This week winter finally made its voice heard in Louisville, KY by dumping almost a foot of snow on us. Though this certainly pales in comparison to the relentless storms that have battered Boston, it was enough to get our attention, close schools and dramatically impact our ability to drive to work. Mother Nature then reinforced the snow with sub-zero temperatures, and IF the weather forecasters are correct, more snow and even colder temperatures are on their way within the next few days.
Of course there are always naysayers who say the trained weather team, though armed with the best technology that money can buy, are not to be believed. They point out the forecasters frequently miss the forecast or at least the precise prediction. In fact, they seem to delight in pointing out the inaccuracies.
Predicting weather with numerous, changing variables is not an exact science. Neither is
predicting human behavior. However, ignoring the information that technology and expertise can produce seems to be “cutting off your nose to spite your face”—as my mother used to say.
Research and technology have combined to produce assessment tools that provide extremely useful information about applicants and current employees:
- ProfileXT – How quickly does this person learn, how well do they work as part of a team, how driven are they, how much respect do they have for authority, what is their potential, what is their leadership style.
- Profile Sales Assessment – Measure sales traits like ability to close, build relationships or self-starting capacity.
- Customer Service Profile – Measures customer service traits like empathy, tact, flexibility and perception of how customers are best served.
- Checkpoint 360 – Measures the perceptions of core leadership competencies through the eyes of the boss, peers, direct reports
- Skills testing – Excel, Word, accounting and hundreds of others
- Team Analysis – Reviews the traits of the team in a composite report
- Performance Indicator – Reflects the style of an individual based on self-perception
- Step One Survey II – Reports attitudes regarding Integrity, Work Ethic, Reliability and Drugs/Alcohol
The above tools and numerous others produce valuable, objective information that help predict and manage human behavior. Like the tools that weather forecasters use, they are not perfect but far more effective than using the Groundhog Day approach.
Linda serves as a Principal in MCM’s HR Consulting practice, and has experience working with various-sized companies throughout a variety of industries. Linda’s experience in organizational development, training, executive coaching and hiring assistance spans over 25 years. Previously, Linda was the President and Owner of Personnel Profiling, Inc., an HR consulting company that offered a suite of employment assessments and services to help companies gain a competitive advantage by hiring, retaining and developing great talent. Linda’s formal education includes a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Louisville with a concentration in counseling psychology. Linda and members of her team will be ongoing contributors to the Academy Blog.
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