Talent Journey

As more and more organizations are expanding into global markets, working 24/7, and becoming leaner, HR business systems must also include innovation and work round the clock with fewer resources. Moving some of your training solutions to an on-line platform is one way to optimize training dollars while better serving the changing needs of your business.

What is On-line Training?
On-line training is delivered on the internet and can be completed by participants whenever it fits into their schedules, 12 hours per day. Great on-line training includes all of the following elements:
• Sr. Leadership Voice. Through video, audio and text, our online modules capture the voice of today’s senior leadership.
• Rich content. We help you streamline training to ensure it is potent, concise and relevant.
• Engaging interaction. We build exercises and interactions to ensure the learner is both learning and enjoying the learning experience.
• Learning Assessment. We incorporate exercises, quizzes, games and/or simulations to ensure learners master the training objectives.

When do you use on-Line training?
On-line training is a great methodology to use when you want to transfer specific and consistent learning outcomes to a large group of participants with excellence and consistency. On-line training can be combined with classroom experiential learning when live interaction is important, such as teambuilding. In hybrid learning, basic concepts are conveyed through the on-line modality and follow-up practice and experiential learning is incorporated in the classroom.

What Are the Benefits of Talent Journey’s On-Line Training?
• Best in class curriculum design
• Dynamic, interactive, and engaging platform
• Consistency and Sustainability of learning
• Affordable, with unlimited reusability
• Flexible and Convenient (globally)
• Customized learning experience for your organization

Talent Journey can help!

Our team can help you design, develop and implement on-line training in your organization. Our team consists of expert curriculum and graphic designers, programmers, voice over specialists and technology experts.

As an example, we created a New Employee Orientation Program called “Servant Leadership” for Clarient, a GE Healthcare Company. A sample of the online training is available by entering this URL:
http://www.thetalentjourney.com/onlinetraining

Our demo client asked new employees to complete their one hour New Employee Servant Leadership training prior to initiating their classroom orientation program. Throughout the classroom orientation program, this online training is referenced and reinforced with interactive exercises and discussion.

Contact us to explore On-Line training curriculum for your organization. We’d love to partner with you in creating customized, impactful and sustainable online training to meet your organizational needs.

Worldwide Copyright TJ Associates, LLC Diane Brown

There is nothing that inspires like a good classic proverb. A favorite of mine is the one that says, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” The substance of that proverb holds true for years as well. As we quickly approach the end of this year, we all get a guaranteed fresh start. Each new year is an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, re-evaluate our direction and set new goals. In this article, Talent Journey wants to share 7 important steps that will guide you toward intentionally navigating your upcoming year and all the potential that lies within you. We strongly recommend that you set aside some focused time to walk yourself through this year-end exercise.

Step 1: Reflect back on 2011. Acknowledge and honor both the good and the bad of the past year. Take a realistic assessment of your accomplishments/joys and disappointments/sorrows. What strengths emerged in your life? What mattered most to you? What were the top 2 -3 inhibitors or hurdles that limited you?

Step 2: Create an attitude of gratitude. Spend at least 15 minutes brainstorming all of the things you are grateful for in your life. Start with the obvious and once you get going the list quickly grows. Your list may include family, health, home, a favorite spot, freedom, etc.

Step 3: Identify your top values. Values are the rudder of life. Our life finds greatest fulfillment when it reflects the core internal values we hold important. For a comprehensive list of common values, go to http://www.thetalentjourney.com/FocusOnValues.html. What are your top 3 – 5 values in priority order?

Step 4: Evaluate your balance. See the Life Balance Wheel below. You can modify as you see fit. Evaluate your level of satisfaction in the areas of life that matter most to you. The scale is 1-7 with “1” indicating very low satisfaction and “7” indicating very high satisfaction. How consistent are the ratings across areas; that is, how well balanced is your wheel? If you experience lower satisfaction ratings in some areas, do you want to do anything about them in 2012?

Step 5: Write your mission statement. Your mission statement should include about 5 – 7 sentences that describe your purpose in life. It defines what you devote your life to and find worthwhile. Your mission statement will include your top values, strengths and long-term goals. A good way to begin thinking about your mission statement is to envision your 80th birthday party. What do you want people to say about you and your life?

