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Top 5 reasons companies avoid executive assessments for hiring, executive leadership development, and executive coaching

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After taking a close look at why organizations either don’t consider – or look past – executive leadership assessment, development, & coaching, we took a few minutes to highlight some reasons we’ve uncovered, capped with our frank responses (in bold/italics). In reverse order, the top 5 are:

#5 – You just can’t see the reasoning behind it. You (and perhaps a colleague or two) started this business and knew what you wanted to accomplish. Now the organization has grown and you’re seeing expenses related to personnel increasing exponentially with increased cost across your financial spreadsheet. However, as a CEO or top exec you don’t have the time or energy to look into the issue. Your small but manageable HR department needs to manage it.

Unfortunately, there are often hidden costs in the expense of personnel included in the hiring, training, managing, and retention of employees. If you don’t have a good idea of what those costs are, why your turnover is growing, and how talent is being vetted and/or developed – then there’s a good chance that valuable time, energy and MONEY is flying out the window – only evident on your financial spreadsheet as “personnel expense.”

#4 – You have a COO (or another exec level staff member) you can trust. Luckily there’s someone close to you and/or the organization who you trust, and that makes them a great candidate for COO. Why spend money to assess, vet, and hire an executive with a talented skill set when that friend of yours is available now?

We’ve seen this time and again. Believe me when I say it’s more common than anyone would care to admit. Unfortunately, while this may feel like a good “gut” move, the consequences of hiring the wrong person for a high level job are huge. While most industries are volatile enough that it’s hard to predict what’s coming one or two years down the road, a solid skill set for leadership and management can be spotted through the right lenses. As can a potential flop. Why spend a million dollars or more over the next 2-3 years on the wrong exec, when you can spend a fraction of that to get it right the first time?

#3 – You’ve already hired your executive team, and you’re going to stick by them no matter what. Sure times were different when you built your team, and organizational needs may have changed, but you’ve got to “stick to your guns” and “ride it out.”

People change. Times change. Organizational demands, obstacles, and capabilities change. In order for any business to adapt as the economic landscape changes, your approach – and the approach of your exec team – have to adapt as well. What worked 10, 5, or 2 years ago may be an outdated approach that is costing your organization its valuable resources. Often a fresh, authentic perspective on what your current culture looks like can be invaluable. With the right talent acquired (or developed from within) you can become a consistent leader in your industry.

#2 – You can’t convince yourself, your board of directors, or your current execs that spending the money to hire the right executives, leadership, organizational development program, or coaching will be profitable.

Yes, this is a problem. You need to know the facts about where your organizational structure currently stands, what the organizational culture is, and what type of return on investment you’ll get. However you won’t uncover these facts unless you use an independent, objective, knowledgeable lens to dig down, examine, and make concrete recommendations about where necessary interventions can be made. This leads to…

#1 – Nationally, there are thousands of companies that provide organizational leadership, organizational development, organizational improvement, and executive coaching options. It’s hard to know where the dollars spent on this engagement will be used efficiently and effectively to truly recommend what’s best and be able to assist in the evolution of your company.

This is (unfortunately) true – and caution is warranted. There are no guarantees in hiring organizational consultants, and hiring the wrong group for your company can be costly as well. However, you can look at credentials, experience, and fund of knowledge as benchmarks for what you’ll get. As is common sense, never pay for someone or something with which you haven’t had a chance to develop a true relationship. Call, meet in person, ask questions, and get a sense of who you’re dealing with. Do they have the credentials to use top level assessments in their recommendations? Are they personable and genuine in their approach? Is this simply their job – or do they actually care about your organization enough to make even the toughest recommendations?

Here at Prosperity – our goal is to be your #1 resource in answer to all 5 of these concerns. We DO believe that our services are important, and that by building a relationship with you and your organization we will be the best investment you can make for today, tomorrow, and years to come. We are licensed Psychologists with 30+ years of experience working in and around all kinds of organizations (and individuals) that strive to improve and evolve as the times demand. We will be there for you too.

