety of positions fit for you. Think of Work-Types as work roles and compare the information with a job description.

It’s presented in rank order.

The Work-Types section lists jobs in rank order, from strength to weakness, with critical abilities weighted according to their contribution to or distraction from the particular function. While there may be a slight difference between the lowest-ranked Work-Type in one category to the highest-ranked Work-Type in the next category, it is helpful to see the ranking.

• Moderate Match: often lists abilities that are enhanced by skills and experience.
• Good Match: useful as a template for an ideal job description. Sometimes demonstrates greater flexibility than the strong match category.
• Strong Match: acts a lot like Driving Abilities — they push. Each individual with a strong Work-Type has a clearly defined concept of how something should be carried out; compromise in this area may be difficult. Use this as a tool for solving potential areas of conflict.

It enables task prioritization.

Work-Types draw from the Abilities Section of the HAB to show you which functions come easily and which require more effort from you. Depending on how you choose to arrange your time, the Work-Types can be a guide to time management, or to skills development.

It enables you to enhance knowledge of abilities.

Often a Work-Type will mirror an great job from the past; one that was a favorite and a good fit. This tends to make the next good fit easier to find. Now, you have a model to work from.

Even after a successful work environment transition, use the Work-Types section as a helpful guide. It’s a great tool to use in discussion with a manager; helpful to review prior to a performance evaluation; essential for personal development plans; and a guide for goal setting.