Step 6: Choose Goals that matter. In the context of your overall mission statement, strengths, values and life balance wheel, what goals do you want to establish for yourself in 2012? A goal is specific, measurable and time bound. It is important that your goals truly matter and are compelling to you. Brainstorm all of the things you want in 2012. Avoid editing your list at this point. Write down everything that comes to mind.

* Go over your list and ask yourself, “Is this something that I really want, or is it something that I think I should want?” Take the “should’s” off your list.
* Review your list again and ask yourself, “Is this something that I can realistically accomplish in 2012.” Cross off or modify anything that is not realistically achievable in 2012.
* Prioritize your top 3 – 5 goals. Force yourself to prioritize the goals that will have the biggest impact in the coming year. Many of us live diluted lives because we try to do too many things at once.
* Review your top 3 – 5 goals to ensure they are specific and measurable. For example, “I will spend at least 2 hours of 1:1 time per week with each child and my spouse” is a better goal than “I will spend more time with the family.”
* Record and post your top 3 -5 goals in a location where you will see them frequently.

Don’t worry about getting your goals perfectly articulated. You will have all year to revise, update and clarify the goals. Start with your best understanding at this point. Be flexible to amend the goals as life changes and new opportunities arise. The goals are just a tool. Bettering your life is the end goal.

Step 7: Make it Happen. Establish accountability and track your progress. Accomplishing goals in life is like losing weight. Most often we know what we need to do (eat right and exercise), but we don’t always do what we know we should (oops, french fries and milk shake weren’t on the goal list). One of the best ways to accomplish goals is to find an accountability partner who will keep you on track. This helps direct your efforts more effectively. None of us is perfect. Please, give yourself grace along the journey.

We at Talent Journey value you as an individual and professional. We hope this 7 Step process helps you become more purposeful about what you want to be, do and become in 2012. We’re looking forward to another great year with you! May you find deep satisfaction and fulfillment as you make this… your best year ever!

Worldwide Copyright TJ Associates, LLC Diane Brown

When was the last time you were on the receiving end of a lousy customer service encounter? Did you get the voice recording that asks for your name and account number only to have a service rep request it a second time? When the service rep couldn’t answer your question, did he or she put you back into a queue, and, after a long wait, you had to go over all your information again with someone else? Of course, the most frustrating scenario is when one of the customer service reps in the series hangs up on you so they can keep their call statistics low!

In today’s economy, no business can afford to alienate customers. Let’s look at a couple of economic facts.

* GDP growth (the measure of the market value of all final goods and services produced in the USA) is low. Customer demand has diminished, and new customers are hard to attract. Businesses must do everything in their power to retain the customers they have.

* Consumer spending is weak. Our current customers are holding onto their money. We cannot afford to give them any reasons not to buy our goods or services.

I love Sam Walton’s quote about customers: “There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everyone in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” Continuous close attention to customers and customer service is an integral part of everyone’s job. Without that, a business will not thrive, and quite possibly will cease to exist.

In this month’s Talent Journey newsletter, we want to remind you of some QUICK TIPS for executing customer service (internally and externally) within your business:

1. Identify and anticipate needs. As business leaders, we must anticipate how customer needs will change and emerge in new ways over the coming years. Successful leaders perceive shifts in technology, markets, demographics, etc. that will impact the customer’s expectations in the future.

2. Establish a customer-centric company culture. Ensure that all employees understand the immense value and are trained in customer service skills. Build metrics and reward systems around customer focused behavior that penetrates all functions and departments.

3. Organize and manage your organization around customer’s needs. Often, this means breaking down boundaries between departmental silos to ensure customer communication is seamless and effective.

4. Know and truly care about your customers as individuals. Customers want you to treat them and their needs as important. Calling customers by name, knowing their buying habits, and focusing of their satisfaction go a long way in retaining loyalty.

5. Know your products and services. Customers want to know that you’re experts and they can rely on you for answers. Anyone in your organization who is talking to a client is the face of your organization. When employees portray competence, the company earns respect from the customer. Customers will pay more for competence.

