Here are some of the reasons why communication often misses the mark:

1. Lack of awareness about the impact of our communication style.  Unless you ask them, you are not likely to know how your style affects your team’s motivation and effectiveness.  

Solution:  Consider asking your team for feedback.  An effective way to do this quickly and confidentially is by using the Team Health Check.  Our clients are finding they get some surprising responses when their team ranks statements such as these: 

•  Everyone’s input is listened to and appreciated by the rest of the team.
•  We openly and constructively resolve differences and conflicts.
•  Interactions within the team are respectful, open and honest.

(There are 20 questions in total, covering the full range of teamwork criteria.)

2. We communicate with our team the way we like to be communicated to.  For example, if you appreciate frank and straightforward information from others, you are likely to be direct in the way you talk to your team.  

Solution: Recognise that what works for you will not work for everybody.

3. Not understanding team members’ communication preferences. Closely related to the previous point, there is great value in having an insight into the different communication styles on your team. 

Solution:  Use a tool to diagnose the individual preferences. The Harrison Assessment system measures the following communication traits:  Frank, Diplomatic, Blunt, Evasive, Avoids Communication, Wants Frankness and Tolerates Bluntness..

4. Lacking a sufficient range of communication styles to be able to meet the needs of  team.  When you know what’s missing, it’s easy to fill the gaps with knowledge and practice.

Solution:  Coaching is available to help you use your communication strengths to develop more effective ways to communicate with the full range of people you will encounter in business.  For more information on our coaching systems, please contact us.

The final – and perhaps the most important – point is this: 

Just because you don’t think you have a problem, doesn’t mean there’s not an issue there.  Your business can only benefit if you take the time to find out.

To read more about the Team Health Check, click here.

One of the biggest challenges of any behavioural assessment is to determine how truthfully the person has answered the questions. How can an assessment determine if the person has given truthful answers?

There are several important interconnected ways to overcome the problem of untruthful answers.

1. Forced ranking

Many personality assessments attempt to determine this by offering to answer seemingly opposite options along with an additional answer option called “in between.” If there are too many answers of “in between,” the results are considered invalid. While this may provide a slight indication of answer reliability, it is an extremely weak method. In many cases the most truthful answer may in fact be “in between.” Therefore, this method is not reliable.

It is best to provide answer options that need to be ranked rather than rated or scored. Forced ranking requires the person to designate their priorities.

2. Cross-referencing

HA uses computer cross-referencing to reduce the time required to complete the assessment. HA uses the same cross-referencing to determine if the person’s answers are consistent with themselves. If a person answers untruthfully when ranking a large number of statements, it is extremely difficult to maintain a high level of consistency. Even if the person were to remember all the rankings exactly, it would still be difficult to meet or exceed the consistency requirement.

Each statement appears two times and each time it appears it is ranked against other statements that are completely different. To maintain consistency, the person would have to mentally perform thousands of cross-references. If the answers are more than 10% inconsistent, HA considers that either the person has not paid sufficient attention to the answers or has deliberately attempted to deceive the assessment. In either case, the results are not considered valid.

3. Positive options only

Harrison Assessments has further mechanisms that prevent and detect deception. The questionnaire only includes statements relating to positive behaviours. Therefore, all of the statements are generally perceived as desirable. In addition, even if the person attempts to give the desirable answer, their own behaviour patterns dictate which answers they consider desirable. For example, if a person tends to be very frank and direct, they will consider this tendency to be their virtue as well as a desirable answer.

4. Paradox

The HA system includes a further layer of lie detection by analysing the paradoxical relationships between the behavioural tendencies. Through such analysis, negative behaviour patterns can be determined without asking any negative questions and without the person having the slightest awareness that they have revealed their negative behaviour. If the person attempts to deceive the assessment, the negative behavioural patterns will become more exaggerated making them appear as poor candidates.

Would you like to experience the assessment for yourself?  Please click here or call us to request a free trial.

View now for an offer closing 31 August 2010.

Top Tips For Interviewing Candidates from Susan Rochester on Vimeo.

Given that we continue to use interviews, it’s in our interests to make them as effective as possible.  Our webinar TOMORROW will show you how!  Book your place today: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/917745616  

Why are interviews so poor at predicting job success?   

