by David K. Williams and Mary Michelle Scott May 31, 2012 www.blogs.hbr.org
The costs of a bad hire are staggering. A recent survey by Career Builder reports more than two-thirds of employers were affected by a bad hire last year, according to AOL Jobs. Of nearly 2,700 employers surveyed, 41% estimate a single bad hire cost $25,000; a quarter estimate a bad choice cost $50,000 or more — not to mention the demoralizing effect of the issue on other employees and on the new hire. Losing a job is one of the most stressful events a human can experience.
To avoid that, when we make hires, we screen candidates using a list of personal characteristics we call the Non-Negotiables. First there were four. Ultimately, we've expanded the list to seven. These are the characteristics that have become the primary criteria for hiring decisions — things we value even more than skills and background. When we add people to our nearly 100-person company, these criteria are non-negotiable.
The seven Non-Negotiables are Respect, Belief, Loyalty, Commitment, Trust, Courage and Gratitude.
Ideal hires bring traditional and job-specific capabilities and high proficiencies in these seven core traits. However, in many cases, the Non-Negotiables have led us to make what others would consider "unusual hires." The result, for our company, has been near-zero turnover — and many employees express the desire and willingness to stay with us for life.
It took us a few years before we fully embraced the concept of the Non-Negotiables as an explicit hiring goal. We always sought individuals with high character strengths and strong work ethics. In HR parlance, we looked for "athletes," and we talked about assessing the right fit through a strong "gut feeling." Since January 2011, we've gone further: We've now articulated these traits as full and formal requirements for the people we hire. Granted, it is more difficult to identify and assess character traits than concrete skills — however, the strategy we are using thus far seems to be meeting success. We ask potential candidates to tell us about situations where they have exemplified each of the non-negotiable traits. Because each candidate is interviewed by multiple leaders, we compare assessments on each of the traits. Later on, we may also move to an actual scoring system as well.
We also ask the same questions of the individual's references — not the references they list on their resume, but of their former co-workers, associates and bosses that we identify independently, and who are in a position to speak open and candidly about the candidate's strengths (or weaknesses) in exhibiting these traits. Clearly, it's not an exact science — but we are finding the ways to become more precise as we grow.
At times focusing on this non-traditional hiring criteria leads us to hire people with unusual backgrounds. When Kevin Batchelor — now one of our two VP's of Engineering — came to work here, he was not a programmer at all; his degrees were in theater and anthropology. Now, eight years later, his software designs are winning awards. John David King — now our EVP of Sales and Marketing — had no prior background in leading a sales organization. He had heart, spirit, and character, coupled with a law degree and a bachelor's degree in communications.
We've filled our developer ranks largely through a partnership with Utah Valley University. We started by looking for interns — the right people with the right characteristics who wanted to learn how to code. One of them was a firefighter, one an electrician, and one was in the culinary program. Some were programmers by training, but only interested (or so they thought) in programming Internet games.
We have a strong community focus — of our near 100 employees, 40 are or have been interns working on flexible schedules to allow them to finish their degrees.
Our approach is contradictory to most conventional management wisdom, which suggests that hiring managers focus on relevant skills and experience. But it is working for us.
Our company has no shortage of talent because we've trained the people we bring in with care. Our employees are respectful of each other, and as a company we strive to be respectful of others as well. In a competitive $1 billion software market we are collegial — we list our competitors' offerings along with our own products on our Facebook page, and we applaud their successes along with our own.
Our hiring strategy has built a loyal base of employees during a time when the typical career path is to "keep the options open" and to be at least periodically shopping around. Our strategy will continue to be the right one for us. Perhaps it could work for other organizations as well. We look forward to your opinions and thoughts
Showing posts with label Assessments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Assessments. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
OUR ASSESSMENT ADVANTAGES
Send Assessments
The ability to send all of your assessments and surveys securely from your account to your employees and clients is an essential feature.
Send by Email
There is no limit to the places you can reach by sending any Assessment or Survey from within your account. Send mass assessments of up to 100 applicants / employees at a single time and receive instant notification of completion via email.
Benchmarking
This is a critical component of our assessments. If you have employees in a department who are performing well, doesn't it just make sense to hire the same type of person for that department? With the benchmarking feature, you can!
Each time you run a report you have the opportunity to create, compare and utilize results to create accurate benchmarks to match your current employees. By using various existing and custom benchmarks to see how close the scores and personality types are, you will see in seconds if the applicant you are looking at "fits" the position and department.
Customized Reports
Every report is custom labeled with your company logo and contact information.
The ability to send all of your assessments and surveys securely from your account to your employees and clients is an essential feature.
Send by Email
There is no limit to the places you can reach by sending any Assessment or Survey from within your account. Send mass assessments of up to 100 applicants / employees at a single time and receive instant notification of completion via email.
Benchmarking
This is a critical component of our assessments. If you have employees in a department who are performing well, doesn't it just make sense to hire the same type of person for that department? With the benchmarking feature, you can!
Each time you run a report you have the opportunity to create, compare and utilize results to create accurate benchmarks to match your current employees. By using various existing and custom benchmarks to see how close the scores and personality types are, you will see in seconds if the applicant you are looking at "fits" the position and department.
Customized Reports
Every report is custom labeled with your company logo and contact information.