6. Appreciate the power of “yes.” Even when you cannot give customers exactly what they want, find the “yes” in your responses to them. Customers want to like the people they do business with and answering “yes” helps to establish good rapport.

7. Understand the demographics and personality style of your customer. No two customers are exactly alike. Create customer profiles that assist employees in determining how best to respond to customer types. For example, technology companies might create a small business, home-based geek, and a stay-at-home mom profile to help script the best customer service for those demographics.

8. Treat employees the way that you want them to treat your customers. In all your interactions with your employees, model the value and respect you want them to show with customers. Care about your employees as individuals. Value their work. Show your appreciation for their contributions. These attitudes and behaviors go a long way in setting a customer-centric tone that breeds loyalty.
As the holidays approach, it is a good reminder to treat customers in a way that gains or retains their business. In today’s businesses, customers are quick to look elsewhere when the experience is below expectations. We are not suggesting over-promising and under-delivering to customers, but finding a way to make each one feel heard and of value is critical to customer success. Customer satisfaction impacts every organization overall, so we hope you found these quick tips a helpful reminder. We want to see your organization succeed and maximize the potential that exists!

Author: Diane Brown at TJ Associates LLC (Talent Journey). Copyright protected, all rights reserved worldwide.

When you’re looking to optimize the potential of your organization, three important perspectives need to be taken into account. These three perspectives can be summarized in the graph below:

1. Systems focuses on future possibilities and integration of the whole organizational structure. Organizations that are strong in strategic thinking are quick to evaluate market trends, technology changes, demographic shifts, etc. in terms of their future impact on the organization. They take a “helicopter approach” and see the big picture, including how the operational parts of the business fit together.

2. Operational Excellence focuses on the practical elements of the business. Organizations strong in operational thinking adeptly assess people and processes; they maximize resources for efficiency and results. They take a sky-scraper view of the organization, focusing on the day to day execution of strategy and goals.

3. Relationship Ability focuses on selecting, motivating, developing, and retaining high performance at individual, team, and organizational levels by developing caring relationships. Organizations that are strong in this thinking dimension earn people’s respect and followership. Understanding individual, team, and organizational needs, these organizations motivate, encourage, equip and develop people and teams to contribute their best toward the organization’s strategy and mission.

All organizations have relative strengths and weaknesses in each of these dimensions. The secret to success is maximizing the potential in all areas. To achieve this end, organizations are smart to establish a leadership team with strengths across these respective. Talent Journey’s comprehensive assessment process readily identifies leader and organizational strengths. Contact us for more information about how you can assess your organization and leadership team to optimize your organizational success. Also, we recommend that you get a copy of the “Answering the Central Question” book referenced in the newsletter. This book provides a comprehensive view of the three perspectives and the assessment measures we utilize.

Written by Diane Brown at TJ Associates LLC. Copyright protected, all rights reserved worldwide. October 2011

Regardless of the size, industry, or product-mix of an organization, there are unique skills, talents and abilities that each job requires in order for the organization to be most effective. No employee excels at all of them. In hiring, forming team, and succession planning, it is important to match the most important skills, talents and abilities required by the job with the candidate that best exemplifies those abilities. We utilize a Talent Assessment that helps define these attributes, as well as many others:

Strategic Integration Defining and communicating company visions, mission, values & strategy and integrating/aligning those across the organization
• Strategic Planning
• Customer Acumen
• Product/Service Portfolio Decision-making
• Conceptual and Integrative Thinking
• Managing Change
• Establishing Organizational Culture
• Continuous Learning

Operational Excellence Executing strategy by creating efficient infrastructures and implementing strategy through people
• Accountability for Results
• Goal and Performance Management
• Infrastructure Development
• Problem Solving
• Continuous Improvement
• Resilience
• Metrics and Reporting

Relationship Ability Enable and Equip high performance and organizational success
• Authenticity
• Building Trust
• Communication Skills
• Interpersonal Ability
• Influence
• Leading Others
• Developing Others
• Team Building
• Conflict Management

We utilize a TRIO assessment that provides quantitative and reliable (EEOC approved) data regarding candidate ability to perform well in these and other important areas. Organizations that invest in assessments for pre-hire, onboarding, team development and succession planning reduce the risk and pain of having to unwind poor hiring decisions. Our assessment and benchmarking process (see the “Bench Strength starts with a Benchmark”) generates a job profile and candidate profile to determine the FIT between what the job needs (profile) and what a candidate/employee brings to the job (candidate profile). Our assessment provides insights about candidates profiles that are difficult or impossible to uncover in an interview.

