Assessments
Why Assessments?
Years of training and experience in adult learning practices have shown that teaching, developing and coaching to “the gaps” is the most effective way to affect lasting growth. With this in mind, our first step will always be to get a clear understanding of where our clients are currently, before we attempt to raise their leadership acumen.
Science, and a growing body of knowledge, supports the conclusion that first, having a clear understanding of those we lead enables us to take them further in their leader development. This is especially true in comparison to off-the-shelf, pre-packaged development approaches.
People are very complex and in today’s world having an approach that quickly provides “below the surface” insights will make for better hires, organization positioning skills development, improved morale and heightened interpersonal savvy.
For LEADERSHIPTEN to fulfill our mission to create a positive, challenging environment marked by the introduction of knowledge, encouragement of understanding, & cultivation of skills & passion, we must pay special attention to this very important client-discovery phase, doing so is a hallmark of our services.
The graphic below highlights the areas that we seek to explore and understand at the beginning of a leader-development relationship. The starting point for the ’what’ can be as easy as a resume but there is likely knowledge, skills and experience not included in it. Uncovering these “missing pieces” is essential to our customization of leader development sessions that uniquely serve your company’s specific needs.
Understanding and predicting how your team will react before, rather than after, can be a game-changer and speed the building of an effective team. Getting to the why is where trust and open communication begin developing and grow.
We assess two aspects of a person’s behavior – what energizes them (DISC) and what they need for fulfillment (Motivators). As with any development, it is behavior that is being modified to improve some aspect of life. By having this awareness of the HOW and WHY of our behavior, we can set a path of success for the person’s desired outcomes. With EQ, we delve deeper into the current outcomes by understanding self, identifying others emotions, and determining behavioral strategies to improve our relationship with others, both personally and professionally and to be effective in times of stress.
We partner with Competitive Edge, to purchase assessments tailored to the specific goals of our clients. We utilize Competitive Edge because they offer the most scientifically supported assessments on the market.
Dianne Guthmuller, one of our principals and coaches, is a Competitive Edge Certified Trainer for the DISC/Motivators and Emotional Intelligence assessments (Individual, Leaders, and 360). Assessment needs are not the same for every client. Our research suggests, the greater the responsibilities within an organization, the more assessments are vital to coaching to the next level.
Dan Hawkins, the CEO of “Summit Leadership Partners,” confirms what we believe about the necessity of Emotional Intelligence training when he authored a November 9, 2020 article in Forbes Magazine titled “Tough times Call for Emotionally Intelligent CEOs. We consider this essential reading.
Tough Times Call For Emotionally Intelligent CEOs
Endorsement
I had hired and managed staff with previous companies, but this was my first time hiring someone for my small business. Was she the right fit? Would we work well together? How should I compensate her?
In taking the DISC motivators assessment, not only did my own working style & motivators become more clear, but it helped me identify the needs and motivators of my prospective hire as well. I was able to structure her compensation package in a way that worked for me and best suited her as well.
We had the opportunity to talk about our working styles and discuss potential challenging areas and solutions up front. As we run into challenges, I’m able to go back and review the assessment to help identify the root cause and how to address it most effectively.
An unexpected benefit that was nearly as valuable as the information in the DISC, is that in asking her to take the DISC, she felt valued as a person and employee. Her comment was, “No one has ever invested in me like that before.” And that made us both feel good!
Kim Wennerberg, owner, Kim and Company
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