AVAILABLE ASSESSMENTS
| Candidate Profile | |
| Our flagship assessment is the candidate profile. The report provides 8 to 18 pages of the applicant's character and talent traits along with what you may expect from the applicant. This is a vital tool to help you evaluate an individual's weak and strong points. The report will help you make the right decisions as to where this person best fits in your company and where you will need to offer direction and training. Hiring the wrong candidate for the position helps neither you nor the candidate. | |
| Personality Profile | |
| The "employee" version of the Candidate Profile (above). Discover the true personality of your current or potential employee with the Personality Profile. Are they a born leader? A supporter? A networker? With a simple analysis you can discover if they are right for your company and compatible with their department. | |
| Employee Engagement Survey | |
| This survey uses group-based opinions to help you evaluate the overall engagement of your employees. Since an engaged workforce can be important to a company's long-term achievement, it is essential that every effort is taken to understand a staff's level of engagement; the first step is to measure. | |
| Custom Aptitude | |
| The Custom Aptitude is multiple-choice based and customized for your company. You can apply up to 60 questions with a range of 5 possible answers. | |
| Custom Survey | |
| The Custom Survey is used to form opinions from a group-based standpoint. By using general questions you can create a survey for your designated groups and receive anonymous results and comments. | |
| I.Q. Assessment | |
| The I.Q. Assessment will demonstrate how well an applicant can reason and resolve problems. | |
| Sales Aptitude | |
| The Sales Aptitude measures applicants/employees in 11 different areas and provides insight into what type of salesperson they are. You will discover at which level their sales ability is (or can be), and in what areas they need training. | |
| Math & Spelling | |
| Usually the basics are the best place to start. This program is perfectly suited to bring a well rounded view of problem solving and literary performance. | |
| 360 Feedback | |
| Over the past decade, 360-degree feedback has revolutionized performance management and employee development (particularly among leadership). Employee feedback is essential for an organization's success in training, evaluation and growth. | |
| Management Aptitude | |
| The Management Aptitude is an effective tool in measuring one's leadership abilities as well as identifying potential areas for development. | |
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Engage Employees Using Customer Service Tactics
by Rob Markey Monday October 10, 2011 www.hbr.blogs.org
And yet Gallup research indicates that more than 70 percent of employees in the typical company are "not engaged" or "actively disengaged."
What's the reason for this failure? In my view, it boils down to a startling disconnect between how companies try to promote engagement and what truly inspires and motivates employees.
At most companies, the human resources department "owns" and measures engagement. It issues a lengthy annual survey, asking employees a withering barrage of questions — everything from your overall satisfaction to the adequacy of prescription benefits to whether you have a "best friend" at work. The resulting report, issued after lengthy analysis, leads to an improved benefits program, "supervisor coaching," or other initiatives run by staff at the center.
This approach is just like the way most companies used to deal with customers. Marketing or customer service departments owned customer satisfaction, relied on traditional staff-directed tools (such as training programs) to improve it, and gauged their success through old-style satisfaction surveys.
In recent years, however, leading companies such as Zappos and Apple have led a revolution in creating great customer experiences:
- They make wowing customers a priority for every frontline employee, not just a central team at headquarters.
- Instead of infrequent satisfaction studies, they ask their customers for feedback all the time.
These efforts earn these companies deep, long-lasting customer loyalty. Their customers not only spend more, stay longer, and recommend the company to their friends, but they also contribute ideas for improvement because they believe the company values their feedback.
So, suppose you applied that same methodology to building employee engagement. What would you do differently?
For one thing, you'd conduct short surveys that respect your employees' time and ask only the few questions that yield the most important insights. You would do this often enough to generate a steady stream of information about engagement levels and ideas for improvement. JetBlue, whose employees I wrote about in my last post, sends a survey ninety days after an employee's start date and every year thereafter. Apple surveys its employees every few months.
And instead of delegating the effort to HR, you'd make employee engagement a top priority for frontline managers and employees themselves, with built-in procedures for closed-loop learning.
In fact, you'd take away the crutch of thinking that "someone else" is taking care of it, placing responsibility squarely and undeniably on the shoulders of frontline managers. That's how it's done at Apple stores. After each survey wave, store managers review the data for their store. Employee focus groups identify key themes and issues, and employee teams help develop solutions, which they present to store management. There is no waiting for analysis and recommendations from some central team. By the time the next survey comes around in a few months, managers and store employees know whether their solutions have had the desired effect.
It shouldn't be surprising that the same basic techniques for earning customer loyalty also work with employees. At their core, both efforts depend on treating people with dignity and respect. Both require real-time learning. Both address the relationship in a human way, not just as a transaction or piece of data.
And, as it happens, they reinforce each other. Employees learn how to wow customers and feel great when they do. Customers love the experience. It's a virtuous cycle — something we call the Promoter Flywheel — and it leads to great financial performance.
Conventional approaches to employee engagement tend to focus on overall workplace improvements and benefits because those things can be directed by staff from the center. They're the "easy" things to do. Obviously, they're important: A safe and pleasant work environment, fair compensation, and the tools needed to do the job are table stakes for employee satisfaction.
