The Sticky Note Test | SDI 2.0 Update

Your MVS is your filter. Here's what's new in how to use it.

There were two sticky notes. One question. What resonates with you? Same six words on both: "I will always find you." The first version was bright yellow, red handwriting, and little hearts in the corners. The second looked like it belonged in a horror movie — jagged letters, no hearts.

I didn't ask what they saw. I asked which one resonated.

The room split.

A Blue (People-driven) leader at the table said the first one, without hesitation. "That's connection. Loyalty. Someone who's committed to you."

A Red (Performance-driven) across the room picked the first one too, but for completely different reasons. "That's determination. Someone who doesn't give up on what matters."

A Green (Process-driven) looked at the second image and raised an eyebrow. "Honestly? That one feels like a boundary issue. Who sent this? What's the context?"

Same message. Completely different experience. The words didn't change — the filter did.

That's what we were exploring that day, and it's what I want to explore with you now: your MVS is your filter. It shapes how you speak, listen, present, hear feedback, interpret conflict, and read a room. And here's the thing — everyone around you is running a different filter. Nobody's filter is wrong. But many leaders keep assuming everyone else is reading the same sticky note.

The Operating System Still Running in the Background

Here's the thing about your MVS: it doesn't need your permission to work.

Most of the leaders we've had the privilege to work with remember their SDI session vividly. The "aha" moment when you saw your triangle. The slightly uncomfortable realization that your Conflict Sequence was exactly what your spouse has been telling you for years. The colleague you finally understood after learning they were a Green and you were a Red-Blue. That stuff sticks.

What drifts is intentionality to lead with Relationship Intelligence (RQ).

You remember you're a Blue-Green. You probably can't tell me your exact scores without looking. And somewhere between the workshop and last Tuesday's executive team meeting, busyness impacted your intentionality — not because you forgot it, but because running your own operating system is, by definition, invisible to you. Fish don't notice water. Blues don't notice they're filtering for harmony. Reds don't notice they're already three steps ahead. Greens don't notice they just mentally flagged six things that need more data before anyone makes a decision.

And that's where the small costs add up. You misread an email from your CFO because the Green language landed as cold when she was just being precise. Or you made a decision before your team was ready because your Red needed momentum. Or you accommodated on one more thing you shouldn't have because your Blue couldn't sit with disappointing someone.

None of that means the SDI didn't work. It means you're human. The muscle is still there. It just hasn't been to the gym in a while.

What's New: SDI Assessment Insights Plug-In

Here's something worth knowing: Crucial Learning has rebranded the plug-in that brings the SDI into your daily tools. It's now called SDI Assessment Insights, and it lives inside Outlook and Microsoft Teams. You can add it as a plug-in.

(A quick heads up: in our own testing, the Outlook desktop version has been glitchy. They are working on it. Stick with Outlook on the web for now. The Teams integration is working just fine.)

Think of it less as "new software to learn" and more as a well-timed tap on the shoulder. Right when you need it. Inside the tools you're already using.

Three ways to use it that we think are worth the effort:

Before you fire back on that email. You know the one. The message that landed sideways. Your fingers are already typing a reply you'll regret by lunch. Stop. Open the plug-in, pull up the sender's MVS, and read the email again through their filter. Nine times out of ten, their email didn't say what your filter heard. Thirty seconds in the plug-in saves thirty minutes of damage control — and possibly a very awkward apology. (Note: if you have new team members who haven't completed the SDI, reach out and let’s get them set up.) Shoot Michael a note: michael@insightlg.com.

Before a tough team conversation. Pull up the group insights in Teams or on the platform before your next hard meeting. You'll see the room's dominant motives at a glance. That tells you which language to lead with, which concerns to name first, and which of your own defaults you need to dial back. It's like reading the room, except you get to read it before you walk in.

Kicking off a new project. Review the responsibilities and tasks for the new project and identify which align with the team member best suited to own them. You can view the team's strengths at https://app.corestrengths.com during a meeting and make intentional choices on how to move forward.

Reps, Not Reruns

Here's the real deal, though: a plug-in can surface insights, but it can't replace reps.

If you don’t recall your last real conversation about the MVS, the plug-in will be useful right away but not fully optimized. Not because it's complicated — but because the application muscle gets built through consistent reflection and intentional reps.