In the discovery process of Organizational Development projects, we ask clients to describe the organization’s culture. Most responses are about colleagues’ behaviors. “People here are nice” or “Tends to be cliquey” are typical responses. In almost every case, the initial response relates to cultural toxicity (which could be related to why clients hired us). When … Read More
Stop Competing and Start Collaborating with Technology on People Decisions!
For the past 70 years, science has shown that humans are ineffective at assessing humans, technology alone is worse. The secret is collaboration between the two.
Whole Person Assessment: Balancing Character Flaws with Strengths
“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