The greatest asset of any business is its people. Sure, having cutting-edge technology and a brilliant strategy matters, but in 2025, the real competitive edge comes down to the individuals who drive your organization forward. As fractional CMOs and business leaders, our job is more than implementing tactics or managing tech stacks. We’re entrusted with helping our teams reach their fullest potential.
One of the most impactful tools we discovered to do just that is the Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment. As part of being in the fCMO community, each member gets access to their own Predictive Index. PI partner David Nast recently joined the Community to lead a discussion on how Predictive Index can inform their own leadership style and team dynamics during client engagements.
Hiring Mistakes: Costly and Avoidable
If you’ve ever experienced the fallout from a hiring misstep, you already know how costly and disruptive it can be. Not only does it hit your bottom line, but it also saps team morale and stalls your momentum. Historically, many hiring decisions have relied on gut instinct, which is often just another word for guesswork. With the Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment (PI), you no longer have to leave critical hiring decisions to chance. PI provides tangible, actionable insights into a candidate’s natural behaviors, helping you confidently match the right people to the right roles.
The Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment Offers Deeper Insights Than Personality Tests
I often hear the misconception that PI is just another personality test, similar to Myers-Briggs or DISC. But here’s the difference: while personality tests are useful for self-awareness, they don’t predict workplace performance as accurately. PI goes deeper by measuring core behavioral drives:
- Dominance
- Extraversion
- Patience
- Formality
These drives directly impact how someone performs in a specific job and interacts within a team. Understanding these behavioral drivers can drastically improve team cohesion, collaboration, and overall effectiveness.
Understanding Behavioral Drives: The Heart of PI
Here’s a simple breakdown of these drives:
- Dominance reflects how someone naturally influences or controls their environment.
- Extraversion highlights their need for social interaction and connection.
- Patience indicates a preference for stability, predictability, and consistent workflows.
- Formality shows a person’s need for clearly defined rules, roles, and structure.
These insights go far beyond traditional methods, helping you pinpoint exactly why some team members excel in certain roles and why others might struggle.
Debunking the Adaptability Myth
There’s a common myth I frequently encounter: that anyone can succeed in any role if they simply work hard enough. Sure, people can adapt temporarily, but forcing someone into prolonged unnatural behaviors often leads to burnout, frustration, and ultimately, turnover. PI shines a light on whether a role aligns naturally with a person’s innate strengths. Using this data, you’re setting people up for sustainable success rather than inevitable struggle.
The Power of PI for Fractional CMOs
For fractional CMOs, understanding your team’s behavioral drives isn’t just helpful, it’s essential. Our role requires us to quickly assess and improve team dynamics across diverse businesses. Without clear insights, teams often become misaligned, leading to friction, miscommunication, and declining productivity. But with PI, we gain clarity on team interactions, enabling us to recommend and build teams designed for harmony, effectiveness, and high performance.
Recently, I’ve seen firsthand how fractional CMOs have leveraged PI to transform their client teams. Groups struggling with constant friction or missed opportunities became united and effective simply because their leaders understood behavioral drivers better. Leaders gained deeper self-awareness, enabling them to communicate more effectively, address conflicts constructively, and empower their teams in ways that felt genuinely supportive and motivating.
Making Behavioral Data Human
One of the greatest benefits of PI is how it enhances leadership self-awareness. Leadership isn’t just about giving orders, it’s about understanding yourself and others deeply. With PI, leaders become more conscious of how their behaviors impact team dynamics, enabling more empathetic, effective leadership. This awareness helps build trust, enhances communication, and ultimately fosters a more engaged, committed team.
Get the Right People into the Right Seats with the Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment
If your goal is long-term success and sustained growth, prioritizing your people is key. PI gives you the insights to hire with confidence, build cohesive teams, and lead effectively. Simply put, it helps you unlock your team’s full potential and positions your business to thrive, no matter what challenges lie ahead.
Looking for more insights to turn into action? &Marketing’s fCMO Community offers a wealth of knowledge from other experts like me! Join our weekly learning sessions, attend networking events, and get project opportunities tailored to your expertise.
