Performance Programs Blog

New Blog Site!!

2011-08-12T13:46:00.001-04:00

Please visit our new blog site for our latest news, opinions and insights!
http://blog.performanceprograms.com/

How annoying are you?

2011-06-08T09:38:00.046-04:00

Science reveals the Irritating, the Picky and the Arrogant: take the free assessment

We have something a little light and fun to start off the summer of 2011. . .

I had the opportunity recently to work with Joe Palca and Flora Lichtman of National Public Radio’s Science Friday. They recently published the book, Annoying—The Science of What Bugs Us. Joe’s interviews with people about what makes some so annoying had led him to our colleague Bob Hogan, whose Hogan Development Survey is all about how people can unintentionally derail their reputations and careers.

So we all worked to develop a short survey, sent it out to a few hundred of our closest friends and developed the "Annoying Inventory." When we got the results, we did a quick factor analysis and found that annoying people fall into three categories: Irritating, Picky and Arrogant.

The "Picky" person has a detail focus and often the micromanager’s “my way or the highway” approach to working with others. "Arrogant" people are, well, arrogant. They criticize others’ efforts and like to be the focus of attention. People who can’t trust others or who are hard to please are in the "Irritating" category. It’s all very annoying.

Palca writes: What is the recipe for annoyance? For starters, it should be temporary, unpleasant, and unpredictable, like a boring meeting or mosquito bites. For example, why is that guy talking on his cell phone over there so annoying? For one, it’s unpleasant and distracting. Second, we don’t know, and can’t control, when it will end. Third, we can’t not listen! Our brains are hardwired to pay close attention to people talking and follow the conversations. The loud chatter pulls our brains away to listen to half of something we’re never going to understand.

In Annoying—The Science of What Bugs Us, Palca and Lichtman look at annoying behaviors at work, in politics, sports, science and, yes, even romance.

How annoying are you? You can find out for free by taking the assessment here.

We’ll compare your answers to the current norms for Arrogance, Irritating-ness and Pickiness, and tell you where you rank on general Annoyingness.

The Hunt for Executive Talent is Getting More Competitive – Cultural Flexibility in Demand

2011-05-18T13:04:00.039-04:00

Source: Wall Street Journal, 4/11/2011

“Global businesses are looking for leaders who have the ability to move easily between different cultures and have deep local roots as well as international operational experience…. The talent pool is very small.”

When there is not enough immediately qualified talent, you have two options.

Design the work to fit the people you can find, or
Hire people who will respond to training efforts who can then fill the spots.

The latter option is probably more efficient. And there are three excellent assessments that directly address cultural flexibility that you can use with your global-based clients to develop their own talent pool.

The granddaddy in the field was originally developed in the 1970s for the Peace Corps: the Overseas Assignment Inventory. The OAI eventually found its way into the capabilities provided by Prudential Intercultural. Working with Prudential we extensively revised and revalidated it in 2008. It focuses on successful expatriate adjustment to a foreign assignment. Some of the secrets to success that it reveals are:

Having both personal and career motivations for wanting the assignment
Having a clear set of job tasks in the new assignment
Having high quality communication and support from family

Other skills that make things go smoothly for expatriates are realistic expectations, respect for beliefs that differ from one’s own, and willingness to be open to letting others know you.

All of these are part personality tendency and part learned behavior, so the assessment points out areas for development.

The Global Assessment Inventory (GAI) was designed to look at the skills a person has working cross culturally but not as an expatriate. The most important areas here are global sensitivity (recognize the value of different perspectives), risk taking (flexibility in solving problems), and patience. As with the OAI, the assessment provides a view of personal tendencies and behavior, comparing you with those who successfully navigate cross-cultural relationship situations. Then it offers development recommendations on how you can do better.

The third assessment we recommend, Global Mindset Inventory (GMI), comes out of Thunderbird School of Global Management, which is ranked #1 among business schools in international business. Professors there have studied thousands of their graduates (see HBR article) who are employed all over the globe and identified the set of competencies of high-performers:

Intellectual Capital – Your cognitive capabilities, business savvy, and cosmopolitan outlook
Psychological Capital – Your level of confidence, sense of adventure and appreciation of diversity
Social Capital – Your empathy, diplomacy and interpersonal impact

For a more detailed description of the personal capabilities that make a difference in global talent, refer to their article from the April 2010 Harvard Business Review.

