What is the CVI:

The Core Values Index (CVI) is a tool that measures the UNCHANGING nature of the individual.  It is a quick 10-20 minute assessment available on this site.

Want to know more about the CVI? Like the CVI Fans Learn & Interact Community and visit YourCVI.com where you can view video SpreeCasts as well.

What the difference between this and other Personality Tests?

While other tests out there measure the changing and “adapting” personality types, the CVI gets to the sub-conscience through the series of questions, to reveal the unadapted true core nature of the individual.  The CVI is incomparable to other tests, because this assessment has a 94% repeat score reliability over a 20 year period.  Other tests do not even come close to comparing.  That’s why you can take a personality test one year and 6 months later get a completely different result… personality is adaptable based on experiences and influences in ones life.  The CVI goes deeper, revealing ones deepest fears & anxieties, conflict strategies, as well as ones unique learning styles, communication techniques, and motivators behind why they do and say things they way they do.

Why do I like the CVI?

The Bible teaches that it is important to “know thyself” and to “treat others the way you

would want to be treated.”  “Blessed are the Peacemakers.”  As a follower of Christ, I am constantly aware of my own sin.  Of my need for sanctification and forgiveness.  I sin often.  I am a work in progress.  Christ freely forgives me if I come and repent.  But often times I struggle to change my ways… to really stop the sin… the ugly parts of me… like the struggles I have in communication sometimes… like judgmentalism or the fear of being judged.  The CVI revealed things about me that were ugly.  It pinpointed areas in my life where I could fight a battle for productive change that would last.  This tool has enabled me to be more introspective and choose to grow personally in the areas I struggle most.  On a different personal note, the CVI has also provided me with a more clear picture of how God designed me.  I was uniquely made by God, and so were you.  He made you just the way you are for a reason.  For a purpose.  Taking the CVI helps to unlock part of that purpose.

CVI Used with Marriages:

I have been so privileged to see the CVI used as a catalyst to heal marriages and relationships.  When you understand how your spouse was created by God and why they do certain things the way they do… you begin to appreciate the uniqueness of how God made them.  This can prove helpful in allowing your spouse to be who they were created to be versus trying to change them.  The CVI can be a tool to study your spouse, see what makes her/him tick, how they are most valued, what sets them off into their conflict strategy, what their deepest fears are.  All these things are helpful for a mature adult who truly wants to be a team with their spouse and build one another up.  It is so awesome to see God’s intentions in who He designed us to be paired with.  He is such a good God that he wants us to complement one another and help one another toward wholeness and righteousness in Him.

Utilizing the CVI in Parenting:

As a parent, one of our jobs is to ‘know” our children and help them to develop into the person God wants them to be.  The person God created them to be, to fulfill the purposes and follow the path He has designed for them… not us.  Have you ever seen the parent who pushes their children down a career path, because it was what they wanted, or what was expected by elders in the family… not what the child wanted?  Well often times, yes, children don’t know what’s best for themselves.  That’s why God choose us to be their parents. However, we have to go to him and ask Him to reveal what they were created to do, with an open heart and mind for hearing God… then we can be used as a catalyst to guide our children down the correct path or at least towards the right direction.  The CVI, is that tool that can help us parents objectively look at our children.  We can not contrive the results… it is purely revealing the true and unchanging nature of our children.  While the CVI won’t tell you which career to choose, it can provide great guidance for what paths would be the most challenging, or maybe even defeating.

Since the CVI sheds light on ones deepest fears and conflict strategies, you can pinpoint what struggles your child will need your diligence in training on.  For example if your child is a Strong or Profound merchant, your child’s conflict strategy is going to be manipulation.  Wouldn’t that be helpful knowledge as a parent?  To understand the most frequent inner struggles your child will have.

From an educational and extra curricula perspective… it is helpful to understand your child’s learning styles and to be able to adapt your curriculum (if you home educate) to benefit your child’s bent towards a specific style.  Can you imagine what that could do for education… children could begin truly enjoying and engaging learning at a new level.  When choosing extra curricula activities such as sports, art, music, writing, reading, chess, speech & debate, apologetics, etc… wouldn’t it be helpful to know what type of child you have (intuitive, creative, cognitive, community, independent, ?) at their core (who God made them to be) versus who their adapted self is showing you they are.

Explanation of the Adapted Self:

We all have core values, types, personalities, etc.  They are most pure the younger we are, before we have had to adapt to our experiences and our environments.  We all adapt or warped in who we really are created to be because we live in a sinful, selfish world.  No parent is perfect, we all sin, most often in our parenting… which in turn means we warp our children and screw them up in some respects.  The best explanation I give for understanding the concept of adapting is this:  Think through all the influences and authorities you’ve had throughout your life.  Everyone of them has left an imprint on your life for what is “socially acceptable” through rewarding for some behaviors or punishing for others.  We all do it.  Have you ever glared at someone or given your kids “the eyes?”  You know what I’m talking about.  Well those looks of disapproval or the cheers of praise influence our children to become who is most accepted by us (or if you have a difficult relationship… the child will “choose to be who you don’t accept), not who they really are.

So when you understand your child at their core, you can let them to be who they are and start giving more grace in your parenting and quit imposing standard expectations on all your children.  You can let the musician play music, let the athlete enjoy games, let the cognitive one study and read and join apologetics and let the relational (community) one join a drama club.  You can coach your children on how to appreciate different kinds of people and callings vs. allowing them to expect everyone to be like them.  This particular example also provides to build a child’s self worth when they understand they aren’t “weird”… they are uniquely made by God for a really cool purpose and isn’t a fun adventure to figure out what that calling is….

So utilize the Core Values Index… to take the test go here.

We also have a number of resources for business on how to work with different types of people, valuing them at their deepest level so they can give their highest contribution to the world.

The Core Values Index Handbook by Lynn Taylor (this is mainly for the working industry- but is tremendously helpful in the basic understanding of the CVI.)

Choices by Lynn Taylor

Disclaimer on these two books:  These books are very helpful for beginning your journey of understanding how to use the CVI. They are not written from a Christian Worldview; that being said they are worth while reading.  There are many amazing insights into people and communication, etc that anyone could benefit from.

For info on our Executive & Leader Marriage Seminars click here.

For info on The Choose Growth Group and Team Optimization Seminars go to Choose Growth. Choose Growth has Executive Coaches trained on how to coach using the CVI.

For info on How to Utilize the CVI with Employees & Organizations go to Wired Success.