After They're Hired ... Don't File Away Those Assessments!
It was a long, challenging search but you've finally identified
the ideal candidate. You used a thorough process to define the
requirements of the position. After a second round of
interviews, you administered a well-validated selection
instrument and ran several reports. After reviewing all of the
information, the answer was clear...the candidate is perfect for
the role! Now what happens to the information that you gleaned
from this process? Once the candidate has accepted the offer,
many organizations I know will promptly file the assessment
results in their recruitment files and close off the search. As
helpful as the reports were in the selection process, they then
gather dust. In my work as a Leadership Coach I have found
inordinate value in the use of Assessment results AFTER the
selection process is complete. Once the new hire is in the new
position, powerful insights can be gained from the reports,
providing further value to the organization and new hires alike.
I recently coached a sales executive, Peter (not his real name),
who had moved into a challenging new role. Within the first week
of joining the organization, Peter and I met for the start of a
3-month executive onboarding program. One of the first steps in
the process was to have a full debrief of the model underlying
the Assessment tool and the reports that were produced, based on
his input. In our initial meeting, it was evident that Peter was
inordinately fired-up about charting a new course for the sales
organization. He was like a racehorse charging out of the gate,
eager to have his direct reports embrace the ideas he had, based
on his experience at his former company. We walked through
Assessment. His particular profile revealed that he was a highly
results-oriented, driven individual, who verbalizes a lot and
displays an extremely fast-pace. As we talked, he began to see
that rather than creating a connection with his direct
reports... something he was very interested in doing... he was
in effect shutting them down. Peter was so excited to share his
ideas that he was coming on like gang-busters. Peter's direct
reports were shaking their heads saying, "Who does he think he
is? I wish he would simply LISTEN to us and we could tell him
about the challenges we face in this company and how they need
to be addressed." In many organizations it would be months down
the road, when the proverbial car is already in the ditch, that
Peter's manager would contact Human Resources with the command
to "give this guy some 360-degree feedback so he can see what
he's doing to his people!" Building in a confidential,
one-on-one debrief of the Assessment up-front, before the
pressures are too intense and the leader has already created a
"name" for himself... is a proactive investment in preventing
derailment. In my research on success factors and derailers in
the first 3 months with a new employer, "listening and
observing" is one of the most important behaviours for leaders
to demonstrate. Providing the benefit of this research, coupled
with information from the individual's own profile, is a
powerful way to help the new hire internalize the messages they
need to get right away. Peter and I were also able to spend time
with his Manager, helping her to appreciate where she might need
to help Peter to course correct in the first few months, because
of his particular profile. So... what could you do to more
proactively and deliberately build an Assessment debrief into
the process of transitioning a new employee into their new role?
What additional support could you be providing to the new hire's
manager? How might this set them both up for success? In my
Clearing the 90-Day Hurdle