“You are the Grinch of assessments,” teased a fellow corporate psychologist after I shared the new scales we were norming. I smiled and asked her if she was investing six figures a year in someone, would she rather know the derailers or the positives? When we make talent decisions, can we ignore the negative? I … Read More
What a terrible idea it was to start calling behavioral skills “soft”
They are among the hardest skills to develop while being the most crucial for sustainable success. We are in Sean’s office while he laments about his team. In addition to expressions of uncertainty, frustration and disappointment he comments, “My team keeps missing deadlines. Despite my telling them what they need to do, the end product … Read More
People Are Still Leaving: Two Reasons Your Retention Strategy May Not Be Working
“People are still leaving,” lamented the Division President of a large firm. His company lost more than one-third of its employees by May, and he was concerned. An exit survey indicated a desire for more flexibility; he implemented flexible policies around work hours. A culture survey showed that his employees wanted to be developed; he … Read More
When Profiling Candidates to Generic Roles Does More Harm than Good
Not all effective accountants, operations managers, financial analysts, etc. are wired the same. “It says I should be a forest ranger.” My introverted friend and I just received the reports from our guidance counselor’s career assessment test, and he was disappointed. His dream was to drive in the Indianapolis 500, and the race car driver … Read More
The Pitfalls of Job Interviews — and What Else You Should Do
Articles related to talent and competitive advantage have kept the pages of the Harvard Business Review and other publications full for decades. Despite the importance of talent, companies still rely on interviews as the primary selection tool. But why is this “time-tested” tool so poor at informing our most expensive and risky investment? The simple … Read More
Organizational Structure: Triangles Stunt Growth
Its structure is an architectural marvel. Often used in the design of buildings, the triangle provides strength and stability. The design provides a most effective energy distribution. Yet its robustness goes beyond a physical element. It is a key component of organizational structure and a common problem in organizational development. This may be confusing because, … Read More
What We are Hearing: Three Employee Issues Regarding Their Roles in 2021
There is no doubt that things are confusing in 2021 as we move through the next phase of the pandemic. Some people work at home, others are back in the office, still others are splitting their time between the two. As a result of the upheaval, we have heard three issues repeated among our clients. … Read More
Consensus Culture Kills Agility: When Decision-Making Rights are Undefined, Everyone has a Veto
As our face-to-face meetings with new and potential clients increase, we are noticing the rise of the “De facto Consensus Culture.” Such cultures secretly sap organizations of agility and drain their time. To illustrate, let’s start with an analogy. At 14 years old I cleaned the McDonald’s parking lot, dining area, and restrooms. I used … Read More
Three Ways to Respond When Your Meeting is Hijacked by a Righteous Underminer
Three hours into a strategy session, we were making significant progress. Excitement grew as the team envisioned what is possible. After a couple of cups of coffee in the morning and a diet coke for lunch, I excused myself and passed the marker to the woman on my right. Little did I know that my meeting … Read More