Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question that we don't cover in this section, please contact us and let us know.

What is MBS's new FAX number?  Top of Page

Our mailing, phone and FAX information is:

MBS, Inc.
601 N. Mur-Len / Suite 16
Olathe, KS 66062
Office: (913) 393-2525
FAX: (913) 393-2288

How can I set up an account for my company?  Top of Page

Establishing an account for your company to process surveys is easy.  When you FAX in your first surveys, simply indicate that you would like to set up an account.  Please include a FAX cover sheet that has your company's name, billing address, contact person's name, phone number and FAX number.  

Does my company have to do training in order to use the MBS Survey?  Top of Page

The short answer is no.  A number of our clients simply use the MBS Profile Report as a tool in hiring, without ever having any training.  

Ideally, the MBS Survey and MBS Profile Report are used in conjunction with Management By Strengths training in order to more fully equip the person to improve communication and teamwork.  

How much does it cost to take the MBS Survey?  Top of Page

The cost to take the MBS Survey is $24.  When taking the on-line survey, this can be paid with a credit card. Or, your company can establish an account and you will be billed at the end of each month.  

If you have a valid Account # and Password, the on-line survey will bypass the credit card screen and go directly to your MBS Profile Report.

If I buy 10 Profile Reports can I get a discount?  Top of Page

We do not give a "volume discount".  Our largest clients, that have done thousands of surveys over the years, pay the same $24 price that a new, smaller client would pay.  

Can I have my family members complete the MBS Survey?  Top of Page

MBS will process MBS Surveys for members of your immediate family at no charge.  We believe that having family members complete the survey is an excellent way for MBS students to practice what they learn in the Management By Strengths class.

Use the same online account number and password that you used when you completed the survey.  Surveys can also be processed by FAX.

Please have your family member enter their own name ... not yours.   Often we get 3 or 4 surveys from a family ... John Smith - Wife, John Smith - Son, John Smith - Daughter. 

Under position, put their relationship to you (spouse, son, family, etc.). 

Can children take the MBS Survey?  Top of Page

They key to children taking the survey is their understanding of the words.  If you have a 10 year old son or daughter who understands the meaning of the words, then they can take the survey.  We have found that children ages 13 and up are probably able to understand the words or look them up in a dictionary.  

With regard to identifying the high traits of your children, we would recommend an article the we published called Recognizing Traits in Your Kids.

Can I take the MBS Survey on-line?  Can you e-mail me my Profile Report?  Top of Page

Yes.  Click HERE to go to the on-line survey.  

Though the MBS database is not available over the InterNet, an interactive version of your MBS Profile Report can be e-mailed to you.   E-mail MBS, providing your full name, company and e-mail address.  The process is not automated, but your report should get to you within 24 hours.

Can I look up my Profile Report on the InterNet?  Top of Page

No.  For privacy and security reasons, the MBS Profile Database is not available on-line.

If however your company has an online version of the MBS Profile Viewer, then you will be able to access at least part of your report.  You will need to have your company's password to use the Client Access field on the main strengths.com web page.

On Side 1 of the survey ... what is meant by  "How others expect you to act"?  Top of Page

WHO are the OTHERS that we're referring to?  Simply put ... people that know you.  It can refer to your family, friends or people at work.  "Others" refers to people that you interact with most frequently ... often times this is in your work environment.

Can I retake the MBS Survey?  Top of Page

MBS has found over the years that the first time a person takes the survey produces the most accurate reflection of their temperament.  The parts of a person's report that will change over time are the Adjustment and Role graphs.  For this reason, prior to attending training, some people like to retake the survey to get "fresh" adjustments ... especially if they initially took the survey a long time ago. 

There are times however that for some reason the initial survey comes out wrong.  This can be due to misunderstanding the directions, intentionally responding to the words in a "less than honest" manner, attempting to somehow control how the resulting profile will come out, or for other reasons.  In these instances it is probably good to retake the survey.

The goal of completing the MBS Survey is to generate an accurate reflection of a person's temperament.       

The $24 charge for taking the survey also applies to retakes.

I retook the survey and the results came out different.  Why?  Top of Page

Some people retake the survey for the expressed purpose of seeing how they've changed.  They then ask, "Why did my profile change?"  Not to be facetious, but wasn't that the idea?

If you're a Direct person, you know that when you retake the survey.  If you're Paced, you know that.  Consciously or subconsciously you will apply your MBS knowledge during your retake.  

Retaking the MBS Survey is like opening a camera that has film already in it.  Once you close the camera it might still work ... but probably not.

I retook the survey and the results came out the same, but I think that I've changed.  Why is it the same?  Top of Page

Many times a person retakes the survey and it comes out very similar to their original profile. 

When a person retakes the survey we create what is called a Composite Profile.  The composite takes the Self Profile from the person's original survey and combines it with the Adjustment Profile from the retake.  Thus the Self will be the same, as will the description on the report which comes from the Self. 

We use this method because as stated above ... MBS has found over the years that the first time a person takes the survey produces the most accurate reflection of their temperament.  The parts of a person's report that will change over time are the Adjustment and Role graphs. 

What does the Energy Level (the number) represent?  Top of Page

In the column to the right of the Role Profile is the Energy Level. An average energy is 250.  The highest number you can get is 480.

