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Here is an interesting question that has come up several times during the last year.  It's important to remember that our behavior is strongly influenced by basic personality preferences, and this is a good example of how to "read" those preferences:

"We are in the process of hiring a project manager, and we are really impressed with a candidate we interviewed yesterday.  His job will require him to keep track of lots of details, schedule several providers, and maintain inventory.  Our concern, therefore, is with his organizational skills.  Do you have a test that will evaluate how important he feels it is to organize his work?"

And The Answer Is

Yes!  The Helm Preference Inventory, which is the heart of the Performance Profile, includes a scale that is called "Organization/Structure/Planning," (O/S/P) and this is the scale that allows the person to indicate how important he feels it is to do just that - organize and structure his or her work.

High ratings on this scale ("7" and above) indicate that the person has a strong, internal preference for organizing a task before beginning it - making lists, planning the correct sequence of activities, and keeping appointment books and calendars up-to-date.  Low ratings ("4" and below), on the other hand, indicate that the person has a strong internal preference for understanding the purpose and goals of a task.  Once this understanding is achieved, a person with a low O/S/P rating often feels as if the task is done.  A person with a low rating can learn to organize and structure work, but he or she will usually need specific instructions, and repeated reminders, to do so.
 

Finding good managers is tough, but keeping them can be even tougher.  Let's face it:  it's important not only to hire good people, but also to keep them.  Turnover costs money, and not just from the bottom line; it also creates indirect costs in lost customer goodwill, poor morale among remaining staff, and replacement costs.

The good news is that it is not difficult to design a hiring system that also improves retention.  The way to keep good managers is a two-step process:

            Step 1:  Fully evaluate each management applicant;

            Step 2:  Help each manager make consistent progress in developing his or her full

potential.

Let's take a look at the reasons for both steps.

Marry in haste, repent at leisure

This is not just a good idea in matrimonial matters; the basic principle applies to the hiring process as well.  If you hire "in haste" - that is, without taking the time to carefully evaluate each candidate's knowledge, experience, skills, and abilities - the odds are good that you will have plenty of time to regret it.  Instead, take the time to do a systematic and thorough job of learning everything that you can about your manager candidates, so that the "face" you see in the interview is one you will recognize after a few weeks on the job.

Set Up A Selection System

A thorough evaluation of an applicant includes, but is not necessarily limited to, at least three interviews (best case?  with three different people), a thorough background check (Yes, verify the education!), drug screening if that is a job-relevant factor, and a Performance Profile.  Put all that information on the table, and from it you can build a detailed picture of each applicant.  Remember, the more that you know about each candidate - that is, the better you know them as individuals - the lower the chance that there will be unexpected surprises later!

The Matrimonial Example Extended

There is always the problem, lurking in the background, that after you learn all about your candidates, you will find things you don't like about each one.  In that case, it's tempting to say to yourself, "He's not exactly what we want, but we can shape him up."  Beware!  That's very much like the prospective bride who thinks to herself, "I know he isn't perfect, but I can change him later."  In both cases, change or improvement in fundamental personal preferences is a long shot.

But there is an important point to make about change and improvement:  it can be made, given the right motivation and circumstances.  All that is required by you, during the selection process, is that you take as clear a look as you can at all that you learn about each of your candidates, and make reasonable decisions about what you learn.

And Then Go On To STEP 2!

Don't forget:  this is a two-step process.  Take that second step with all of your managers:  help each manager develop his or her full potential by creating a systematic development or personal training program.

How Does Step 2 Help Retention?

Each of us wants to feel valued, whether it is in the personal or professional part of our life.  Making a company-wide commitment to helping your managers maximize their professional performance, through assistance with their growth and development, shows that you value them and develops their loyalty to the company.  And there's another benefit:  the more your managers learn to maximize their productivity, the better it is for the company!

How Can You Go About Setting Up A Professional Development Program With Limited Resources?

It isn't necessary to develop and implement an expensive, multi-layered program to make it clear to your managers that you support their commitment to their continued growth and development.  Start with what you know about your managers:  what are the developmental needs that were identified during the selection process?  For example, if you have a number of managers who have needs in the area of energy level, stamina, or similar areas that are strongly influenced by life-style, start with an internal education program about healthy living and eating.

More ideas:  Identify experienced managers who work particularly well with subordinates, and create a mentoring/coaching program.  Assign new managers to an internal mentor, and make sure they meet regularly.  Use the WEB to find training (either seminars, on-line training, or continuing education courses) that addresses the needs you have already identified.  Make sure each new manager that you hire identifies areas in which he or she would like to develop, and then work together to develop an Action Plan.

What you do is less important than making the effort with each manager to develop a program, which will likely evolve into something quite different than the way it started out.  The key to successful development programs is that they be flexible and responsive to the needs of the individuals who participate.

A Commercial Message:

If you are using the Performance Profile to assist you in making hiring decisions and are not using the Professional Development Guide to help develop the people you hire, then you are getting only about 50% of the potential benefits available to your company with our program.  Our Performance Profile has a built-in development program available already, the Professional Development Guide report, at no additional charge!  The Professional Development Guide is a report that we provide, along with the Performance Profile Report, which combines credible feedback for the person as well as a plan for pursuing professional growth.  It is positive and supportive, and it is customized for each person based on what the person said about himself or herself on the Performance Profile questionnaires.

The Professional Development Guide can be used as a stand-alone substitute for a coach or mentor.  It provides specific activities, readings, and suggestions for improvement in every major personality area that affects on-the-job behavior.  Even better, however, is to use the Professional Development Guide in the context of a management development program, with feedback from supervisors, and follow-up to plot the progress of the Action Plan.

Make sure that every manager who completes a Performance Profile receives his or her Professional Development Guide.

The "Intelligence" rating on the Performance Profile Report indicates a baseline of an individual's intellectual capacity, the use of which may either be enhanced or hindered by a variety of conditions.

For example, a candidate whose rated "Intelligence" is in the moderate range (a "5" or a "6") may actually make excellent decisions on the job, and demonstrate a strong problem-solving ability that is well above what you had expected.  Factors such as motivation, job-relevant work experience, and general health all can affect how well a person performs.  It's as if nothing else is getting in this person's way.

On the other hand, you may occasionally have a candidate whose intellectual capacity is very strong (a "9", for example) who nevertheless makes poor decisions on the job, or seem stymied by relatively simple problems.  Fatigue, personal problems, stress, or operating too far outside his or her knowledge area are factors that could be affecting this person's intellectual usage.