The majority of organizations use teams of employees to complete objectives. The idea behind the team construction is that different people with different strengths, weaknesses and viewpoints are more likely to successfully complete a task. If multiple elements contribute to an organizations success, why use that method only with teams of employees?

You know that one assessment tool can provide you with a great advantage when managing the talent within your company, but have you ever considered how multiple assessments can work together as a comprehensive talent assessment program?

The image below is the Solutions Matrix. This graph demonstrates which assessments can be used together to solve business objectives.

For instance, you may have encountered some trouble with improving sales performance. Naturally you would assume that the Profiles Sales Assessment would be a great tool to start with, but you might not have realized that the Profiles Performance Indicator and the CheckPoint 360 could align with the Profiles Sales Assessment to give you an all-inclusive talent assessment program.

The Profiles Sales Assessment will give you insight into how well a person fits specific sales jobs, while the Profiles Performance Indicator can show whose personality will impact their job fit. Adding the CheckPoint 360 to this program ensures that you will also be able to pinpoint any issues there may be with management.

Using multiple assessments to solve one problem ensures that you are looking at the issue from every possible angle, and that you will be able to easily identify where the problem originates. The objective of Talent Assessment Programs is to accomplish a particular business goal. Focus on one of your biggest business objectives, and then create a program based on what you want to accomplish.

People quit people, not jobs.

Some managers inspire, some motivate, and others fail miserably to engage their employees. The entertainment industry seems to have created the ultimate formula for the “bad manager” character, so why can’t real managers understand how to be effective? When employees choose to leave a position, it’s often because of their manager or relationships with people in their working environment. People quit people, not jobs.

An “effective” manager takes responsibility for ensuring that each individual within his department succeeds and that the team or business unit achieves results. Successful managers require both talent and skill. Managerial skills can be developed through training, mentoring and experience. But if a manager is void of natural talent, then the odds that he will be successful diminish significantly.

The top six common managerial success traits include communication, leadership, adaptability, relationships, development of others, and personal development.

The most productive companies are typically more proactive than their peers when it comes to identifying and developing effective managers. The top six common managerial success traits include communication, leadership, adaptability, relationships, development of others, and personal development.

A manager with high communication skills is able to instruct as well as he listens. Managers who can communicate effectively can process information, and then relate it back to their teams clearly. Effective managers should be able to understand, decipher, and relate the organization’s vision back to their employees in order to maintain productivity.

Leadership is a crucial attribute that many managers lack despite their job title. It is common practice for companies to promote employees with the best results, but sometimes the best salesman doesn’t make the best manager. True leaders are able to instill trust, provide direction and delegate responsibility amongst team members.

Adaptability also contributes to a manager’s effectiveness. When a manager is able to adjust quickly to unexpected circumstances, he is able to lead his team to adjust as well. Adaptability also means that a manager can think creatively and find new solutions to old problems.

Employees are more likely to exceed expectations when they trust their manager.

Effective managers should strive to build personal relationships with their teams. Employees are more likely to exceed expectations when they trust their manager. When managers establish a relationship with employees, it builds trust and employees feel valued. Valued employees are more willing to get the job done right.

The best managers know when their employees need more development, and how to ensure those developments are successful. Developing others involves cultivating each individual’s talents, and motivating those individuals to channel those talents toward productivity.

Finally, an effective manager is aware of their own personal development. In order to successfully develop and lead others, managers must seek improvement in themselves. A manager who is willing to learn more and use their natural talents to the best of their ability will be able to encourage the same behavior in employees.

Effective management is comprised of several key components, and is not easily achieved. Organizations need to recognize the traits associated with successful management, and then promote employees based on those traits. The highest achieving employees do not always make the best managers, but employees that naturally exude the listed attributes are sure to be effective and successful in management roles.

Baseball, the American past time, has a way of turning men into legends. Thousands of fans watched Sunday as Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics pitched a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Braden is the 19th pitcher in major league history to hold a claim to pitching a perfect game.  When asked about his accomplishment, Braden said, “I don’t know what to think about it just yet… I’d like to have a career more than today.”

Dallas Braden’s response to his victory also demonstrates what a member of a performance-driven culture believes. Personal gain is always exciting, but working toward a greater goal is the key.