In the past, interviews have been used as the primary means assess attitude, motivation, and job behaviour. However, even if interviewers are extremely intuitive, there are many reasons why accurately assessing job behaviour with a normal interview process is nearly impossible.

1. The interviewee aims to tell the interviewer what he/she thinks will be viewed as the best response. The interviewer aims to determine how much of what the person is saying reflects genuine attitudes and behaviour and how much is related to just trying to get the job. This in itself is extremely difficult to resolve in the short period of the interview.

2. Interviewers are biased. Research clearly shows that interviewers routinely give favorable responses to people who are similar to themselves, and less favorable responses to people who are different from themselves. In the end, the result is very likely to come down to how well the interviewer likes the candidate rather than how well the candidate fits the behavioural requirements of the job.

3. Some people are skillful at being interviewed. However, being skillful at an interview usually does not relate to job success and therefore it often confuses the interviewer into thinking that such skillfulness will relate to job success.

4. Interviewers do not have access to a real behavioural success formula. There are dozens of behavioural factors that either promote success or inhibit success for any one job. Interviewers rarely have access to a job formula that identifies the behavioural success factors, weights the success factors against each other. And formulates how different levels of these success factors impact job performance

5. Even if the interviewer has access to such a formula, the interviewer would need to accurately assess specific levels of each applicant’s behaviour for each of the job success factors.

Many interviewers claim insights into the personality of applicants and certainly some interviewers are quite perceptive. However, predicting job success is an entirely different matter. It is not sufficient to perceive a particular quality of a person. Rather, the interviewer must be able to accurately assess the magnitude of each of dozens of qualities in relationship to a complex formula of behavioural requirements for a particular job. This is nearly an impossible task without the aid of significant research and tools.

Assessment research shows that interviewing has a moderate ability to predict job success. However, this doesn’t mean that interviewers can predict job behaviour. The moderate ability to predict job success comes as a result of exploring the candidate’s resume, previous experience, education, and job knowledge rather than the interviewer’s ability to predict job behaviour.

As candidates, I’m sure we’ve all heard some screamers. I thought asking a person what car they drive was pretty poor, until someone told me they’d been asked “If you were a car, what sort of car would you be?”.  This question would give a good indication of the person’s imaginative powers, but little or no information about their ability to do the job.  

Another favourite is “Where do you want to be in five years’ time?”.  If you have heard that one before (who hasn’t?) you can imagine how common it is and how easy for a candidate to prepare an impressive answer for when you ask them!  

The ability to do the job, along with attitude, are the key things you’re looking for in your intervew questions. Any question that does not give you more information on ability or attitude is a distraction from the main game and may even land you in hot water.  

Here are some examples of interview questions which may be asked with the best of intentions but may be inappropriate:  

1. Where did you grow up?

2. How old are your children?

3. When did you finish high school?

4. What does your wife/husband do for a living?

5. How long do you plan to work before you retire?

If you have asked any of these, or similar, questions in the past, my advice is to consider a new approach to how you interview. We will be talking about the traps to avoid in our next webinar on 25 August. Register here to learn more: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/917745616

I’m sure for most readers, the answer is ‘no’ because you are already aware of how important your reputation is to your success.

In this post we’re going to look at some of the things, beyond honesty, that contribute to a good reputation.  If you’d like to know more about how to get more insights into a person’s reputation, read this post.

These are our top five factors contributing to a high personal approval rating:

1.  Valuing others for the relationships you have with them, not just for what you think they can do for you.

2.  Positive interactions and communication with peers, managers, suppliers, clients and competitors. 

3.  Congruence or acting in ways that are consistent with your values and the values of your organisation.  This is ‘walking the talk’.

4.  Delivery – doing what you said you’d do, even if it will cost you.  Corollary:  Don’t promise what you can’t deliver.

5.  Consistency in how you act in the full range of situations you encouner in life and business.  People like to extrapolate from how they’ve seen you behave in one instance to how you will approach other situations and if you’re not consistent you’ll cause confusion, which can be damaging for you.

As an employee, consultant or adviser, be aware of how all these factors contribute to your reputation and the reputation of your organisation.

