Issue 7: 7 out of 10 Managers
We love research! Knowing what trends there are out in the world can help you review your own and your organisation’s behaviours. Looking at the larger context can help us assess where we are going right and where we are going wrong.
So we read with interest last February’s ‘The Recruiter magazine that lead with the headline “Seven in 10 line managers get people decisions wrong”. Based on research under taken by OPP, this statistic highlighted a significant failure rate in recruiting.
We started imagining all the costs related to these poor hiring decisions; the recruitment costs, wasted training, time wasted coaching, lowered morale of existing staff, mistakes and errors on the job... the mind boggles!!
As such, this month’s Colour-bites article is devoted to recruitment and asks, “What can we do to help and improve the recruitment process?”
Firstly the golden rule of recruitment has to be to hire based on the person’s proven competency in, or the shown ability to be trained into, the task. Once this has been defined by good CV analysis and screening, a short list can be created.
It’s at this point that personality assessments can help. We would suggest two stages of thought.
- What is the personality of the Job; key attributes, strengths, style and approach
- How can I assess/compare the style/personality of my short listed people against that?
Someone defined culture as “the way we do things round here.” It is highly relevant to define the culture of a company, a department, even of a team. We need to ask who will fit in to how we “do things round here”. With senior hires “do we need someone who can change this?”
The Insights colours and specifically the Searchlight Job Personality profile can help. It allows you to see the type of personality that will fit the job as you see it, alongside your colleague’s perception of the best fit. This is a very personal perception and although some of people may see it your way, others may disagree.
Just as in the picture opposite some see a young lady while others see an old! Which view is right? Better to find out such different perceptions of the right candidate before the expense of interviews!
“But it is not that complicated we just need a good sales person.” Good point, we all agree we need someone who is...
- Naturally decisive and who hits all the numbers
- Accurate and diligent with paperwork, objective and detailed
- Empathic listener who build strong customer loyalty
- Will give lively and entertaining presentations thinking on their feet.
Clearly the very best sales candidate will be able to deliver in all these areas. But which is most important to you and your customers? Where should the candidate’s dominant power lie?
We can help identify whether you and your colleagues agree on which type of person is going to be best suited for a position.
Taken for an Insights Searchlight Job Profile, each person’s answers gives a dot on the Insights Wheel (see over, composite of all choices shown in grey).
So... lots of red wanted! But there is a definite split here between those wanting a quite extraverted person (red dots) and 3 others looking for someone more introverted (blue and green dots). We say better to talk about such differences in opinion before interviews!
If you would like to try FREE OF CHARGE with your group to see if you agree what a new member should be like, then just email profiles@mrdynamics.com with JOB in the title line and we will send you the simple instructions on what to do.
Final Thoughts
- How much do you consider ‘fit’ with your management style or team/company culture when you recruit?
- Have you ever experienced the maxim, “hired on competence, fired on attitude”?
- Do you considered and/or involved a client in the selection of their new account manager?
- How many hiring mistakes have you seen that could have been avoided?
We hope you have enjoyed this edition. Next edition of colour bites we will talk about the Candidate Interview.
“It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves.”
Carl G Jung
"I got different strokes for different folks"
Cassius Clay, 1966
Best regards
Marcus
Director
marcus@mrdynamics.com
www.mrdynamics.com
* NOTE; Job profile offer only available to UK readers.
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“Every advance, every achievement of mankind, has been connected with an advance in self awareness.” C. G. Jung, Psychological Reflections
M R Dynamics ltd is a leading licensed Insights Discovery Distributors of Insights Discovery Profiles and Training. We work with organisations to improve business performance through developing skills, attitudes and capabilities. Each month we would like to introduce our readers to aspects of our work.
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