When thousands of America’s Most Productive Companies were polled and analyzed, researchers discovered that they had ten particular attributes in common. Of these qualities, five can be classified as “people attributes.” The people attributes include: performance-driven culture, effective managers, high employee utilization, high employee effectiveness, and encouragement of innovation.

Business leaders of the most productive companies, tend to promote individual initiative and high levels of teamwork.

Performance-driven culture is one where the entire workforce focuses its efforts on achieving the results most important to the organization. When Dallas Braden pitched the perfect game, he was exhibiting the results of playing for a team with a performance-driven culture.

Baseball is a team sport, and although some positions get more play time than others, each person must effectively work toward the goal of winning the game in order for the entire team to succeed. Business leaders of the most productive companies, tend to promote individual initiative and high levels of teamwork, which, as in sports, are essential ingredients for achieving results.

A performance-driven culture is the perfect pitch for your organization.

One of the greatest environmental disasters of all time struck the Gulf Coast on April 20. An oil rig, located off of the coast of Louisiana, exploded leaving causing three leaks in pipes that are now admitting an estimated 200,000 gallons of crude oil into the ocean every day.

BP is responsible for the oil, but denies responsibility for the actual leak. They place the blame on Transocean Ltd., the operator of the demolished rig, for the initial cause of the catastrophe. Regardless of which company will take the fall for this devastation, the obvious pitfall is that neither company had a contingency plan for an incident of this magnitude. Many are wondering, how can something like this happen today, and why hasn’t anyone stopped it yet?

There was no way to predict that this oil spill would occur, but preventative measures should have been in place. Machines are faulty, and people make mistakes. Had the corporations involved with these machines created plans for emergency situations, this crisis might not even exist.

Companies should always have contingency plans for all potential circumstances. Proactively planning for the worst ensures that companies are accountable for their actions. Managers should understand plans made by the company, and also work with employees to create new plans in case of emergency situations. Contingency plans can be made for everything from employee conflict, to a physical attack on company property, or a company-wide issue, such as an oil spill. Plans should be utilized to secure the problem, and also to inform each audience affected by the incident.

The oil spill is a prime example of what happens with poor planning. Had these companies ensured that each rig met production and safety standards and that if they didn’t there was a way to correct them, the Gulf Coast would not be suffering as it is now.

If first quarter goals were not met, do not expect to make them up all in the second quarter.

Spring has officially sprung and the first quarter is coming to a close. The shift in the seasons and the business year often requires a need for a fresh start, and new growth. As colors get brighter and the sun shines longer, businesses should consider their own spring cleaning.

Have you met your goals thus far?

If your organization is struggling with meeting goals, it may be time to rejuvenate the way goals are set and the way the organization is conducted. Assessments can help organizations better understand the mess they are dealing with before they begin their “cleaning”. This is not to say that employees need to be fired in order to run more effectively.

How are your employees performing?

Coaching is also an effective way to develop employees into high-performers. If after the second or third quarter an employee is not performing as desired, then it is time to consider relocating them or dismissing them, but give employees a chance and a means to improve before any permanent decisions are made.

Employee motivation is often questionable this time of year, and managers need to educate themselves with what their employees need to remain engaged. Each employee’s preferences for engagement will vary, so not each method of motivation will work for each employee. Managers should strive to offer a few methods of motivation to ensure that each employee feels stimulated and encouraged.

What can be done to accomplish your goals more effectively?

If first quarter goals were not met, do not expect to make them up all in the second quarter. Goals take time to accomplish, and the work that is required to accomplish those goals needs to be done right, not tomorrow. Make sure that quality is still part of your equation when considering how to accomplish what your organization needs in order to be successful.

With spring in the air, get motivated to rejuvenate the way your organization is managed and maintained. The first quarter may not have turned out as planned, so recharge and reconfigure for a great rest of the year.

It’s that time of year again; St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner. The staples of this ultra-festive holiday include green beer, green rivers and green-themed parades. The Irish have a long-standing relationship with the color, as it has represented everything from their beloved saint to the Emerald Isle itself. Stories vary, but for some wonderfully educated reason it has become a tradition to pinch those who do not honor St. Patrick by adorning themselves in green.

Seeing as there is always someone in the office who refuses to honor their non-existent Irish heritage, it only seems natural to address the proper pinching etiquette required for this holiday. The proper pinch is crucial if you are to adequately punish an offender without becoming the victim of an “unsolicited” lawsuit.