But what you really want isn't just satisfied employees, it's passionate employees — people who love working for your company, love your products and services, and love wowing customers. You build that kind of advocacy by creating a real commitment to enriching your customers' lives, giving employees the tools and freedom to delight customers, and helping them see and hear the effects of their actions.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Personal Productivity / Emotional Intelligence
Why should your firm invest training dollars in a program designed to increase emotional competencies for your staff?
Psychologists understand that the traditional IQ test does not measure all of the factors of an effective, successful, happily productive person. “Book learning” is not the only, and perhaps not the most important, measure of intelligence.
Many of the factors psychologists found to be important in making people successful in their business and personal lives are included in the terms emotional intelligence or emotional competence. The more aware we are of our own emotions, the more control we have over them. The more we empathize with the emotions of others, the more emotionally intelligent we become.
It certainly seems that emotional intelligence is an important aspect of many business roles. But, business people have one dominant question: how does it affect the bottom line? Can putting employees in touch with their emotions actually make them more productive?
Emotional intelligence is not some new age, touchy-feely concept. Over two hundred studies, done in various countries, agree that emotional competence accounts for two-thirds to four-fifths of the difference between top performing and average performing employees.
When L’Oreal used emotional intelligence as a selection criterion for hiring sales representatives, they discovered that emotionally intelligent people outsold their colleagues by $91,370 a year, on the average.
The United States Air Force saved three million dollars by using emotional intelligence screening to select recruiters. The General Accounting Office reported an annual savings of $300,000 per year on a $10,000 investment in screening.
Emotional competencies can be learned. With a good training program in emotional intelligence, a firm can maximize the potential of the employees it already has, from the top to the bottom of the organizational chart.
For any business that would like to see increases in productivity and efficiency; more effective sales people; more creative teams and more responsive management, it is vital to invest in a good emotional intelligence training program.
Released by NEXT LEVEL Consulting Co., a 360Solutions Strategic Business Partner.
Psychologists understand that the traditional IQ test does not measure all of the factors of an effective, successful, happily productive person. “Book learning” is not the only, and perhaps not the most important, measure of intelligence.
Many of the factors psychologists found to be important in making people successful in their business and personal lives are included in the terms emotional intelligence or emotional competence. The more aware we are of our own emotions, the more control we have over them. The more we empathize with the emotions of others, the more emotionally intelligent we become.
It certainly seems that emotional intelligence is an important aspect of many business roles. But, business people have one dominant question: how does it affect the bottom line? Can putting employees in touch with their emotions actually make them more productive?
Emotional intelligence is not some new age, touchy-feely concept. Over two hundred studies, done in various countries, agree that emotional competence accounts for two-thirds to four-fifths of the difference between top performing and average performing employees.
When L’Oreal used emotional intelligence as a selection criterion for hiring sales representatives, they discovered that emotionally intelligent people outsold their colleagues by $91,370 a year, on the average.
The United States Air Force saved three million dollars by using emotional intelligence screening to select recruiters. The General Accounting Office reported an annual savings of $300,000 per year on a $10,000 investment in screening.
Emotional competencies can be learned. With a good training program in emotional intelligence, a firm can maximize the potential of the employees it already has, from the top to the bottom of the organizational chart.
For any business that would like to see increases in productivity and efficiency; more effective sales people; more creative teams and more responsive management, it is vital to invest in a good emotional intelligence training program.
Released by NEXT LEVEL Consulting Co., a 360Solutions Strategic Business Partner.
Friday, May 20, 2011
A $50,000.00 mistake
The Value of Employee Assessment
A friend of mine, Rob Wilson*, tells a story about how hiring an employee can be compared to purchasing an expensive copier. It goes something like this: "Would you ever make a $50,000.00 purchase on a copier when you never knew if it was going to show up and work or not, it is not going to get along with other systems, it has good days and bad days, be productive one day and not the other, and by the way, it could leave at any time. Now, how many of you would want to sign on to a $50,000 copier if that's the way it would produce, and yet that's what we do with employees all the time. We make a $50,000 decision based on 'Well tell me a little bit about yourself?' " Michael Jordan
He goes on to ask "How many of you know the name of Michael Jordan? Yes? Great. Michael Jordan has an awesome resume. Tremendous resume. And if you were going to hire him as an athlete, there would be no question that he would be qualified... unless he showed up for the Chicago White Sox. We all know that story, a supreme athlete, I mean the man can fly, and yet when he came to the Chicago White Sox the man was essentially fired."
It all comes down to Job Fit. Job Match.
Rob finishes by saying "Now how do we determine if somebody is going to have job fit and job match? We have to get below the surface. We have to get below the iceberg. We only see the tip and that's what they sell us. We need to get below the surface, and find out exactly what are their life interests, what are their capabilities? Maybe with our IQ test, and math and problem solving tests, those types of skills. But more importantly, where do they fall in line by matching to our people? You can be a terrific sales person in Manhattan Kansas, and fail miserably in Manhattan, NYC! It's all based on culture and environment."
As the business environment becomes more competitive, people, not processes and technology, increasingly become the differentiators. As a result, it is more important than ever to implement the best possible assessment systems in order to select, retain and develop talented people.
The Value of Assessment in this kind of environment is that it gets the "right people on the bus" and the "wrong people off," thereby decreasing the costs associated with bad hires and increasing revenue potential as a result of talented employees. In addition, assessment plays a vital role in employee development as it streamlines the development process by targeting KSAs in need of development.