Development is the surest way to increase your talent pool and it begins with accurate, appropriate assessment. This is one more way to make Human Resources a strategic competitive advantage.

Executive Assessment and a Charge of Sexual Harassment

2011-04-01T10:58:00.003-04:00

We present this blog from consultant Jodie-Beth Galos who is both a lawyer and an executive coach. The situation she presents is an amalgam of several from her career, and it highlights how an assessment can be part of a solution for a very sensitive problem.

It’s a nightmare: a valid sexual harassment complaint against a senior executive. It could be a CEO or CFO, or any head of marketing, operations, information services, etc.

The organization faces serious external legal challenges and internal credibility issues. Showing good faith and improving the organization’s position by firing the executive isn’t in the cards—you can’t or don’t want to take that step. The executive is otherwise an asset to the organization, possessing expertise difficult to replace.

The problem won’t be solved by a written warning or by sending the executive to a sensitivity class. This particular executive is skilled at rationalizing and externalizing blame. The charge is seen as a lie or retribution for something the executive did. So any harassment prevention training will be disregarded, accountability for behavior change won’t occur and the odds are set for a repeat performance. Legal risks remain, coupled with the probability of harm to future employees.

Assessment can be a part of a different approach to reduce the very real liabilities.

The executive needs to express credible remorse without killing your case. Your employees need reassurance that the organization doesn’t advocate a culture of expedience: the rules apply to everyone, even or especially to those at the helm.

The solution? An individual, intensive coaching intervention combined with follow-up to minimize a repeat problem.

A first step is to engage a coach familiar with harassment litigation, and who can listen to the executive’s view of what actually happened. This includes discussion about the personal relationship between the executive and the person charging harassment, reflecting distorted views of romantic involvement and the executive’s need to be in charge. This helps promote empathy for the victim’s experience, a key step.

Next, the executive needs to take steps to picture behavior in a greater context. Multi-rater 360 assessments (such as the Clark Wilson Group Executive Survey) provide the feedback necessary for the executive to learn how others perceive their actions. So the harassment victim is not singled out but part of the network of relationships the executive has with other employees.

Of course this needs to be combined with tutorials on discrimination and harassment law, and organizational policy and procedure. The responsibilities of management then take on real significance. By reflecting on the ways in which the conduct violated another’s rights, the potential for repetition of the problem conduct is dramatically reduced or even eliminated.

And, the executive is positioned to create a thoughtful action plan to improve a broad spectrum of leadership effectiveness, moving from personal feelings to an appreciation of personal impact. Follow-up coaching supports self awareness and achievement of the action plan.

Accountability replaces defensiveness, and openness replaces anger. The executive finds balance, prepared to distinguish between friendly business interactions and inappropriate behavior. With a development approach like this, a nightmare can become an organizational culture-reforming message in disguise.

Jodie-Beth Galos, Esq., SPHR is a consultant and executive coach who specializes in counseling C Suite executives accused of harassment and discrimination. Her background as a former litigator and HR professional makes her uniquely suited to reducing legal liability while improving leadership effectiveness. She has effectively testified on behalf of organizations as a fact witness. Her website is http://www.jbgalos.com/.

The high IQ quarterback—can a job candidate be too smart?

2011-03-11T11:49:00.003-05:00

Sources: Fort Worth Star Telegram; Palm Beach Post Sports, 3/3/2011

The National Football League sets an interesting example for human resources with its annual Scouting Combine that just happened in February. It’s the NFL’s way of triangulating data, because players that may not have stellar college seasons behind them might still have what it takes to play professional football.

The Combine assesses candidates from a different perspective. Top college players are invited to Indianapolis for a weeklong assessment of all the job qualifications you might expect: size, strength and speed. The NFL also conducts cognitive testing during the Combine.

This year’s Combine had the sports press scratching its head over the question of whether or not a player can be too smart when candidate Tim McElroy nearly “aced” the Wonderlic assessment. The Alabama quarterback scored 48 out of a possible 50 points.

The Wonderlic was developed by E.F. Wonderlic in the 1930’s and served a similar role during World War II. NFL teams have used it for many years to help identify smart players. We periodically use cognitive assessments in our work with clients. The Wonderlic is primarily for entry-level positions. For management positions, we most often use the Hogan Business Reasoning Inventory. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Inventory is ideal at the executive level to evaluate critical thinking skills. It’s also one of the assessments used for screening into the “high IQ” MENSA society.

