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It was a long,
challenging search but you’ve finally identified the ideal
candidate. You used a thorough process to define the
requirements of the position. After a second round of
interviews, you administered a well-validated selection
instrument and ran several reports. After reviewing all of
the information, the answer was clear…the candidate is perfect
for the role!
Now what
happens to the information that you gleaned from this
process? Once the candidate has accepted the offer, many
organizations I know will promptly file the assessment results
in their recruitment files and close off the search. As
helpful as the reports were in the selection process, they
then gather dust.
In my work as a Leadership Coach
I have found inordinate value in the use of Assessment results
AFTER the selection process is complete. Once the new hire is
in the new position, powerful insights can be gained from the
reports, providing further value to the organization and new
hires alike.
I recently coached a sales
executive, Peter (not his real name), who had moved into a
challenging new role. Within the first week of joining the
organization, Peter and I met for the start of a 3-month
executive onboarding program. One of the first steps in the
process was to have a full debrief of the model underlying the
Assessment tool and the reports that were produced, based on
his input.
In our initial meeting, it was
evident that Peter was inordinately fired-up about charting a
new course for the sales organization. He was like a
racehorse charging out of the gate, eager to have his direct
reports embrace the ideas he had, based on his experience at
his former company.
We walked through Assessment.
His particular profile revealed that he was a highly
results-oriented, driven individual, who verbalizes a lot and
displays an extremely fast-pace. As we talked, he began to
see that rather than creating a connection with his direct
reports… something he was very interested in doing… he was in
effect shutting them down. Peter was so excited to share his
ideas that he was coming on like gang-busters.
Peter’s direct reports were
shaking their heads saying, “Who does he think he is? I
wish he would simply LISTEN to us and we could tell him about
the challenges we face in this company and how they need to be
addressed.”
In many organizations it would be
months down the road, when the proverbial car is already in
the ditch, that Peter’s manager would contact Human Resources
with the command to “give
this guy some 360-degree feedback so he can see what he’s
doing to his people!”
Building in a confidential,
one-on-one debrief of the Assessment up-front, before the
pressures are too intense and the leader has already created a
“name” for himself… is a proactive investment in preventing
derailment. In my research on success factors and derailers
in the first 3 months with a new employer, “listening and
observing” is one of the most important behaviours for leaders
to demonstrate. Providing the benefit of this research,
coupled with information from the individual’s own profile, is
a powerful way to help the new hire internalize the messages
they need to get right away.
Peter and I were also able to
spend time with his Manager, helping her to appreciate where
she might need to help Peter to course correct in the first
few months, because of his particular profile.
So… what could you do to more
proactively and deliberately build an Assessment debrief
into the process of transitioning a new employee into their
new role? What additional support could you be providing to
the new hire’s manager? How might this set them both up for
success?
In my Clearing the 90-Day
Hurdle™ process, I administer a Personal Profile Analysis (PPA)
to each coaching client. This is a highly-reliable and
well-validated instrument available through Thomas
International Inc. We use this information to determine the
areas of focus for our coaching. It helps the client and I
recognize the strengths that need to be leveraged in this
all-important timeframe. In the first 3 months with a new
organization, personal branding is key. It is critical to
leverage strengths quickly to help to carry my clients
through the overwhelm that often accompanies starting in a
new leadership role.
It’s also important to pay
attention to the watch-outs or “limitations” in Thomas
language, so that I can help focus my client’s energy on
avoiding the typical derailers in the first 90-days and pay
close attention to those areas that the individual’s profile
indicates might be his or her particular nemesis.
We then leverage a report
called “How to Effectively Manage”, which described how the
particular candidate is best managed. We use this
information to ensure that the new hire is proactively
managing upwards with the new boss, right from the start.
What does the boss need to know about my client’s
motivational and developmental needs? I find that
discussion of this report fosters strong connection between
the boss and new hire. It helps to cut through what I call
the “politeness dance” of the initial few months. It is my
experience that too much time is wasted walking on eggshells
in the early days of forming this key relationship. Open,
candid conversations can be jump-started through effective
use of the Thomas tools or other effective Assessments.
So what happened to Peter?
With the insights gained from the Assessment tools, he was
able to acknowledge to his direct reports that his eagerness
to pursue the changes he desired was likely getting in their
way. By building in time to listen to their ideas and using
a more collaborative process to develop a shared
vision, he rallied his team to fantastic year-end results.
After sharing his profile openly with his direct reports and
his boss, he asked for their support to tip him off whenever
his behaviour suggested that he wasn’t listening and
benefiting from the ideas around him. Peter is thriving in
his new role and his company is delighted with the
leadership he is providing.
For more about how I use the
Thomas reports in my Clearing the 90-Day Hurdle™ program, I
welcome your questions at
info@clearingthe90dayhurdle.com
Sue Edwards is a Leadership and Business coach who specializes
in working with leaders in transition to new roles and new
organizations. To download a free copy of Sue’s report: “Top
Ten Success Factors (and Seven Deadly Sins) for Leaders
Transitioning into Organizations”, click here
http://www.clearingthe90dayhurdle.com/top10-report.shtml
* all names and identifying details have been changed to
protect client confidentiality
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