At the Individual Level, assessment systems increase the probability of job fit, provide a road map for development, and open the door for rewards and advancement.
Finally, HR needs to become more strategic in influencing the organization's decisions. Assessments can help in this regard because they quantify the value of HR programs and services. In order to demonstrate true value, HR needs to measure the impact of programs on the key metrics driving organizational success.
*Rob is Vice President at 360Solutions llc. Waco TX
If You Don't Own A Circus...why did you hire this guy?
Why Gamble with Valuable Assets?
Successful leaders understand employees are an investment. Employees are ambassadors representing their companies, and need to be exceptional at every level. Rising unemployment might increase the candidate pool, but that does not necessarily make it easier to find good employees. It also means that qualified candidates, who are currently employed, are afraid to look for new jobs. 96% of employees recently surveyed believe that they cannot attain their personal career goals in their current positions, but 37% are unwilling to look elsewhere. These percentages change at the managerial level. Around 53% of managers report being unhappy with their jobs, but only 13% are willing to leave. With the constant threat of unemployment, people are choosing to remain in their current positions. The Strategic Hiring Program and Candidate Selection Assessment 360Solutions offers enables employers to actively seek out candidates, generate interest in their companies, and hire the right employees.
The 360Solutions Personality Profile Program provides employers with a method designed to target specific characteristics of candidates who are being considered for a position. The program is based on Hippocrates’ Four Tempermants theory, which envelops four distinct personalities by which human nature is characterized. According to the theory, we all consist of different percentages of each of the four main groups, which make up sixteen distinct personalities. Adding “E,” a fifth personality including an equal percentage of each of the four main types, there are now 17 distinct personality types.
The profile program uses words associated with each of the four main groups to determine to what degree an applicant is in each of the four main groups. Each group has a definite pattern of talent and character traits. The program reviews all the applicants’ answers and cross checks each one for inconsistencies in relation with the other answers. If an inconsistency is found, the program flags that answer and continues on with the next one. When a corresponding answer is found for the inconsistent answer, the program reviews all other corresponding answers to determine what would be the most logical answer for that word, and corrects the number. After this procedure is accomplished, the program checks for patterns of known human behavior to determine if the applicant is actually one personality type trying to be like another type. If this is the case, the answers are reviewed again, corrected to reverse the pattern, and show the true personality percentage.
Each answer is scored, by number, according to the strength of that trait after corrections are made. Points are added or deducted from a total of 15 to show a chart of character and talent traits from 1 being very weak, to 15 being extremely strong. This chart and the interview questions allow the interviewer to direct the interview based on the applicant’s weak or strong traits. The description pages explain to the novice what talents and traits they may expect to see in the applicant. There are a total of 18 traits.
The report provides consistency levels of 1 to 20. The higher the score, the more valid the report, and consistent the applicant.
• A score of less than 13 for a personality type other than the true “E” is considered invalid. This would reveal the applicant’s attempt to sway the results or ignore their personal traits.
• A consistency score of 17 or above is considered to be very good, and the report should fall between 80 to 95 % correct. Any inconsistencies may be reviewed in the interview in an attempt to reveal the truth.
• A consistency score of 13 to 16 is average and should fall between 65% to 80% correct. For example, if an applicant receives a detailed score of 4 and is applying for an accounting position, the interviewer would flag it in order find out more information during the interview.
• The applicant may be more detailed than a 4, but will never be a 10 to 15.
• A 6 to 8 might be qualified enough for the position according to his score and interview.
The profile also uses a “benchmark” system, which allows the user to compare the applicant with a current and familiar employee. This method uses the 18 different character and talent traits, plus the personality type, to do the calculations. Using this method, the interviewer will immediately know whether or not the applicant has traits and a personality similar to the benchmarked employee. This method saves time for both the applicant and interviewer.
Most professional accountants we tested were C/A or C/D type personalities. They were very patient, detailed, and analytical. To hire someone for this position who did not match these qualities would be unwise. The main problem with interviewing without testing is the difficulty in automatically knowing what kind traits and personality type the applicant has. If the applicant you eventually hire does not have the traits and personality you are looking for after all, you have unfortunately made a hasty and detrimental decision. Time and money have been spent, production lost, and if you terminate this employee, you risk being sued for various reasons.
When a profile is completed and a report run before the interview, the interviewer will most likely choose not to interview an applicant who does not come close to the benchmark. This allows the interviewer to send the report to other departments for their evaluations based on their own benchmarks, thereby giving the applicant and the company a better chance of finding the best person for the job.
Reviewing the resume and profile report will provide an interesting summary of the applicant’s legitimate qualifications. Reading the profile sheet will provide further insight into the applicant’s frame of mind. Considering the traits, “Life of the party,” “Attention getter,” “Aggressive,” “Logical,” “Moody,” and others, will allow you to determine the applicant’s core self. We have found most applicants are fairly honest while taking the profile. Current employees, on the other hand, may not take the profile seriously or are afraid to answer honestly. Applicants are fearful with reason; dishonesty may become evident in the report and hurt
their chances of being hired.