1. The following areas should be avoided when punishing a non-celebratory coworker: neck, face, shoulders (as this may be confused with the neck), anything between the neck and knees (yes, even an honest pinch to the side could be considered sexual harassment as the side is typically an area prone to tickling which is seen as a sexual or harassing behavior in most office settings), and the upper arm (if you intend to pinch the upper arm and miss it could get messy).

Pinch Zones

2. If you are pinching a woman please refrain from making contact with the obvious areas, and avoid the less obvious areas such as the back. This includes areas of back-fat which seem to protrude in appropriate areas, but don’t be fooled. There is nothing appropriate about it, and you probably wouldn’t want to touch that anyway.

3. A good rule of pinch is to only administer punishment to the lower arms, area between the elbow and mid-upper arm, and the foot when possible.

4. For those who are less inclined to acknowledge such punishment for denying Ireland’s sacred color, the air-pinch is fully acceptable in all office settings. Although the air-pinch does not punish non-green wearing offenders as effectively, it certainly scares them to a degree that may encourage them to find something green to wear later in the day, and will almost guarantee that they wear green next year.

5. An effective accessory to the air-pinch is a subtle hint that may be delivered through an intimidating expression that lets the offender know that if you were pinching them, it would really hurt.

To avoid donning the most beautiful shade of emerald on the world-renowned St. Patrick’s day, only demonstrates incompetency and lack of compassion to the rest of the world. Be sure to enforce all that is Irish and all that St. Patrick stood for, by pinching those foolish enough to deny their green roots and in short their somewhat Irish heritage. Make St. Patty proud and pinch like a champion.

The 2010 Winter Olympics began with an inspirational and impressive opening ceremony that highlighted the unity of countries worldwide. Thousands looked on as people from around the world gathered peacefully to celebrate the spirit of sportsmanship and the effort exhibited by the best athletes in the world. The torch relay came to a close as four legendary Canadian athletes waited to ignite the Olympic cauldron. One by one they brought their torches forward, and then the situation got awkward.

The final four torch bearers were Wayne Gretzky, Nancy Greene, Steve Nash and Catriona Le May Doan. The final presentation was to include four columns that rose from the floor to create a large sculpture surrounding the Olympic cauldron. After what seemed like a ten-minute delay, the first three pillars slowly crept from underground to reach their final destination around the cauldron. The fourth pillar never left its underground waiting room.

Onlookers and participants waited anxiously for the final column to appear at Catriona Le May Doan’s post, and still nothing happened. The athletes gracefully attempted to hide their anxious faces as workers scrambled to correct the error that prevented the final column from rising. After a short delay, the four Canadian athletes carried on with the ceremony as they had in rehearsal, but without the missing column. Doan bravely held her torch to the audience as the other athletes performed their practiced routines. The ceremony ended beautifully and the Olympic cauldron remains afire.

Artistic director David Atkins released this statement when asked about the malfunction:

“It’s a very complex piece of equipment. As you saw, it literally had to dance its place into final position. Unfortunately, the trap that revealed it from the floor of the stadium, which worked perfectly well at the beginning of the ceremony… had some mechanical failure.

It was an example of the fact that we are all human, and the ceremony celebrated that fact in all sorts of ways, by virtue of the cauldron and the hand of God coming in to remind us that we have some sort of fallibility there.”

Problems and malfunctions are unavoidable in all areas of business. The key to overcoming these issues lies within the leadership of the organization. Leaders and managers have the opportunity to coach their employees through difficult situations. Strong leaders are capable of guiding their employees through the fire in order to make them stronger and wiser.

Effective leaders communicate openly and work through problems in order to create a learning environment for those involved. Working with employees to solve problems improves trust and communication. Employees need their leaders to show understanding and encouragement when problems arise so that they may learn to adapt and think under pressure.

The torch malfunction was stressful for those involved, but because of Atkins’ patience and leadership, everything was remedied in the end. An understanding and coaching leader is the key to successful employees and organizations.

For related content about leadership and the 2010 Winter Olympics please read: “What Do We Expect From ‘Real’ Leaders?” and “Canada Earns First Gold Medal on Home Turf.”

Organizations need to recognize the importance of each frontline manager’s role and the effects that the manager has on the employees and company.