Aptitude and intelligence testing has a long history. Alfred Binet developed one of the first systematic assessments in France in the late 1800’s, and it was used to distinguish between “educable” school-age children, and those who would not benefit from a public school education. In World War I psychologists used intelligence tests to identify potential leaders, using a written form for those who could read and a symbolic version for those who could not.

All of the assessments of this type reflect a secret widely known in industrial psychology: Smart people do better. Like any rule of thumb, though, it doesn’t tell the whole story. The truth is that being smart helps to a point, but being very, very smart may not be so good.

As with the NFL, corporate HR is wise to balance its assessments to get a complete “picture” of any candidate.

So let’s go back to our very smart quarterback. With the NFL average Wonderlic score at 24 and McElroy at 48, what might be worrying people?

For starters, being smarter than the coaches can be challenging to team hierarchy. Then there is the fact that any extreme ability can be distancing from others who see the person as very different. Great insight can come across as arrogance if it isn’t tempered by an appropriate sense of position.

Sometimes very smart people can’t make a decision; because they love considering the many possible ways a problem can be studied. And it’s a cliché, but true, that some very smart people get separated from “common sense” by considerations the rest of us would never contemplate. Most of us probably encountered a professor along the way who had two feet firmly in the air.

My father was a great supporter of education, the more the better. But he also once told me, during my trek towards a Ph.D., to make sure that too much education didn’t make me stupid. While educational achievement and being smart don’t necessarily go together, I understood his point. I met quite a few very smart people who did very stupid things as I navigated graduate school and then when I entered the world of work.

So like any other trait, motive, or capability, when taken to an extreme, being smart can hurt you. But most of us don’t have to worry about that, do we?

Leadership With Tears – The Impact of Emotion

2011-03-03T13:25:00.002-05:00

Sources: CBS 60 Minutes, John Boehner interview with Lesley Stahl, Dec 12, 2010

A little crying on the floor of the US House of Representatives this week reminded me of how I was struck by last month’s 60 Minutes segment profiling our new House Speaker, John Boehner. Boehner cried at several points during that interview, each time related to a comment or question about living the American Dream. The report also showed clips of other famous political criers. The 1972 tears of Edmund Muskie, Hillary Clinton during her presidential campaign in 2008, George Bush talking of the family tragedies brought about by 9-11, and even Barack Obama on the death of his grandmother the day before his election to president.

I started to think of other situations where there were tears, and when they were good or bad from a leadership influence standpoint. And I remember the maxim “there are no happy tears” from my graduate school training.
Whether or not the tears are appropriate (or effective, from a leadership standpoint) is definitely bound by culture. Certain environments or organizational climates tolerate emotional expression, while others don’t. I can envision an emotional outburst at an advertising agency, where creative energies must flow rather freely to generate new ideas, as an acceptable response. I can also envision the discomfort among passengers in an airplane when a teary pilot announces trouble up ahead.

In leadership situations, I don’t think that gender makes a difference even if there is a gender difference.

People pointed to Muskie’s tears as the end to his 1972 campaign. But watching the clip on 60 Minutes gave me a different thought. Muskie denied he cried, despite the video evidence, saying they were snowflakes melting on his cheek. I am too young to remember the ‘72 campaign very well, but I suspect the career-ending event was more to do with the denial of tears than their presence.

Many have criticized conservative commentator Glenn Beck, who apparently cries regularly on his show, as trying to manipulate others by using his tears to connect emotionally with his audience. Beck’s politics and behavior splits people quite distinctly into lovers or haters. The lovers agree with his views and see the tears as genuine. The haters disagree with his views and see the tears as fake.

In 2008 Hillary’s tears showed her as a more vulnerable, warm person with a heart—something that was not much in her reputation at the time. I think tears also worked well in the situations that led to George Bush and Barack Obama welling up on camera. And they worked well, I think, for John Boehner, largely because they were genuine and not apparently manipulative. He admits that people who know him “know that I cry” and that it is part of what makes him who he is.

Authenticity, or being genuine, seems to be the key when it comes to tears in leadership.

Author: Dr. Paul M. Connolly

Independent as Icarus: Are you overplaying your strengths?