Diane Brown at the Talent Journey. Copyrighted. © 2011 June 2011 All rights reserved worldwide. All articles, quotes, and material in this newsletter are copyrighted. © 2011. No part can be reproduced in any form without specific written consent from copyright holder(s). All rights reserved worldwide.

Succession development is a critical part of a company’s integrated talent management system. (We wrote a feature article describing integrated Talent Management last year: http://www.thetalentjourney.com/documents/SeptemberTalentJourney2010.pdf). Succession planning is a process for aligning your future long term mission with the right talent to successfully implement your strategy. This process requires forecasting the knowledge, skills, abilities and talents you will need for future jobs and purposely developing the right people for those roles. An important element of this process is indentifying what new knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s) will be needed in order for your organization to most effectively achieve its purpose.

Senior leaders should be very involved in this process. Senior leader guidance is integral to forecasting future talent needs – as well as in developing the people for those roles. Most organizations understand that a solid strategic plan makes the difference between success and stagnation in the marketplace. We cannot underestimate how important equipping the right people to deliver your strategy is to your success. Too often, organizations do not spend enough time ensuring that the right players are being developed in the right skill set to maximize organizational performance.

Here are some of the key steps for effective succession planning:

1. Forecasting the organization’s needs. This includes developing contingency plans to replace all key leadership positions within the organization (both management and technical) and determining what new knowledge, skills, and abilities will be required to execute the long term organizational mission. In this step, you will define and measure the key qualifications needed for each targeted position. The qualifications reflect what the job requires in order to deliver its chief accountabilities. Organizations that spend time forecasting and planning for their human resource needs optimize organizational success.

2. Assessing Talent. The next step is to evaluate potential candidates against the job qualifications and other relevant criteria. At The Talent Journey, we recommend assessing talent along several dimensions:

a. Qualifications – does the candidate meet the knowledge, skill and abilities criteria identified?

b. Motivation – is the candidate motivated by the rewards inherent within the job and your organization?

c. Commitment – is the candidate committed to your organization’s purpose and the career track being considered? Unless the candidate is interested and willing to make sacrifices for advancement, dollars aimed at promotion may be invested poorly.

You will want to utilize several tools within your organization to assess candidate talent. These include the past few performance appraisals, a 360 degree survey instrument and an assessment tool that measures behavioral style, motivational drivers and personal talents and skills (PTSI). We use our Performance Fit Assessment tool to measure these three attributes. Finally, we highly recommend simply having a frank discussion with the potential candidates to determine their commitment level for the next level of responsibility.

3. Develop Successors. Once you identify succession candidates, developing them for the next job is critical. Some of these activities may include:

a. Project team assignments. By working cross functionally among colleagues of varied vocations and expertise, candidates are exposed to new ways of thinking, different leadership styles and broader dimension challenges. This prepares them for higher level complexity.

b. Job rotation. By working across different functional areas and international assignments (as appropriate), candidates gain a depth of perspective and understanding regarding your overall business.

c. Mentors/Executive Coaching. Grooming succession candidates through mentorship or coaching programs can be highly effective in accelerating their learning. Mentors that both share openly and ask wise questions that help the candidates think through solutions are invaluable.

d. Educational courses. Whether the education is formal, such as higher education courses, a workshop, or reading targeted books, education broadens candidate intellectual capacity for problem solving and innovation.

Succession planning that identifies the kind of work and types of skills needed for future business success is integral to your strategic initiatives. Planning succession candidates for all key leadership and technical jobs should be weaved into your strategy discussions. Developing key players drives your final success. Just imagine what would happen if a professional baseball team didn’t have a minor league system from which to test and draw out talent. In the same way, organizations need to identify what kind of players they need and develop those player’s skills now before it’s time to send them into the crucial game of the season!