Effective frontline managers have the capability and interest to be effective managers, have clear goals and roles, understand the people they manage, understand themselves and how they impact their employees, have been trained how to effectively coach, and are able to remain focused on employee development. Organizations need to recognize the importance of each frontline manager’s role and the effects that the manager has on the employees and company.

In 2008 China suffered one of the worst food safety incidents in history when tens of thousands of milk products were infested with melamine. This contaminant afflicted over 300,000 children and was the cause of six infant deaths in China. Government investigations revealed political corruption had inhibited the ethical production of the milk products.
The scale of the problem proved that the crisis was not an isolated incident, and that several large-scale government and business leaders had been involved in covering up the tainted products.

The World Health Organization noted the incident to be one of the largest food safety events in history. The scale of the problem proved that the crisis was not an isolated incident, and that several large-scale government and business leaders had been involved in covering up the tainted products. The Director of the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine was fired, and countless officials, dairy executives and farmers were severely punished for their involvement.  The incident resulted in the loss of life, business and trust in China.

Fast forward to 2010 to discover that the new regulations implemented in 2008 had failed again. Chinese officials issued a recall for over 170 tons of milk powder still contaminated by melamine. This was a worldwide crisis and the government did not follow through with the elimination of the products as they had suggested. Tons of compromised products are on the market today, and it is estimated that around five companies have repackaged and resold the infected product that was supposed to be destroyed.

Leadership- particularly the quality of supervision and the nature of relationships between supervisors and their teams is crucial to performance and production in the workplace. The frontline management involved in the milk crisis did not adequately handle their employees, production or ethical responsibilities which resulted in a national health crisis and death. Frontline managers are responsible for the well being of their employees and their organizations.

Assessments offer information that can enable companies to identify effective managers. Certain personality traits and behaviors contribute to the overall effectiveness of a leader. Assessments will identify these traits and offer coaching solutions to either minimize or amplify these attributes in order to create successful managers. The results from the assessments will also provide insight into the employee’s ability in specific jobs and roles within the company.

Leadership- particularly the quality of supervision and the nature of relationships between supervisors and their teams is crucial to performance and production in the workplace.

Once a manager has been selected they should be allowed to review their employee’s assessment results in order to better understand the types of people they are responsible for managing. Each employee needs to be recognized for individual traits and behaviors so that the manager has the ability to adapt their managerial style to each employee’s needs. Managers should also review their own assessment results to understand their natural management style and how it can be adapted in order to more effectively manage employees.

Once the results have been reviewed and understood, frontline managers need to be trained on how to maximize their effectiveness as a leader through coaching. Not all managers are natural coaches, training is necessary to ensure that employees are equipped with a manager who is able to develop them and solve problems. A manager who is dedicated to the development of their employees will undoubtedly take the steps necessary to improve themselves so that they may improve others.

Had effective frontline managers been in place in China during the production of the milk products, the issue could have been resolved sooner or prevented entirely. Ethical production is a result of quality leadership and management. Despite the size of the organization, leadership and management must be able to develop employees consistently in order to grow. Selecting and training frontline management will keep your organization from crying over spilt milk.

Times of change present many challenges for organizations, particularly for front-line managers whose people will be responsible for implementing change. Pressure to perform is high, as are emotions, and everyone is expected to do more with less.

Why do front-line managers fail and what can be done to avoid failure? We polled our experts to identify the top five most common management derailers. They are:

-    Poor interpersonal and communication skills
-    Inadequate leadership skills
-    Resistance to change
-    Inability to deliver expected results
-    Inability to see beyond the functional silo

Click here to read more about each critical management derailer.

The state of the economy is unfortunate, but now more than ever companies have the opportunity to optimize their organizational talent. While cost-cutting may be inevitable; it’s important not to fall into some of the common traps that will put you at a disadvantage when the economy turns around.

The bottom line is that you need to know your human capital inventory well enough to make the best decisions, and you must have the courage to take calculated risks to upgrade when the opportunity presents itself.

Our researchers have identified four essential tactics to optimize your organizational talent. They are:

-    Remove your chronic underperformers
-    Remove your bad apples
-    Uncover your hidden gems
-    Never stop your hunt for high-quality outside hires

Click here to download the executive briefing: Four Tactics for Optimizing Organizational Talent.