As a manager, you could use these five factors as a checklist when assessing candidates for employment or promotion, as you go through your interviews, reference checking and staff development processes.  Lack of clarity on any one of these factors is a signal that you may need to do some more research before making your decision.

Remember “You can’t build your reputation on what you’re going to do.”  (Henry Ford)

The good news is that I have recently attended a program which I know will change the way you look at stress, your health and well-being in a simple, yet dramatic way. The program teaches you how to transform your stress response and ultimately your health and well-being, no matter what you are doing or where you are – and that includes while you are at your desk.

I found great value in this introductory program called ‘Build Resilience, not Burnout’- and it’s a complimentary ticket – valued at $260. The seminar is being held at the Regus Conference Centre in Sydney on Tuesday 10^th August from 6.00-8.00 pm.  Click here to read the one-page flyer for the program.

To register as my guest, please click here and use the code “Balance at Work”, or if you prefer call Merryl on 0409 917 759.

(We covered the possibility of doing less to achieve more in an earlier post on multi-tasking.)

Driving a manual car recently after many years of driving automatics – and the extra concentration that required to get anywhere - started me thinking about the things we do on auto-pilot, without really being ‘present’.  At work, this can mean we repeatedly act – or react – out of habit in ways that may be counterproductive, even causing stress for ourselves in the process.

We all know we have a choice about our reactions to everyday situations, so how do we switch off the default mode and become more mindful in the everyday?

1.  Change your routine

Just as driving a manual car required me to concentrate more on what I was doing, anything you do different from your normal routine will engage your brain more in whatever it is you’re doing.  For example, you could take a different route, or mode of transport, to get to the office.  Or try out a new response when you answer the phone.

2.  Minimise distractions

It is possible to get through a day without checking your emails every 2 minutes!  (I have tried it…)  Instead, the experts recommend a set time to check your emails, twice a day, say 10am and 4pm.  By starting your day on your most important project, instead of being driven by what’s in your inbox, you’ll feel more in control of your work with a greater sense  of achievement.

As an internet addict myself, I’ve found the use of a program the shuts of internet access for a predetermined period is very effective for increasing focus!

3. Take some action

If you find yourself reacting with annoyance or frustration when confronted by certain people or situations, it’s time to do something about it!  Instead of putting off confronting the issue and causing yourself ongoing tension, focus on how much better (and more effective) you’ll feel once you don’t have to worry about it anymore. 

Of course, one solution may be for you to consciously change your reaction so that you no longer waste time on an unproductive emotion!

Please let me know if these tips – or any others – have helped you to be more effective by posting your comment below.  As always, I look forward to hearing from you!

Would you like to know what your team’s thinking?

Often this is because we’re in such a desperate hurry to get somebody (anybody?) onboard that we are willing to take a risk or two.  

Here are some suggestions for minimising the risks: 

Do have a systematic way to compare candidates in terms of the essential and desirable criteria for the role.  This will save you having to plough through each resume to find vital information in the early stages and make it easier to pick your top candidate(s).

Don’t brief a recruitment agency or write an advertisement until you know exactly what you’re looking for.  Clarity on this one point will save you time and money – every time.

Do conduct phone interviews in the first instance.  This is becoming more common and can save both you and your candidates a lot of time.  By having a few ‘make or break’ questions, you may find you have reduced the number of people to be interviewed face-to-face.

Don’t employ anyone without first checking their credentials.  You may be aware of a case before the NSW Supreme Court.  The investment manager for Astarra Funds Management, Shawn Richards, claimed to have both a degree and experience when he had neither.  If you don’t check, will your reputation survive a fraudulent employee?

Do always check the references given to you by candidates, even if it takes some time and trouble.

Don’t feel you have to stick to checking just the referees you have been given.  Recent supervisors and peers may be able to provide you with more information.  

Do spread your net to other people in the industry who might know the candidate and ask them for their feedback.  Your industry contacts can also save you time in identifying likely candidates.

Do find out as much as you can about the potential employee through pre-employment assessments and checks.

Taking shortcuts can result in getting lost! 

Implementing these simple guidelines will save you time (and money) in the long run.  More importantly, they will reduce the substantial risks to your business and reputation of employing an unsuitable, unqualified or unreliable staff member.