The US workforce is becoming more and more diverse. By 2020, the Census Bureau projects, 42% of California’s population will be of Hispanic origin. Asians will constitute 18% and white non-Hispanics will constitute only 1/3 of California’s 2020 population. Diversity of age within our workplaces will be even more divergent. Add to that diversity of social status, education, geography, and factors such as personality style and thinking styles, and the global business world becomes very complex.
What impact does increased diversity have on workforce productivity and business success? The answer to that question depends upon how well your organization leverages diversity and nurtures an environment of inclusion to ignite high performance outcomes. That’s a mouth full, so let’s dissect it.

Diversity for diversity’s sake won’t result in improved organizational performance. That’s why affirmative action programs, without cultural change, do not work. Only when an environment of mutual trust, respect and appreciation exist intrinsically within the organization will diversity initiatives result in positive business outcomes. When team members value the diversity of each other’s ideas, talents, and experiences and leverage that diversity to find customer-centered solutions, the organization thrives. On the other hand, when diversity fuels negative feelings and exclusion, the organization is choked by decreased communication, energy, morale, and productivity.

In his book the “Medici Effect: Breakthrough Insights at the Intersection of Ideas, Concepts, and Cultures” Frans Johannson illustrates that some of the most innovative and breakthrough thinking in history occurred when talented people across many disciplines and cultures were assembled in one location and encouraged to cross-pollinate ideas. This kind of diversity, enveloped within an environment of inclusion,
birthed the fifteenth century Renaissance in Italy. The very same environment can energize creativity and innovation in your organization.

In order for 21st century organizations to leverage “Renaissance” innovation and creativity, some key foundational ingredients need to be activated. These include:

• Recruitment practices that expand outreach across diverse pools of candidates, both inside and outside of the organization’s industry.
• Leadership emphasis on embracing diversity and inclusion, in addition to recruiting and hiring diverse candidates.
• Development activities and experiences that position diverse candidates for future growth opportunities.
• Training initiatives that develop skill in managing diverse relationships, including, but not limited to, the traditional affirmative action categories of ethnicity, age, gender, etc.
• Workplaces that purposefully mine diversity of background, experiences and attributes to maximize business outcomes.

Building the right infrastructure for diversity and inclusion is the bedrock for serving your evolving customer base and expanding customer market. Innovation and creativity within your organization cannot thrive without the cultural, relational, operational and strategic skill base that allows individuals and teams to bring their full potential to servicing customer needs. In a world of globalization and customization, workplace diversity and inclusion are no longer a luxury, they’re an imperative!

In business there is almost a universal understanding that emotional intelligence and IQ are both important attributes of strong performers. Yet to ensure we are all on the same page, let’s define “emotional intelligence.” According to John D. Mayer and Peter Salovey, two of the leading researchers in this area, “Emotional intelligence refers to an ability to recognize the meanings of emotion and their relationships and to reason and problem-solve on the basis of them. Emotional intelligence is involved in the capacity to perceive emotions, assimilate emotion-related feelings, understand the information of those emotions, and manage them.” In short, emotional intelligence is the set of skills that defines how effectively people perceive, understand, reason with and manage their own and others’ feelings.

Daniel Goleman in his 1995 book “Emotional Intelligence – Why It Can Matter More Than IQ” said, ‘there is intelligence in the emotions (and) intelligence can be brought to emotions.’ To be successful in business, people must be smart about their emotions and those of others. Most of us would probably have to admit that there have been times our emotions have gotten the better of us, leading to an in-the-moment decision that we later regretted. On the other hand, we also know people who communicate by facts alone and never engage the emotional buy-in for decisions. Either extreme leaves business interactions flat and less successful than they could be.

To that point, Mr. Goleman found that “Of the competencies required for excellence in performance, 67 percent are emotional competencies.” Fast company agrees: “Companies can continue to give top priority to financial performance – but many now also realize that technical and intellectual skills are only part of the equation for success. A growing number of organizations are now convinced that people’s ability to understand themselves and manage their emotions improves their performance, their collaboration with colleagues, and their interaction with customers.”

EQ is more important today than ever before. More and more of our work is being done in teams, across functions, and globally. Thus, EQ skills such as team problem solving, diversity awareness, flexibility, and influence are emerging as key pre-requisites for success. All of us can enhance our ability to recognize and understand our emotions and the emotions of others. People who are self aware and can read the emotional responses of others are more effective, productive and successful in the 21st century workforce.

