Why September Is the Perfect Time to Revisit Your Insights Discovery Profile
“It’s no longer acceptable not to be exceptional”
Hmmm, what do you think?
These words caught my attention during a conversation with a client recently & have stayed with me.
He’s not wrong! in fact, I think he’s right! and it deserves unpacking…
What he was referring to was the unrelenting pressure of keeping up, of being required to cope with the unprecedented pace of technological change and stretching into ever expanding roles as AI supposedly makes us faster and able to do more with less. But the truth is that keeping up with and constantly comparing ourselves to something that doesn’t need to sleep, eat, exercise, socialise and is always bloody happy is creating a tsunami sized mental health crisis!
The answer certainly isn’t to channel all of our energy into trying to keep up whilst quietly quitting.
The answer is surely to ‘invite’ AI into our lives into those areas where it can truly augment rather than argue, whilst not losing sight of what makes us exceptionally ‘human’
For a laugh, I asked ChatGPT what humans are exceptional at that AI sucks at! It was a nice reminder!
• Intuition and gut feeling – making leaps without a clear logic chain
• Creativity in the wild sense – the ability to invent from the messy mix of lived experiences
• Real connection & Empathy – AI simulates empathy but we feel it; a hug, a look, a smile, the spark in someone’s eyes, that’s beyond AI
• Moral judgement & values – humans discern and wrestle with this in ways that aren’t reducible to rules or patterns
• Knowing how to live with uncertainty – AI aims to resolve or collapse uncertainty, not live with it or in it
We all have the potential to be ‘exceptional’, and embracing what makes each us ‘exceptional’ starts with knowing ourselves – the unique blend of traits that makes us who we are, and over the 30 years or so I have worked in people and culture transformation, I have never found a more accessible model than Insights Discovery.
So rather than overwhelming yourself with the newest AI tools, why not re-visit your profile and remind yourself of what makes you exceptional. The chances are your profile is sitting quietly on a shelf or in a folder, waiting to be opened again. Inside is a treasure trove of wisdom.
In the business of everyday life it’s very easy to forget what’s in there, but your profile is a brilliant compass to help you navigate a complex world. Reminding you of your strengths, your value, your blind spots and giving you a nudge to be more intentional, more conscious – more exceptionally human.
And here is the good news! revisiting it these days doesn’t have to mean sitting down with the whole document and reading it front to back!
Tools such as Chat GPT and NotebookLM can turn your profile into an audio version, perfect for a walk or commute, or distill it into easy to digest reminders.
You can also ask it to combine your profile with other profiles to create a simple, actionable development plan.
Whether you’ve completed an Insights Discovery profile before or are considering one for the first time, the value is the same: greater self-awareness. It’s a chance to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what makes you exceptional – the unique blend of strengths, values, and perspectives you bring to the table.
In a season where it’s easy to feel pressure to keep up with technology, taking time to understand yourself and others could be the most powerful step you make. Because ultimately, the leaders who thrive are those who lead in a way that is distinctively, exceptionally human.
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