The profile program is a great interviewing tool; if used correctly, it will save time and money, and improve morale and production. Learning to read the report between the lines takes practicing with a few reports and reading the System’s Management Book, which explains the unique personalities and how to manage and enhance them. Once the program becomes familiar, you will need only to print the chart on page 2 of the report to determine the complete picture of the applicant applying for the position. In our validity studies, 95% of all applicants agreed with their reports. No one receives a “good” or “bad” report. Each occupation needs a different type of personality with certain character and talent traits. The key to successful hiring
begins with knowing which type best fits the position, which is accomplished by our benchmark program, using the best employees in a given department. Validation is determined by testing well known applicants to validate the accuracy of the system.
Works Consulted
Dickler, Jessica, “Workers saying no to new jobs,” CNNMoney.com, December 17, 2008, http://. money.cnn.com/2008/12/16/news/economy/job_hopping/index.htmFernàndez-Aràoz and others, “The Definitive Guide to Recruiting in Good Times and Bad,” Harvard Business Review, May 1, 2009, http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/2009/05/the-definitiveguide-to-recruiting-in-good-times-and-bad/ar/1. to-recruiting-in-good-times-and-bad/ar/1United States Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 8, 2009. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdfnews.release/pdf/empsit.pdf
© Copyright 2011 360Solutions, LLC. All rights reserved
Friday, May 13, 2011
Validation and the 360 Solutions Assessments -Personality profile
There are many schools of thought regarding testing and validation. Some believe that construct validity is the most preferred method, others say criterion validity is the best approach. Still others say that a combination of both is the best of all possible worlds. We believe that common sense, good business sense and concurrent validity on a local level is the best approach. Why?
First, the goal is to find the best possible person for the position. Most hiring managers will say: "If I could ‘clone’ my best employee or employees in the same or similar positions, I would achieve my goal." Therefore, we attempt to identify the best candidates by a validation method known as "Concurrent Validity". What is concurrent validity? Quite simply, this is Benchmarking.
Benchmarking is achieved by selecting people with a common job description and evaluating them using the 360 Solutions Personality Profile. By grouping these individuals into Top, Middle and Bottom thirds, based on your standard measure of performance, it is possible to build a hiring benchmark using the Profile scores. The benchmark is based on a comparison of the top one third’s results versus the bottom. Additionally, we believe you should take this approach one step further and create your benchmarks on a local level.
Why do we recommend this approach?
Because what works in New York City does not necessarily work in Atlanta. What works in Dallas does not necessarily work in San Francisco. Many testing companies develop "norms" based on national averages of the top performers in a position. You then compare the test results of an applicant against those norms to determine if they will succeed in the position. To use an analogy, if my best performers in New York like ice cream, in Chicago they like deep-dish pizza, and in San Francisco they like sushi and I average them all together, what I get is a gastronomical mess. To further prove the point, practical experience shows us a top salesman in New York must modify his selling style in order to succeed in Atlanta. Why? Different markets. The Southern prospect may well reject the more aggressive selling style of the New Yorker. The same holds true for companies selling the same products or services. What works at Ford doesn’t necessarily work at Chrysler.
Second, the selection test must meet all EEOC and American Disabilities Act requirements. The 360 Solutions Personality Profile does.
Third, equivocation. Are you getting a true picture of the employee or applicant? The 360 Solutions Personality Profile has a consistency index. If the score is between 17-20 the results are considered 90% accurate to the individual tested. A score 0f 14-16 is considered 79-89% accurate. If the consistency score is below 14 and the tested individual is not an E type personality, the report should not be considered valid. If the tested individual has low confidence as measured by the Personality Profile confidence trait, this will affect the overall scores. If the confidence score is below 5, the report should not be considered valid.
Summary
In order to find the best candidate for the position, you must assess the candidate’s personality and skills to see if they "fit" local market conditions, office culture, management practices, and selling styles. How is this done? Through benchmarking. Your top producers are "best" in their positions because they have the skills to do the job and their personality is compatible with what you are asking them to do. By using the 360 Solutions Personality Profile and creating a benchmark around these top producers, you take into account the variables unique to your company and the affect these variables have on the human personality.
In early 1997, a study was undertaken to see if there was any direct correlation between the 18 personality and character traits measured by the 360 Solutions Personality Profile and commissions earned on a national level. Profile scores from 64 companies across the country were gathered. Particular attention was paid to ensure that no one region of the country was more heavily weighted. Managers were then asked to rank their salespeople in terms of top and bottom one-third producers. Only salespeople with one year or more experience were included in the sampling. The criterion for ranking was commissions earned. The following character and talent traits were analyzed:
Stress Management Outgoing Traits Persuasive Level
Sensitivity Interaction Aggressive Level
Compassion Decision Making Stubborn Level
Patience Analytical Setting Goals
Creative Abilities Independent Time Management
Artistic Abilities Detailed Traits Confidence
A single regression analysis was conducted for each trait against commissions earned. The highest r2 value achieved was .12. Second, a series of multiple regression analyses were conducted with as many as seven character and talent traits against commissions earned. Again the highest r2 value achieved was .16. Finally, a Pearson correlation coefficient analysis was conducted with each trait against commissions earned. The highest r-value achieved was .34. All of the above values show that there is at best a weak correlation between profile scores and commissions earned. Scores obtained on a national level would be unsatisfactory predictors of commissions earned
Conclusion
Other variables, such as local market conditions, selling styles, and management practices, as well as personality and character traits affect commissions earned. To further substantiate this, the following are the sales hiring benchmarks for two different companies. Both company benchmarks were established based on the top one-third producers’ results. The first company is located in the Midwest and the second is in the Southwest. Both have twenty or more salespeople and have been in business 10+ years. Both sell similar products.