Most people have plenty of "energy". We're sure of this because we rarely see people carried from work asleep. And while it is true that some people naturally have more energy than others, how they use that energy and whether or not that energy is available to them when they need it are important considerations. The energy that a person has is more available when he/she is comfortable.

The Energy Level measures the total intensity of a person's responses to the word descriptors on the MBS Survey.

What can delay the processing of your MBS Survey?  Top of Page

A number of things can cause a survey to be delayed.

  • Missing responses is probably the most common.
  • Illegible or incomplete name ... we need a first and last name.
  • Missing company or branch ... we need to know which account to put the data in.
  • Missing, busy or incorrect FAX number.

If we have problems processing a survey we will return the survey via FAX to be completed.  There are times that so much information is missing that we are unable to return the survey.

I sent in my survey last week and never got a response ... Why?  Top of Page

MBS Surveys are processed and returned within 30 minutes, often times faster.  Common reasons why you might not have received your MBS Profile Report are:

  • We never received your survey.
  • There was missing information and we were unable to contact you.
  • There was missing information, we returned the survey via FAX to be completed, but you never saw it.
  • We returned the Profile Report and someone else picked it up.
  • We returned the Profile Report, but to the wrong FAX number.
  • The FAX number that we were returning your Profile Report to was constantly busy.

Why didn't I receive a name badge?  I sent in my survey.  Top of Page

Submitting a survey does not automatically cause us to create a name badge, grid, or any  materials other than the MBS Profile Report.  Most companies that use the MBS Name Badges also use the survey with applicants, friends and family members.  Automatically creating badges for each survey would generate a lot of unwanted badges (at $14.00 each).

To order an MBS Name Badge, or any other materials, please FAX your order to MBS at (913) 393-2288 or send it via e-mail.  Please remember to include your company name and mailing address.

The "minus" signs in the section Motivation By Strengths ... are those areas that need improvement?  Top of Page

No, the "minus" signs are simply locators indicating that the trait falls below the center line in the Self grid. 

Traits that are below the center line are also strengths.  For example, -P indicates that the person's Pace trait appears below the center line indicating that the person has the strength of Urgency.  Urgency allows the person to rush at the last minute, work quickly on many different projects and work well under pressure.

Can Urgency be a weakness?  Any trait can be a weakness if the person does not have control of his/her temperament. 

What are the negative things about me that the Profile Report doesn't cover?  Top of Page

Temperament, which is what the MBS Survey reflects, is neither positive nor negative.  Thus the MBS Profile Report doesn't cover the possibly negative aspects of a person's personality.

Any strength that is not used positively can be a weakness.  For example, extroversion is a strength, but if an extroverted salesman never shuts up, and ends up losing sales ... it becomes a weakness.  Structure is a strength, but if the person is so inflexible that they are unable to deal with any type of revisions or changes ... it becomes a weakness.  etc... 

How can such a simple survey be so accurate?  Top of Page

First of all, the Profile Report is simply a reflection of the information that the person has provided on their survey.  Essentially, you told us what to print on the report.

Secondly, each trait has 5 to 6 adjectives associated with it.  So, if the survey misses on one of the words, it has 4 to 5 more opportunities to identify that trait.  

What is the best profile for a certain job?  Top of Page

Certain jobs tend to attract certain types of people.  Sales positions attract more High D's and High E's because the nature of the job requires the person to be outgoing, persuasive, and results oriented.  The High D/High E person is a natural salesman.  

Does that mean that a private, non-threatening person can't succeed in a sales job?  No, it simply means that they will do the job differently.  They will make adjustments to accomplish their goals.  Many very successful salespeople have atypical profile ... ie: High S or High P. 

I have a candidate that is High E/Low D ... should I hire him?  Top of Page

I don't know should you?  There's much more to the decision than just a person's temperament.  Other qualifications pertinent to the hiring process are: 

  • Experience
  • Integrity
  • Maturity
  • Product knowledge
  • Physical requirements
  • Availability

The MBS Survey does not address any of these areas.  

What it does identify is how a person will naturally approach the job, how they might handle different situations, and once hired how you should best work with that person. 

What do the L and C mean?  Top of Page

L stands for Logic.  

As part of making a decision, a person either leans more on the "facts" of the situation (L above the line) or they rely more on how they "feel" about the situation ... their intuition (L below the line).  While logic is a piece of the overall picture ... the Self Profile is the more important piece.


C can stand for Comfortable, Concern or Self Critical.  

If the C falls within the Comfort Zone (the gray shaded area) we say that recently the person has felt comfortable that they were going to achieve their goals. 

As the C moves DOWN the column, outside the Comfort Zone, we say that recently the person has been concerned whether or not they would accomplish their goals. The further down the column the C is, the more concern there was. 

On the other hand, as the C moves UP the column, outside the Comfort Zone, we say that when the person has been being hard on themselves ... Self Critical. The further up the column the C is, the more Self Critical.
 
     

   

[MBS HomePage]  [Download MBS Survey]  [On-line MBS Survey]  [The 4 Traits]  [MBS Profile Report]  [Train The Trainer]  [Articles]  [Materials] [Applications of MBS]  [MBS Canada]  [90 Minute Video]  [Myers-Briggs Comparison]  [Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ]  [Contact MBS]  [MBS Clients]


Copyright 1997-2008 MBS, Inc.
This copyright applies to all www.strengths.com pages.