Embracing Transformation: Navigating First-Order and Second-Order Change in the Era of AI and Digital Disruption Psynet Group is often brought into a company to help change it so that it can improve performance or address new opportunities and challenges. What becomes crucial in our work together is to understand if the need is to improve … Read More
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Minor Derailers: Are They Just Annoying? In brief encounters with people, minor derailers are either not noticed or mildly irritating. This is why interviewers rarely pick them up. But what happens when they are part of our daily work life? What about their impact on the team? I learned early in my career how toxic … Read More
Minor Derailers: Are They Just Annoying?
I was in my mid-20s, interviewing a candidate to be my assistant. She would be my first, and I had yet to develop my interviewing skills. I welcomed her into my office and asked her the first of a series of prepared questions. She answered the first question and then stared at me sideways. As … Read More
What Happens When I Hire a Coach? An Example of How the Three Stages of Coaching Changed a Man’s Life
Everyone’s coaching experience will differ, but all coaching candidates have one thing in common, an expectation of change. I have observed the overlap of three different coaching approaches, each of which can be useful depending on the candidate’s needs and the nature of their request. These requests fall into three categories: Line-of-Sight Coaching I once … Read More
How Important Is Culture Fit, Really?
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