©2010 - 360Solutions
It is apparent from these results; the benchmarks based on the top one-third producers in each company are very different. Yet, the products sold and incomes earned are very similar. Thus, benchmarking on the local level allows managers to have a method of "cloning" their most productive employees based on their company’s culture, management practice, selling style and other issues unique to their environment.
The same 64 managers were asked to rate the accuracy of the 360 Solutions Personality Profile on the top one-third and bottom one-third agents. As stated earlier, top and bottom were defined by the criterion of commissions earned as related by the managers. Additionally, only salespeople with one or more years of experience were rated. The average company employed 22 salespeople. A total of 896 salespeople were measured. The screening question asked was:
This question was asked during normal business hours. The manager made this rating within 24 hours of the reviewing the report, and before a joint review of the findings.
95+ 23.4
1. 53.1
1. 10.9
1. 4.7
1. 3.2
< 75% 4.7
During this same period, tested salespeople were asked to percentile rank the accuracy of the 360 Solutions Personality Profile report findings. The screening question was:
"On a scale of 1-100%, how accurate was your 360 Solutions Personality Profile report?"
This question was asked during business hours. The salesperson made this rating within 24 hours of reviewing his or her report, and before a joint review of the findings.Test Accurate % % of Agents Agreeing
95+ 26.9
1. 51.0
1. 9.0
80-84 8.0
1. 3.0
< 75% 2.1
Summary
76.5% of company managers felt the 360 Solutions Personality Profile report findings had an accuracy rating of 90% or greater to their salespeople.
77.9% of the salespeople tested felt the results had an accuracy rating to themselves of 90% or greater.
Conclusion
Both the salespeople and the managers confirm the accuracy of the test. Therefore, it is logical to assume that local market conditions, selling styles, management practices and other environmental factors, as well as personality character and talent traits, affect the amount of commissions produced. Thus, the best possible method of selecting a salesperson that will succeed on a local level is through the benchmarking of the Personality Profile scores. This method takes into account the personality, character and talent traits necessary to succeed under variables specific to the candidate’s environment.
Final Note
The 360 Solutions™ Personality Profile with its unique benchmarking capabilities is the most cost-effective selection and development tool on the market today.
In addition to the profile results, this system provides additional important features to help improve the selection and development process:
1) In-depth interview questions are provided based on the Personality Profile score.
2) Additional skills and knowledge tests, including a Sales Aptitude Test and a Custom Aptitude Test
3) General intelligence and reasoning ability tests.
The results from the 360 Solutions Personality Profile System should not be viewed as the sole decision making tool in the employee selection process. Rather, they should be viewed as guidelines within an over-all selection system. The selection and development system should meet all legal requirements and provide other screening criterion such as background and reference checks.
The 360 Solutions™ Employment Testing System, properly utilized within the above guidelines, will help you to improve employee selection, reduce hiring mistakes and cut your turnover costs.
First, the goal is to find the best possible person for the position. Most hiring managers will say: "If I could ‘clone’ my best employee or employees in the same or similar positions, I would achieve my goal." Therefore, we attempt to identify the best candidates by a validation method known as "Concurrent Validity". What is concurrent validity? Quite simply, this is Benchmarking.
Benchmarking is achieved by selecting people with a common job description and evaluating them using the 360 Solutions Personality Profile. By grouping these individuals into Top, Middle and Bottom thirds, based on your standard measure of performance, it is possible to build a hiring benchmark using the Profile scores. The benchmark is based on a comparison of the top one third’s results versus the bottom. Additionally, we believe you should take this approach one step further and create your benchmarks on a local level.
Why do we recommend this approach?
Because what works in New York City does not necessarily work in Atlanta. What works in Dallas does not necessarily work in San Francisco. Many testing companies develop "norms" based on national averages of the top performers in a position. You then compare the test results of an applicant against those norms to determine if they will succeed in the position. To use an analogy, if my best performers in New York like ice cream, in Chicago they like deep-dish pizza, and in San Francisco they like sushi and I average them all together, what I get is a gastronomical mess. To further prove the point, practical experience shows us a top salesman in New York must modify his selling style in order to succeed in Atlanta. Why? Different markets. The Southern prospect may well reject the more aggressive selling style of the New Yorker. The same holds true for companies selling the same products or services. What works at Ford doesn’t necessarily work at Chrysler.
Second, the selection test must meet all EEOC and American Disabilities Act requirements. The 360 Solutions Personality Profile does.
Third, equivocation. Are you getting a true picture of the employee or applicant? The 360 Solutions Personality Profile has a consistency index. If the score is between 17-20 the results are considered 90% accurate to the individual tested. A score 0f 14-16 is considered 79-89% accurate. If the consistency score is below 14 and the tested individual is not an E type personality, the report should not be considered valid. If the tested individual has low confidence as measured by the Personality Profile confidence trait, this will affect the overall scores. If the confidence score is below 5, the report should not be considered valid.
