For many employers, selecting the best candidates is the toughest part of the job. Once candidates have been selected, the challenge shifts to managing and understanding those individuals’ needs. Make the wrong choice and you run the risk of investing thousands of dollars training employees, just to have them leave within six months to a year. You are left with an empty desk to fill and the grim prospect of starting the hiring process all over again. If the employees you hired stay on but aren’t engaged or happy with their jobs, workplace morale weakens and perhaps even the business will suffer.
Some days, human resources feels more like a roll of the dice than an educated decision.
A Little Less Vegas, a Lot More Science
Rolling the dice in Las Vegas may be exhilarating, but that’s not the way you want to feel when handling your company’s most valuable asset – people. You want to feel confident you made the right decision when you extend a job offer or when you communicate with your staff about a project or issue. That’s where the Predictive Index® (PI) comes in.
The PI is not a test, it is a behavioral assessment that gets to the heart of a person’s motivations and needs.
As president of Premier Rapport, an executive leadership firm, I use results from the PI to help companies interact and communicate with candidates and staff by understanding individuals’ unique behaviors and communication styles. I have seen the PI’s power at work time and again. The PI brings the scientific piece to a process that can seem so confusing and overwhelming. When working with companies, I strive to help them find and retain the right person who will be the right fit for the culture of their business.
Prior to discussing results from the PI, I meet with managers to review their biggest challenges. Many times the question they ask is “How can we work together better?” I then offer an interpretation of the results, many times seeing the shocked looks on the managers’ faces. They are amazed by how accurate the PI assessment truly is. Their next comment to me is usually “Nice magic trick, but what can I do with this information?”
Knowledge is Power
Showing managers how to put findings from the PI into action is where things get interesting. Many people treat others the way they would like to be treated, but the PI turns the Golden Rule on its head, instead showing people how others prefer to be treated. When you understand how a coworker communicates, you are able to tap into valuable emotional intelligence.
For instance, let’s say Employee A is outgoing and talkative. He prefers to chat for a few minutes before getting down to business. If Manager B is more direct and rushes right past Employee A’s attempts at small talk, she unknowingly loses a valuable chance to connect with Employee A in the way he communicates best.
If you can put yourself on the shelf for a moment and step back to see how those you manage communicate best, you will reap huge rewards from what the PI can show you. I train managers and staff in small groups so that all of the data the PI offers won’t overwhelm them. I ask who within their organization or department people would like to communicate with better and then I show them ways they can work together to fix issues.
I encourage people to put themselves aside for a moment and focus on the return they will get from understanding another person’s motivations, needs, and communication style. The analysis doesn’t stop with the summary, either. We can continue to delve into how to handle our unique, natural, hardwired behaviors.
Taking the First Step
I offer two paths for my clients when it comes to the PI. The first is as a one-off consultant, where I administer the PI assessment and do a one-time training for managers and staff.
The second path is an annual license. I can train individuals within your company to perform my role, including certifications and quarterly training. A company is always changing, with people transitioning into different positions and new employees joining the team, so I offer the option of ongoing training with many layers to address your company’s unique needs.
The PI is a powerful tool that can help alleviate a great deal of stress and friction for both managers and employees. Are you ready to experience the PI’s powerful results for yourself? Contact me today at 757-897-8644 to set up a complimentary demonstration.
Want to see the PI in action with a real client? Stay tuned to the blog to read about how the PI helped a Newport News insurance agency.