So, how can we increase emotional intelligence (EQ)? First, we must increase our self-awareness. We need to identify and understand our emotional responses. Second, we need to improve our self-management by choosing our response, rather than being hijacked by our emotions. Third, we must increase our social awareness by reading body language and meaning behind the words of others. Active listening and empathy are key skills. Finally, we must improve our relationship management. This calls for openness, transparency, and curiosity. It entails seeing things from another person’s perspective.

There is nothing that inspires like a good classic proverb. A favorite of mine is the one that says, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” The substance of that proverb holds true for years as well. As we quickly approach the end of this year, we all get a guaranteed fresh start. Each new year is an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, re-evaluate our direction and set new goals. In this article, Talent Journey wants to share 7 important steps that will guide you toward intentionally navigating your upcoming year and all the potential that lies within you. We strongly recommend that you set aside some focused time to walk yourself through this year-end exercise.

Step 1: Reflect back on 2010. Acknowledge and honor both the good and the bad of the past year. Take a realistic assessment of your accomplishments/joys and disappointments/sorrows. What strengths emerged in your life? What mattered most to you? What were the top 2 -3 inhibitors or hurdles that limited you?

Step 2: Create an attitude of gratitude. Spend at least 15 minutes brainstorming all of the things you are grateful for in your life. Start with the obvious and once you get going the list quickly grows. Your list may include family, health, home, a favorite spot, freedom, etc.

Step 3: Identify your top values. Values are the rudder of life. Our life finds greatest fulfillment when it reflects the core internal values we hold important. For a comprehensive list of common values, go to http://www.thetalentjourney.com/FocusOnValues.html. What are your top 3 – 5 values in priority order?

Step 4: Evaluate your balance. See the Life Balance Wheel below. You can modify as you see fit. Evaluate your level of satisfaction in the areas of life that matter most to you. The scale is 1-7 with “1” indicating very low satisfaction and “7” indicating very high satisfaction. How consistent are the ratings across areas; that is, how well balanced is your wheel? If you experience lower satisfaction ratings in some areas, do you want to do anything about them in 2011?

Step 5: Write your mission statement. Your mission statement should include about 5 – 7 sentences that describe your purpose in life. It defines what you devote your life to and find worthwhile. Your mission statement will include your top values, strengths and long-term goals. A good way to begin thinking about your mission statement is to envision your 80th birthday party. What do you want people to say about you and your life?

Step 6: Choose Goals that matter. In the context of your overall mission statement, strengths, values and life balance wheel, what goals do you want to establish for yourself in 2011? A goal is specific, measurable and time bound. It is important that your goals truly matter and are compelling to you. Brainstorm all of the things you want in 2011. Avoid editing your list at this point. Write down everything that comes to mind.

• Go over your list and ask yourself, “Is this something that I really want, or is it something that I think I should want?” Take the “should’s” off your list.
• Review your list again and ask yourself, “Is this something that I can realistically accomplish in 2011.” Cross off or modify anything that is not realistically achievable in 2011.
• Prioritize your top 3 – 5 goals. Force yourself to prioritize the goals that will have the biggest impact in the coming year. Many of us live diluted lives because we try to do too many things at once.
• Review your top 3 – 5 goals to ensure they are specific and measurable. For example, “I will spend at least 2 hours of 1:1 time per week with each child and my spouse” is a better goal than “I will spend more time with the family.”
• Record and post your top 3 -5 goals in a location where you will see them frequently.
Don’t worry about getting your goals perfectly articulated. You will have all year to revise, update and clarify the goals. Start with your best understanding at this point. Be flexible to amend the goals as life changes and new opportunities arise. The goals are just a tool. Bettering your life is the end goal.

Step 7: Make it Happen. Establish accountability and track your progress. Accomplishing goals in life is like losing weight. Most often we know what we need to do (eat right and exercise), but we don’t always do what we know we should (oops, french fries and milk shake weren’t on the goal list). One of the best ways to accomplish goals is to find an accountability partner who will keep you on track. This helps direct your efforts more effectively. None of us is perfect. Please, give yourself grace along the journey.