Summary
In order to find the best candidate for the position, you must assess the candidate’s personality and skills to see if they "fit" local market conditions, office culture, management practices, and selling styles. How is this done? Through benchmarking. Your top producers are "best" in their positions because they have the skills to do the job and their personality is compatible with what you are asking them to do. By using the 360 Solutions Personality Profile and creating a benchmark around these top producers, you take into account the variables unique to your company and the affect these variables have on the human personality.
Statistical Analyses Supporting Benchmarking
In early 1997, a study was undertaken to see if there was any direct correlation between the 18 personality and character traits measured by the 360 Solutions Personality Profile and commissions earned on a national level. Profile scores from 64 companies across the country were gathered. Particular attention was paid to ensure that no one region of the country was more heavily weighted. Managers were then asked to rank their salespeople in terms of top and bottom one-third producers. Only salespeople with one year or more experience were included in the sampling. The criterion for ranking was commissions earned. The following character and talent traits were analyzed:
Stress Management Outgoing Traits Persuasive Level
Sensitivity Interaction Aggressive Level
Compassion Decision Making Stubborn Level
Patience Analytical Setting Goals
Creative Abilities Independent Time Management
Artistic Abilities Detailed Traits Confidence
A single regression analysis was conducted for each trait against commissions earned. The highest r2 value achieved was .12. Second, a series of multiple regression analyses were conducted with as many as seven character and talent traits against commissions earned. Again the highest r2 value achieved was .16. Finally, a Pearson correlation coefficient analysis was conducted with each trait against commissions earned. The highest r-value achieved was .34. All of the above values show that there is at best a weak correlation between profile scores and commissions earned. Scores obtained on a national level would be unsatisfactory predictors of commissions earned
Conclusion
Other variables, such as local market conditions, selling styles, and management practices, as well as personality and character traits affect commissions earned. To further substantiate this, the following are the sales hiring benchmarks for two different companies. Both company benchmarks were established based on the top one-third producers’ results. The first company is located in the Midwest and the second is in the Southwest. Both have twenty or more salespeople and have been in business 10+ years. Both sell similar products.
©2010 - 360Solutions
It is apparent from these results; the benchmarks based on the top one-third producers in each company are very different. Yet, the products sold and incomes earned are very similar. Thus, benchmarking on the local level allows managers to have a method of "cloning" their most productive employees based on their company’s culture, management practice, selling style and other issues unique to their environment.
Determination of Accuracy
The same 64 managers were asked to rate the accuracy of the 360 Solutions Personality Profile on the top one-third and bottom one-third agents. As stated earlier, top and bottom were defined by the criterion of commissions earned as related by the managers. Additionally, only salespeople with one or more years of experience were rated. The average company employed 22 salespeople. A total of 896 salespeople were measured. The screening question asked was:
"On a scale of 0-100% how accurate was the 360 Solutions Personality Profile report on ______ (employee)?"
This question was asked during normal business hours. The manager made this rating within 24 hours of the reviewing the report, and before a joint review of the findings.
Accuracy of 360 Solutions Personality Profile
As Rated by Managers
Test Accurate % % of Managers Agreeing95+ 23.4
1. 53.1
1. 10.9
1. 4.7
1. 3.2
< 75% 4.7
During this same period, tested salespeople were asked to percentile rank the accuracy of the 360 Solutions Personality Profile report findings. The screening question was:
"On a scale of 1-100%, how accurate was your 360 Solutions Personality Profile report?"
This question was asked during business hours. The salesperson made this rating within 24 hours of reviewing his or her report, and before a joint review of the findings.Test Accurate % % of Agents Agreeing
95+ 26.9
1. 51.0
1. 9.0
80-84 8.0
1. 3.0
< 75% 2.1
Summary
76.5% of company managers felt the 360 Solutions Personality Profile report findings had an accuracy rating of 90% or greater to their salespeople.
77.9% of the salespeople tested felt the results had an accuracy rating to themselves of 90% or greater.
Conclusion
Both the salespeople and the managers confirm the accuracy of the test. Therefore, it is logical to assume that local market conditions, selling styles, management practices and other environmental factors, as well as personality character and talent traits, affect the amount of commissions produced. Thus, the best possible method of selecting a salesperson that will succeed on a local level is through the benchmarking of the Personality Profile scores. This method takes into account the personality, character and talent traits necessary to succeed under variables specific to the candidate’s environment.
Final Note
The 360 Solutions™ Personality Profile with its unique benchmarking capabilities is the most cost-effective selection and development tool on the market today.
In addition to the profile results, this system provides additional important features to help improve the selection and development process:
1) In-depth interview questions are provided based on the Personality Profile score.
2) Additional skills and knowledge tests, including a Sales Aptitude Test and a Custom Aptitude Test
3) General intelligence and reasoning ability tests.
The results from the 360 Solutions Personality Profile System should not be viewed as the sole decision making tool in the employee selection process. Rather, they should be viewed as guidelines within an over-all selection system. The selection and development system should meet all legal requirements and provide other screening criterion such as background and reference checks.
The 360 Solutions™ Employment Testing System, properly utilized within the above guidelines, will help you to improve employee selection, reduce hiring mistakes and cut your turnover costs.
