Objective assessment can both provide confidence and challenge pre-conceptions about talent decisions.
We’re passionate about helping both individuals and organisations to achieve their potential. At the same time we recognise the misery of being in the wrong role. We can help you to understand and measure strengths, limitations and risks, and ensure the right people occupy the right roles at the right time.
We provide accurate, objective and clear insights that are easy to interpret – although our assessments are rigorous and deep, we don’t use ‘psycho-babble‘ or technical language.
External, objective assessment helps to ensure that individual and group development is focused on the fewest things that will make the greatest difference.
We differentiate ourselves from competitors:
- We use breadth of knowledge about both people and roles to bring to life how individuals will perform in role
- We’re experts at defining assessment criteria – the measures. We go beyond this, how do they fit together? What will it mean in role?
- Our assessment approach is rigorous, whilst allowing candidates to show themselves at their best.
Assessment Strategies.
Five tips to make change happen.
Rubbish in, rubbish out
No matter how robust your assessment process, if you’re measuring unhelpful or irrelevant things, you won’t find out what you need to know. We use our experience and your insight to ensure we are measuring the things that really make a difference in role and organisation.
2. Don’t shoot too high.
Careful consideration of the purpose of assessment is key. It’s a powerful ‘lever’ but people are complex individuals, not robots, so outcomes are never black and white – they are a snapshot in time. Realism is also important – based on a typical norm curve, a large percentage of people are doing a good job.
Mistakes can be made where the benchmark is set too high and aimed at only the highest performers, who actually make up a very small portion of the workforce. This can disengage the (very capable) masses and create a negative picture that doesn’t do an organisation justice.
Context is king
Different roles and the same roles in different contexts may require a different set of behaviours for success. Success in one area does not always translate to success in another. A deep understanding of the context surrounding any role or individual is vital for accurate assessment and insight.
Clean criteria
When defining assessment criteria we don’t combine lots of different behaviours. Instead we focus on what really makes a difference and separates the average from the outstanding. Trying to measure several together creates confusion and muddies the water.
Embrace diversity
Diversity of every kind across the spectrum is important, from thinking style to sex and race. If you define how things should be done based on what has been done in the past, or who has done it, you will block capable individuals who make take a different but no less valid approach.
We understand that you want to ensure this experience is both enriching and rewarding for the individuals who you nominate. As such we will take an approach that is clearly led by the principles of developing rather than selecting.
Both development and selection assessments are context specific, rigorous, have strong validity and provide clear outcomes and implications for both participants and their organisation. They are different however, and the difference goes beyond writing the report in the first person…
To enable true development it’s very important that individuals have a clear, objective picture of their current state compared to where they would ideally like to be in the future. They must understand the gaps and how they can close them. This future state is often less important with selection assessments, which are more about someone’s ability to do the job now.
To gain maximum benefits, individuals must feel that they ‘own’ their data. Experienced assessors must use their knowledge of the individual to consider how to position their messages effectively (both in the report and in person) so they can be heard, accepted and understood. This nuance is less important with selection, where the messages tend to be more direct and written for the hiring manager.
To embed learning and development, we always recommend that insights are fed back to individuals over a series of coaching conversations to ensure that key messages are understood and explored, and action-plans are created. This prevents ‘rejection’ by participants because they don’t understand what the feedback is telling them, or they cannot come to terms with the content. It also embeds long-term change.
We inspire clients to make their most challenging business decisions with confidence. Send us a message, or phone 07912 410730 between 09:00 and 18:00 Monday to Friday — we would be delighted to speak about how we could help your firm.
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"I’ll help you start the right way with a customized plan to get your business moving forward."
Paula Broadbent
Founder & Managing Director