We at Talent Journey value you as an individual and professional. We hope this 7 Step process helps you become more purposeful about what you want to be, do and become in 2011. We’re looking forward to another great year with you! May you find deep satisfaction and fulfillment as you make this… your best year ever!

Worldwide Copyright TJ Associates, LLC Diane Brown

Over the last year Talent Journey has provided you with cutting-edge leadership tips geared toward “navigating the potential of your people” to deliver outstanding business results. When all is said and done, the people in your organization determine the success of your strategy and mission. People make the difference!

The most important decisions leaders make are people decisions. Inviting the right people to join the team may not be as simple as it sounds. In the 21st century, finding people with competence and expertise in a particular function is critically important, but it is NOT ENOUGH. 21st century organizations also need people with the ability to influence, innovate, cooperate, meet customer needs and get results (see our February 2010 article: Talent is not enough). For this reason, now more than ever, top organizations are committed to doing whatever it takes to make the BEST HIRING DECISIONS. Obviously, when you make the right hiring decisions, all the other elements of managing becomes easier.

In this article, we will discuss Structured Interviewing – an interviewing tool that has proven to improve the probability of hiring superior people. Structured Interviews help make job interviews more systematic, objective, and reliable – taking the guesswork out of hiring. The elements of a structured interview include:

1. Determine and Focus on Job Competency: Interview guides are composed on a job-by-job basis. The guides are designed to focus on the core competencies (i.e., knowledge, skill and ability) required for the job. Technical competencies include the specific technical elements required in the job, such as software, product, industry or functional expertise. Soft skill competencies include attributes such as accountability, customer-orientation, courage, decision-making, and interpersonal skills. Each interviewer is responsible for evaluating candidate’s proficiency in several of the core competency areas.

2. Behavior Based: Behavioral based questions ask candidates to describe a specific situation related to the competency being evaluated for the job. The premise is that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. Let’s look at an example using the core competency of accountability. The interview guide prompts the interviewer with a few questions that illustrate that competency. In this example, the question might read, “Tell me about a project you were working on that had an unreasonable deadline? Another possible question is, “Sometimes we are asked to do something that we don’t think is right, tell me about a time this happened to you.” Candidates answer questions by describing a situation/task, what action they took, and what happened as a result. Interviewers rate each response as being excellent/proficient, meets requirement, or less than acceptable/unacceptable. Behavior based interviewing enables the interviewer to “view” actual scenarios of past performance, thus predicting future proficiency.

3. Debrief: The process is not complete until a multi-rater debrief meeting takes place. Once all the interviews have concluded, the interview team (usually 3-7 people) gathers to compare ratings. The core competencies and each rater’s scores are summarized in a matrix. The team looks for trends in ratings. When all raters evaluated a candidate similarly within a competency, the team can be confident that rating is an accurate reflection of the candidate’s proficiency. Where significant rater differences exist, the team engages in healthy discussion until they arrive at a consensus rating for that competency. As a final step, the interview team gives the candidate an overall rating.
Structured Interviews that incorporate behavioral based questions linked to the most important job competencies and evaluated by several raters are more than ten times as effective as interviews that do not incorporate all of these elements. The structured interview builds impartiality, objectivity, accountability and verification within the hiring system. Most organizations would not purchase a $100,000 piece of equipment without doing due diligence to ensure that it meets company requirements, does what it claims to do, and has the endorsement of those that will interact with it. Structured interviews build that same diligence into your hiring process!

Talent Journey helps companies with any of these implementation steps:
1. Competency Model—We help you identify and choose the job competencies most relevant for your organization.
2. Focused Interview Questions—We help you construct interviewer guides and identify the specific questions to be asked, customized for your organization.
3. Rating Forms—Using Talent Journey’s rating format, we help design a custom rating form for your needs.
4. Manager’s Guidebook—We provide a comprehensive hiring guidebook which walks the hiring manager through the structured interview process.
5. Interview Training—We offer On-site half-day or full-day Structured Interview workshops.

Author: Diane Brown at TJ Associates LLC (Talent Journey). Copyright protected, all rights reserved worldwide.