©2010 - 360Solutions
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Why Invest in People Development?
1.The cost to attract a new customer ranges from 3 to 10 times more than to retain a current customer.
A dissatisfied customer will complain to up to 25 people about your business. Quality customer service means more than just a smile. While a smile is important, a smile is a tactic. When your employees go beyond tactics and learn the fundamental principles underlying great customer service they will be able to create more than customer satisfaction, they will build customer loyalty. (Business Skills Development)
2. Studies show that more people leave their jobs because of "bad" supervisors and/or managers than for more money.
Equip your current and emerging supervisors, managers, and leaders with the skills to successfully direct and motivate their staff. Not only will this improve productivity, it will reduce turnover. (Management Development)
3. "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it." Dwight Eisenhower
Leadership is not about commanding or demanding but rather influencing and guiding others to achieve a common goal. While some people are born leaders, the qualities that make an effective leader can be learned and developed. Leadership development is crucial not only to the bottom line but to the ongoing success of any enterprise. (Leadership Development)
4. A team is more than a group of people working together, it is a group of people working together to accomplish a bigger goal than would be possible working as individuals.
Building a cohesive, directed team takes work and skill. Team development is an ongoing process and requires the learned knowledge of what that process involves. A team that is more than the sum of its parts leads to increased productivity, higher employee morale, and reduced turnover all leading to an improved bottom line. (Team Development)
5."Of all the things I've done, the most vital is coordinating the talents of those who work for us and pointing them toward a certain goal." Walt Disney.
In High Performance organizations all employees, working as team members, feel fully empowered and engaged in the process of achieving a clearly understood goal. This feeling of involvement leads to higher levels of participation and commitment which leads to a more flexible, stable, and productive work environment. The evolution to high performance is a guided process. (High Performance Development)
NEXT LEVEL Consulting, in partnership with 360 Solutions (a world leader in personnel training development) has created an unparalleled library of learning modules to address and solve each individual businesses' unique people development challenges. Through our team of experts, we've tapped into 30 years of research and marketplace application to breakthrough a complex issue and create a system that is easy to execute and provides quick results.
"The purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer." -- Peter Drucker
Customers are attracted and kept by a combination of product and customer service. What better way to insure you provide both than to havea committed, motivated workforce and a well functioning organization to support that key business purpose.
Many businesses fail or don't achieve their maximum potential in spite of having quality products and services. Why? Often it is because their focus on technology and technical skills is not balanced by attention todeveloping core people skills.
Our mission at NEXT LEVEL Consulting is to:
■Form a partnership with your organization to help define the employee and organizational development needs to meet your goals;
■To institute aprogram to provide those development services;
■To provide follow up and ongoing training as needed.
A dissatisfied customer will complain to up to 25 people about your business. Quality customer service means more than just a smile. While a smile is important, a smile is a tactic. When your employees go beyond tactics and learn the fundamental principles underlying great customer service they will be able to create more than customer satisfaction, they will build customer loyalty. (Business Skills Development)
2. Studies show that more people leave their jobs because of "bad" supervisors and/or managers than for more money.
Equip your current and emerging supervisors, managers, and leaders with the skills to successfully direct and motivate their staff. Not only will this improve productivity, it will reduce turnover. (Management Development)
3. "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it." Dwight Eisenhower
Leadership is not about commanding or demanding but rather influencing and guiding others to achieve a common goal. While some people are born leaders, the qualities that make an effective leader can be learned and developed. Leadership development is crucial not only to the bottom line but to the ongoing success of any enterprise. (Leadership Development)
4. A team is more than a group of people working together, it is a group of people working together to accomplish a bigger goal than would be possible working as individuals.
Building a cohesive, directed team takes work and skill. Team development is an ongoing process and requires the learned knowledge of what that process involves. A team that is more than the sum of its parts leads to increased productivity, higher employee morale, and reduced turnover all leading to an improved bottom line. (Team Development)
5."Of all the things I've done, the most vital is coordinating the talents of those who work for us and pointing them toward a certain goal." Walt Disney.
In High Performance organizations all employees, working as team members, feel fully empowered and engaged in the process of achieving a clearly understood goal. This feeling of involvement leads to higher levels of participation and commitment which leads to a more flexible, stable, and productive work environment. The evolution to high performance is a guided process. (High Performance Development)
NEXT LEVEL Consulting, in partnership with 360 Solutions (a world leader in personnel training development) has created an unparalleled library of learning modules to address and solve each individual businesses' unique people development challenges. Through our team of experts, we've tapped into 30 years of research and marketplace application to breakthrough a complex issue and create a system that is easy to execute and provides quick results.
"The purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer." -- Peter Drucker
Customers are attracted and kept by a combination of product and customer service. What better way to insure you provide both than to havea committed, motivated workforce and a well functioning organization to support that key business purpose.
Many businesses fail or don't achieve their maximum potential in spite of having quality products and services. Why? Often it is because their focus on technology and technical skills is not balanced by attention todeveloping core people skills.
Our mission at NEXT LEVEL Consulting is to:
■Form a partnership with your organization to help define the employee and organizational development needs to meet your goals;
■To institute aprogram to provide those development services;
■To provide follow up and ongoing training as needed.
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