Give us a call @ 720.612.0244 – and let’s set up a time to chat about where you’re at, and where you’re going.  Executive assessment, executive leadership development, organizational development, and executive coaching are where it’s at!

Organizational Leadership: A business is the sum of its people

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Now this may seem like an obvious statement but employees are the most valuable resource to any organizational leadership team. However, when times get tough – like in an economic downturn – I would argue that the stress and strains on an administration can leave employees either lost in the shuffle, or scrutinized for productivity. The focus becomes a “new business” or “revenue generation” approach rather than building and effectively/efficiently using the talent at hand.

I could give numerous examples of executives leading companies through times of evolution and change where the prevailing mood became one of fear and avoiding calamity rather than on optimizing potential. I liken this approach to the human body’s “fight or flight” response to stress – where the brain screams at the body to take action. This can be effective for a human escaping pursuit by a wild animal, however under sustained fear, fighting or flight, the body breaks down. While initially many executives may feel that their company will be inspired by a battle cry atmosphere, what happens is similar to what occurs in the human body… the short-term benefits are heavily outweighed by the long-term consequences. Ultimately, organizations that rely (or fall back) on this strategy find that staff burn out, employees become suspicious and or paranoid about leadership, allegiances are formed (or torn), and ultimately the environment pushes out – and often repels – staff from the organization altogether.

One argument I’ve heard is that staff attrition is a good thing. “Hey, if they don’t want to be here we are better off without them.” However, many organizations find that they throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater – because they lose talented individuals with potential alongside anyone who is a non-performer. Not to mention that there should be mechanisms in place to weed out non-performers long before it’s a dire question of need. And if they are savvy non-performers they may be the employees who are retained. Yikes! Therefore, the losses compound the initial problems of an organizational rebound with a deteriorating atmosphere, lost talent, and stretched or strained resources.

Back to my original premiss; personnel is the most valuable – and expensive – commodity for any organization. Hiring and training the wrong individual (depending on position level) has been estimated to cost organizations anywhere from $250k to $800k by the time the individual is excused or departs. Now, aside from the very large corporations, most businesses can’t afford that level of loss for a single position – let alone multiple departures or large-scale downsizing.

So how does the business move ahead? An optimal work environment is one that: 1) Treats employees as a valuable priority, 2) Discovers ways to maximize each employee’s potential and motivation, 3) Demonstrates the principle that how employees are treated is how customers and partners are expected to be treated by employees, 4) Values individual, group, and corporate wellness at every level of the organization, and 5) Creates pathways for employees to use their potential to continue professional growth and development alongside the organization.

Now think about your organization. On a scale of 1 – 10 (10 being the best at valuing, supporting, and retaining employees) where does your org land? What would it take to get from where you think you currently are to a 10? If you don’t know – or know and could use some assistance in getting there – give us a call!

 

 

When we started Prosperity Coaching & Consultation our mission was clear: As Psychologists with years of corporate experience we provide assistance to organizations by helping them: 1) Manage their evolution through change, 2) Hire competent executives with potential, 3) Retain valuable employees, 4) Limit the expenses incurred by losing staff while maximize employee potential and motivation, and 5) Develop a sustainable, solid core business built on the people… yes, the people at the heart of the company. For more information on organizational leadership, drop me a message:  toddhelvig@yahoo.com, or give me a call @ 720.612.0244

Employee Engagement: Employees are customers too.

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Employee engagement is a lot like consumer engagement – some would argue the former is substantially more important than the latter.  It sounds strange, I know, but hear me out.

