What does an HBDI profile look like?

Completing the hbdi thinking preferences survey yields a profile of an individual's thinking styles as shown in the example below (which is a copy of my brain quadrants hbdi profile). It includes the four quadrants of thinking that make up the whole brain model.

A profile of your unique thinking preferences is the outcome of completing the 120 questions self diagnostic Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument survey form (hbdi).

It is expressed in the whole brain model comprising four quadrants and four modes.

It will be very valuable in getting the best returns from your self improvement investments.

The hbdi will help you to understand yourself, how you think (and the mental habits that stem from that), and opportunities to think differently and realise more of your potential.

It will help you to understand why you may not yet be singing your song and what you might do about it.

(click here if you wish to know more about, "Who am I?", and some background information).

The first thing to do with it is a little analysis to make clear what it means.

If we analyse my profile, shown above, as an example:

Start with the numbers in the boxes at the top.

These numbers show my thinking preferences in terms of the four quadrants of the whole brain model.

A score of 33, or less, from the hbdi indicates an avoidance and will be given a profile code of 3.

That is, the person concerned doesn't like thinking this way and will avoid doing so.

There are no avoidances in my profile.

An hbdi score of 34 - 66 indicates a secondary preference and will be given a profile code of 2.

That is, the person can, and will, use this thinking style when necessary but it is not their first choice.

In my case, quadrants A and C are my secondary preferences.

An hbdi score of 67, and above, indicates a primary thinking preference (a dominance) and is given a profile code of !.

That is, the person will usually use this thinking style - it is a mental habit.

In my case, quadrants B and D are my primary thinking preferences.

If a quadrant has a profile scrore of 100 or more, it will be given a profile code of 1+ to indicate a very strong preference.

There are no very strong preferences in my profile.

The hbdi quadrant scores in my case are:

* 44 for the blue quadrant A (logical, analyser, mathematical, technical, problem solver)

* 75 for the green quadrant B (controlled, conservative, planner, organisational, administrative)

* 62 for the red quadrant C (interpersonal, emotional, musical, spiritual, talker), and

* 96 for the yellow quadrant D (imaginative, sythesizer, artistic, holistic, conceptualiser)

The "kite" shape you see in the middle is those numbers plotted on each appropriate axis and joined up to give a graphic representation of my thinking preferences across the whole brain model.

So, I prefer to use two of the four quadrants as my thinking style - the B and D quadrants.

That is, most of the time, I will go to these two ways of thinking as my preference, as my mental habit.

Which is interesting for me because my two preferred ways of thinking come from diagonally opposite quadrants.

So, in a situation, part of my thinking will be controlled, conservative etc. (the B quadrant), whilst another part of my brain wants to imaginative, holistic etc. (quadrant D).

And, there are times when these differences in thinking preferences cause me tension or to be indecisive.

The middle row of numbers, the "Adjective Pairs", summarises one specific section of the HBDI survey form.

In it you have 24 choices of adjectives that best describe you, and how you prefer to think, and these numbers show how your choices relate to the four quadrants.

In my case, I chose 2 adjectives from quadrant A; 6 from quadrant B; 10 from C and 6 from D to describe myself and how I think.

This is also very interesting because usually there is a correlation between the adjective pairs numbers and the quadrant scores.

However, in my case, quadrant C has the most adjective pairs but is only a secondary thinking preference for me.

So what might that mean?

Well, it might mean that my profile is changing and that my thinking preferences are moving more to quadrant C.

Or, it might relate to my diagonal thinking preferences (B and D) so that when I get stuck between these two different thinking styles, my thinking moves to quadrant C (and I become emotional?).

The hbdi whole brain model comprises the four quadrants we have discussed so far PLUS four modes:

* left brain dominant thinking (a combination of quadrants A and B)

* right brain thinking (quadrants C and D)

* cerebral thinking (quadrants A and D), and

* limbic thinking (quadrants B and C).

Preferences for the hbdi four modes are expressed as percentages around the model.

In my case, my thinking is:

* right brain dominant - 57% right brain and 43% left brain, and

* cerebral dominant - 51% cerebral and 49% limbic.

Very interesting, but so what?
How do you use your hbdi profile for self improvement?

Firstly, there's the big picture.

I know that I prefer to think with quadrants B and D and this will affect how I learn.

Armed with this understanding, I have more choices in implementing my self improvement (whatever the content my be).

For example, when I think I've learned something or made a decision I now know that I will probably have done so from only two of the four quadrants (my preferences).

I can choose (or not) to go one step further by challenging myself to learn or make a decision from the two quadrants that aren't my preferences (quadrants A and C).

I might not like this, of course, because I'll be out of my comfort zone, but I now have the choice.

Will it benefit me to stretch my thinking in this way?

I don't know and there is really only one way to find out - DO IT.

I may be surprised and gain in ways I wouldn't by just sticking to my thinking preferences (to my mental habits).

Or, I may be disappointed that nothing much different was achieved.

However, my potential lies in the two quadrants that are my secondary preferences and any efforts to develop my use of them, I believe, will benefit me (even if it is in the longer term rather than with a short term task).

That is, using my secondary thinking preferences will, in its own right, be self improvement.

Second, I can apply a whole brain perspective to everything I do in self development.

For example, the i-c-s-i process.

I can, if I wish, when working with each stage, use hbdi and whole brain thinking to generate new ideas, actions etc.

As above, for example, I now know, understanding my profile, that I have the opportunity to add to my first efforts (which will likely use my preferences) by moving to my secondary quadrants and thinking from there.

How do you do that?

For me, I use questions, such as:

* what would that look like with A quadrant thinking? (that is, from a logical, analytical, mathematical, technical point of view)

* what would C quadrant thinking add? (that is, from an emotional, interpersonal, spiritual point of view)

* how would a left brain dominant person think about this?

* what would a limbic dominant person see or do?

Sometimes the questions aren't appropriate or don't yield any benefit in my approach.

So, I have another choice - accept whatever my thinking preferences have delivered and move on, OR.....

.....if it's important enough, go find someone with preferences in those quadrants that are my secondaries, and invite their contribution.

This is a really smart use of resources that shows I value differences and I'm willing to learn.

Both of which deliver great benefits in terms of building my self esteem and achieving my self improvement goals.

Your hbdi thinking preferences, as shown in the whole brain model, will enable you to achieve the best results from your
self improvement programme.
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In addition to the hbdi individual profiles, team thinking preferences can also be produced.

Click this link if you wish to see an example of a team composite profile.

Click this link if you wish to see an example of a team dominance map profile.

Click this link if you wish to see the answers to some frequently asked questions.

Click this link if you wish to see examples of how to use fun to develop your whole brain thinking.


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