“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
Your Mental Model Influences How You Handle Change, Uncertainty – and Your Job Performance
The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “Change is the only constant in life.” Due to innovation and disruptions caused by technology, some have gone so far as to say the pace of change is accelerating. Whether constant or accelerating, change leads to uncertainty, and uncertainty can feel, pardon the clinical jargon, “icky.” Uncertainty produces anxiety, … Read More
A Thank You to HBO Max “Persona: The Dark Truth Behind Personality Tests”
Thank you, HBO Max, CNN Films, and the creators of ‘Persona’ for addressing why poorly developed tests such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) should not be used in high-stakes settings. For years, many organizational psychologists have warned against measures such as the MBTI. To quote an international expert in personality research and testing, “its … Read More
Don’t Let Your Empathy Muscle Atrophy
(Is this you?) It’s 7 a.m. – time to get out of bed, walk the dogs, help the kids get settled into their virtual classrooms, grab a cup of coffee and a quick breakfast and find your way to your home workspace. In the beginning, this may have felt like an appealing challenge — no … Read More
The Catch 22 of a Mid-Level Sales Manager
One of the fascinating aspects of corporate psychology is knowing that an attribute that makes someone great at one job can impair them in another. For example, at Psynet Group we are proud to be associated with a healthcare company that is so efficient that they deliver great services at lower costs while still providing … Read More
Leadership Assessment: 8 Traits of Executives Who Will Abandon Your Organization
Recently we learned of an executive who had abandoned his role in a financial service firm just months after being promoted to lead one of the divisions. The timing was horrible; upturning the talent development and succession plans and placing the entire organization at risk. At Psynet Group, after conducting over a thousand assessments, we’ve … Read More
Can You Predict a Winner from Assessing Sales Styles?
(Lesson 6 From 1,000 Assessments) In 1969, Psynet Group was founded primarily on the ability to help companies select sales people. At that time, we used an assessment that measured motivations. Over the years, our assessments have gone through several iterations and refinements and evolved into Psybil®️. As a highly predictive platform for hiring and … Read More
Elliott Jaques Was an “Envisionary”
(Lesson 4 From 1,000 Assessments) Dr. Jaques was a Canadian thinker, psychoanalyst, and management consultant who is best known for developing many of the original ideas used in the classification of corporate culture. One major concept centers on his belief that individuals reach a certain professional level based almost exclusively on their ability to cognitively … Read More