After putting the company together piece by piece, the final (and often hardest) part is developing and retaining your employees.  This was supposed to be the easy part after all the hard work went into the business plan, product development, relationship building with partnering companies, product placement, marketing & advertisement – the list goes on and on.  However, the final step is going to make or break your business.  Hiring the right employees who understand the business, value their employment, and are motivated to do their jobs day in/day out is essential.  That’s why those of us who work with companies – big and small – cannot reinforce enough that conceptualizing employees as customers of the company provides a unique vantage point.  After all, employees are looking to the organization to provide for them.  They are most likely expecting pay (unless you somehow sidestepped this one), benefits, respect, a positive atmosphere to work in, recognition for their work, etc.  In return they agree to do their best, communicate openly, contribute to the positive atmosphere, show respect to others, and work in line with the mission/values of the company.   The organization is selling the employment, and the employee is purchasing it in a variety of ways (albeit not solely by salary as noted).

So – how do you show good customer care at the level of employment?  Effectively, how do you take care of your employees?  How do you make them feel valuable – as you would have them treat external consumers?  How do you compensate them appropriately so that they keep coming back every day with motivation and a desire to do their best?  How do you help them feels so proud of their employment; So proud that they want to tell everyone they know: 1) who they work for, 2) how great the services/product lines are, 3) how much they love the administration that cares as much about their employed family as they do about the general consumer family.

These are the important questions you have to ask while accepting the honest feedback and answers.  However, doing so in a growing or established company can be difficult when you consider the power-based positions of executives, directors, and managers.  Likewise, using in-house staff such as the human resource department (if you have one), can create counterproductive levels of paranoia and suspiciousness.  This is where Prosperity can provide assistance and support.  Part of our skill set is understanding interpersonal relationships & dynamics, individual motivations, and workplace factors that impact productivity – or invite stagnation.  Through employee interviews, attending group meetings, and having open dialogue across the organization – we can help you use information to make wise choices about how to message staff and make environmental modifications that truly make a difference.   Isn’t that what your employees deserve?

*Ahem*  your “customers” deserve.

Give it some thought.  When you’re ready, give us a call and let’s talk about what might be helpful!

Todd:  720.612.0244

 

You know it’s time for change, but where do you start? Change management 101.

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Like many small businesses we’ve run across, the “company” started with an idea. Maybe it was a product or service that you thought would have it’s own niche in today’s market. And when you talked about it with one or more of your friends, they saw the possibility in it too. It was exciting and you started by defining your roles (if you have a partner or two) – who was going to do what – and set a few goals to get the ball rolling.

The idea gained some momentum, you created a website, found an investor or two and put your product or service on the market. Did your product take off and demand immediate (unplanned) growth in both personnel and inventory? Did your service initially catch fire, and then sputter as you met ongoing challenges in delivery? Did your small business venture reach 50 + employees and you are realizing that you don’t recognize all the new faces or monitor the turnover?

Here’s another scenario I’ve seen. Your product was a great idea, but you never realized how much work the company would demand. While you are a fantastic entrepreneur – you now see how difficult it has been to hire people who are well suited to lead a growing organization. In fact, you even hired some friends or colleagues into key positions in your organization to help out. However, now you’re seeing gaps. Is it who you hired (gulp)? Is it how you defined the roles – or how you watched personalities change once you hired your “friends?” And now you’re noticing performance deficiencies based on interpersonal conflicts at work, personal relationship issues at home, or difficulty managing a growing level of stress and anxiety.

As challenging as any or all of these problems can be for an organization, they are not unique. They crop up all the time as demand increases, business grows, and change becomes imminent.

So where do you start? Whether you decide to bury your head and fake it for a while, or continue to play the shell game with roles and responsibilities, the bottom line is that it’s time for a clear direction in addressing the need for change. Here is where Prosperity can help. As Psychologists who have worked with many people and organizations through various transitions, we truly enjoy helping companies sort out their priorities, define goals, develop potential you currently have and/or hire the right potential using the best tools and information.

