Who we are on the inside, is not necessarily how we act on the outside. This is what sets the Belbin approach apart from other personality-based assessments and why I think it's so effective for teams. In an ideal situation, people know what their strengths are AND are able to use them effectively in their teams and organizations (and be appreciated for them).

It's important to address these gaps between self-perception and observer assessments, because it means that individuals' strengths aren't being recognized and utilized properly in a team.

Or it may simply be a reflection of the team context- they are 'forced' to play a certain role in the team because of the requirements of the job, but they are not naturally suited for it. Or, the person has a misguided self-image of how they want to be seen, which isn't backed up by their actual behaviors. Sometimes, a person's efforts are invisible and not being recognized by others. In other words, in 3 out of 10 cases, there was a big gap between how individuals see themselves and how others see them. At a team workshop I facilitated recently using the Belbin Team Roles (UK - Head Office) Assessment, 3 out of 10 participants' self-perceptions (how they view their strengths and contributions in a team) differed greatly from their observers' assessments.

Free belbin team roles test download