Call us – or send us an email, and let’s set up a free consultation! There’s absolutely no cost to you to sit down with us and discuss what challenges you have – or what you need to get where you want to go. Let’s develop a plan and bring back that excitement that sparked this idea you had – and all the hard work you’ve put in to get this far!

Todd
720.612.0244

 

Keys:  Change management,  management,

Business complexity: Are you and your leadership team mentally tough enough?

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Someone asked me what my favorite skill of executive leadership was to examine. My answer was the ability to deal with complexity. Now that may sound vague and illusive, however leading a business and creating opportunities requires a great deal of mental flexibility, resilience, and critical thinking. After all, we are in a world where it’s essential to be able to navigate a very complex business marketplace. Circumstances and opportunities change quickly. Therefore how well you and your leadership adapt to the landscape requires a great degree of each of these skills.

So how do we take a deeper look at a leadership candidate’s mental flexibility, resilience, and critical thinking that lead to adaptability? To begin with, a comprehensive interview can uncover a great deal. The important thing is what questions are asked followed by what those responses suggest. I’m not saying there are “right answers” necessarily – because sometimes we have to be able to examine as much of what’s not said as much as we examine what is said. I know that may sound esoteric, but it’s a skill set that many of us in the field of psychology have honed. Next, we can look at the results from measures tailored to specifically assess these skills. Are we assessing someone’s psychological profile? No. Are we taking a close look at how well someone’s responses fall within the spectrum of responses that proven leaders provide? Yes. Absolutely! And when we combine the measured results with a solid interview, we’ve got a firm foundation for recommendations that are on target.

This is what makes our leadership assessments and recommendations so strong. If we can help an organization put someone with the mental flexibility, resilience, and critical thinking needed in place to get the job done – then that organization is going to thrive in this complex business marketplace.

The icing is the executive coaching we provide to new hires (or even seasoned staff) as they grab the reins and move towards excellence.

Let’s talk about your organization. Who do you need in what key positions? Who has the ability to lead the organization?

Give us a call. We would love to help! 720.612.0244

Culture counts – now more than ever!

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I happened upon an interesting white paper that discussed the importance of workplace culture.  Culture and environmental factors in the workplace are hot topics these days – almost to the point that they have become simple buzz words that get thrown around without much consideration as to what is truly meant.  However, if you give some thought as to how important good employees are to the overall success of a company, understanding what motivates and supports them by what is said, felt, and done in the workplace is imperative.

Here’s a little excerpt by Michelle Maldonado from American Public University whose interview of Tatiana Sehring provides some insightful thoughts on the matter:

“Q: Based on your experience, what are some of the key drivers of change that leaders should consider?

Tatiana: Over the last few years, we’ve begun to see leaders speaking more openly about their leadership styles. They have sparked conversation with new approaches like conscious capitalism. This and other key changes have come from great leadership, vision and culture that serve to empower, develop, believe, care for, and ultimately inspire employees. Some of these more visible leaders understand that when you intrinsically motivate people in a way that aligns a person’s purpose, passion and skillset with an organization’s vision, strategy and needs, it can have a significant impact on an organization’s viability and sustainability. In fact, employee-satisfaction surveys reinforce that the integration of soft skills and abilities such as authentic leadership development in the workplace can significantly impact profits. There are multiple industry studies that continue to report significant gaps in developing leadership, soft skill, and technical competencies. Conversely, many companies are successfully taking organizational performance to the next level by incorporating these universal, core development components into their cultures, values and missions, and are showing a positive return on investment. There’s a great report that the Human Capital Institute and MHS published last year called, Leadership and Emotional Intelligence: The Keys to Driving ROI and Organizational Performance. Their research shows that organizations that spend more than 31% of their annual training and development budget specifically on leadership development are 12% more likely to report increased revenue. There’s also a 31% gap in leadership development effectiveness between organizations where emotional intelligence is valued. This data demonstrates the need for companies to consistently emphasize, integrate and support leadership development across organizational settings. There are also emerging considerations for culture transformation today taking the main stage in highly successful corporations such as mindfulness and authentic leadership. These are valuable tools that organizations can use to help motivate employees which, ultimately, contribute to sustained organizational success. In February 2014, Time Magazine featured a cover story, The Mindful Revolution, which explores how to focus in a society in which we’re being pulled in many different directions. What’s refreshing and much needed are that these considerations are becoming mainstream conversations. Leaders are making the direct correlation between people investment and higher employee and organizational performance through the balanced integration of learning and development. They’re incorporating emotional intelligence, mindful leadership techniques and other soft skills throughout the entire employee life cycle. That’s really the bottom line, no pun intended. (Laughing)”

 

To download the entire white paper with additional thoughts visit:

http://www.hr.com/en/resources/free_whitepapers/higher-vision-higher-calling_if4flpdm.html

 

 

The Importance of Hiring a Superstar for your Company

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It’s not rocket science – it’s the science of people. The steps you can take to make good people-decisions are not difficult, especially when the consequence of making even one bad decision can be so costly!

Check out the link below courtesy of Tony Robbins to hear more about the importance of selecting great employees. Let me know what you think, and contact me if you need assistance with hiring for your own company. Todd

Why Prosperity Matters

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Prosperity: noun. A successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, especially in financial respects; good fortune. Prosperity  business.

abundance-of-fruit-867856__180
abundance of fruit (Pixabay)

(Though most people think of money when they think of prosperity, I think of prosperity as being abundant in all aspects of your life. Also, our 9-year old is obsessed with fruit and loves it way more than money, so the picture above made her salivate. What makes you feel prosperous depends on one’s perspective–and age!)

WHY PROSPERITY MATTERS

When was the last time you asked someone how things were going and they responded with anything like this: “Awesome, thanks! Everything in my life is better than I could have ever dreamed?” My guess is you haven’t heard that often. More likely, the answer is along the lines of “Well, they’re going,” or “I’m hanging in there,” or the standard, but definitely not awesome, “good.” Why is that?

You could argue that the first response is bragging, and that “good” is simply our accepted societal norm. Maybe we don’t always think the people asking really want an honest answer. If saying your life is thriving is considered a brag or goes against what we think people want to hear, then I’m here to advocate that we need to change our expectations—that we should strive to attain our dreams rather than just to “hang in there.” We should change what we consider the norm. If having an awesome life was the new normal, we’d find the other responses above to stand out rather than the other way around.

What we tell ourselves matters. If you aim for average, that’s what you’ll get. It’s like that commercial where a young girl discusses her life dreams and sarcastically proclaims “I want to claw my way to middle management.” When you accept the message if that if you work really hard and persevere, you’ll maybe earn enough to make ends meet, then you likely won’t go beyond that. What if you dared to dream bigger than that? If you shoot for the stars, you may not quite hit them, but you’ll sure as heck make it way past average.

So why does prosperity matter? Because if more people were living the life of their dreams—a life where they truly felt alive and that they were thriving, it would help everyone. There’s a saying that a rising tide lifts all boats, and we need to step up and help lift each other by becoming our best possible selves. One of the quotes I often share with my clients is by Marianne Williamson: “It is not that we fear …but that we are more powerful .” My job with individual clients is to encourage them to step into their power, and I’m asking you to do the same.

Imagine the good you could do if you were living at your highest level—doing work that was meaningful to you, having amazing relationships with friends and family, experiencing wonderful adventures, and maintaining an abundant flow of money. Aside from the obvious benefit of being in the position to financially help out causes and organizations close to your heart, you’ll also be a beacon to others, a role model of the amazing things that are possible when you refuse to accept the norm. You’ll help create the new norm, one of prosperity.

I dare each of you to aim a little higher, dream a little bigger, then take a step in that direction. Every big goal is reached not by one huge leap, but through putting one foot in front of the other until you get there.

Until next time. 🙂 Dr. Kristi