2011-02-09T13:13:00.002-05:00

In a few weeks we’ll be launching a new assessment designed to help you answer this question. We’ve been working with author-entrepreneur John Bradberry, whose book Six Secrets to Startup Success: How to Turn Your Entrepreneurial Passion into a Thriving Business, will be hitting bookstores in March.

We worked with John and his team to create the Entrepreneur Core Characteristics Profile (ECCP) that is designed to give you insight into 11 key personal attributes associated with entrepreneurial success.

John’s work supports that of others who have researched this topic, pointing out a high achievement orientation, confidence and resilience. What I found interesting about his approach was the identification of several “Icarus” factors, basically when there is too much of a good thing. One of those factors, for example, is independence. While it is good to be able to stand on your own, a successful entrepreneur also has to be able to engage others to solve problems.

You can read more about these “Icarus” factors on John’s blog.

The concept of strengths being taken to extremes and turning into ineffectiveness can be seen in many psychological measures. Those who score very high in Adjustment may seem cold and aloof. Those scoring high in Ambition compete with others on their own teams. Those high in conceptual thinking or inquisitiveness study problems without recognizing the need to act.

Why is it so hard for people with a strong uniqueness to manage it? One reason is that people recognize unusual differences, and that is often a source of recognition. For example: Joe is very outgoing. Or, Jane is a good problem-solver. Those compliments can lead to justified pride in something that makes us special. And over time that pride can be cement for a person’s identity.

Another key reason is that unusual traits often lead to a success. In my own case I have been known to have a fair bit of persistence. This tendency helped me get through several barriers along the way, including getting through graduate school and starting a business. But that same attribute had also led me to an early but spectacular failure in college, when I couldn’t give up on a medical career despite more than ample evidence that it was simply not a realistic option for me. I nearly flunked out of school rather than recognize that my skills were in a different direction. There is a difference between persistence and blind obstinacy, a nuance that is often lost on someone whose strength is the ability to keep trying.

There are definitely clusters of attributes that are common to particular jobs. In our next entry, we’ll review the research on a sample of 75 widely recognized, high-achieving women. These results show what they have in common and how they are different, in terms of what it takes to be successful, on either the corporate or entrepreneurial track.

The Stress Head Game Part 2: Motivation and Job Fit

2011-01-26T08:53:00.013-05:00

Why is one person's manageable job another's stress nightmare? We look at the role of motivation and job fit as it relates to the recent resignation of Pfizer's 55-year-old CEO, Jeffrey Kindler, due to too much stress. Wall Street Journal, CEO’s Stress Worried Pfizer

In Part 1, we looked at the role of a specific personality tendency and how it relates to personal stress.

Personality doesn’t tell the whole story when it comes to job stress. Another aspect related to stress is the type of challenge created by the context of the work versus individual motivation. Over time a mismatch creates fatigue and can lead to exhaustion.

I think Frederick Herzberg, writing in the 1960’s, highlighted the importance of motivational alignment quite effectively. Paraphrasing his Motivation-Hygiene theory, Herzberg said that when the job environment matches motivation the situation is challenging. It is like being hooked up to a generator all day. At the end of the day a person goes home fatigued, but it is a happy fatigue. Alternatively when the job environment does not match motivation the situation is fatiguing. It is like being on battery power, discharging energy throughout the day. The person goes home fatigued in need of a recharge. In an update to 1960’s thinking, consider the battery to be a NiCad, losing capacity at each recharge, until at some point it simply refuses a charge.

It isn’t much of a stretch to think that Kindler’s motivational NiCad hit a critical point and just wasn’t accepting a charge. News reports say that Kindler was constantly fatigued by his role, and had reached burnout.

Stress, then, can be either positive or negative.

Positive stress is when we engage in a situation or task that feeds our motivation. Thus, the stress we experience represents a challenge. Our energy meets the challenge, and our work is a fulfilling expression of the challenge. An example would be a person who wishes to have structure being presented an opportunity to introduce structure to a free-flowing process.

Negative stress is when we engage in a situation or task that detracts from our motivation. The stress we experience represents something frustrating, something that needs to be changed or removed so that we no longer need to put up with it. An example would be a person who seeks out individual recognition while being immersed in an organization that only recognizes team efforts.

While there is a clear set of personality traits associated with executive leadership, motivational alignment is much more situational. But both of these are critical factors for selection of the right person for an opportunity. Assessments can help hiring organizations find this out ahead of time, as well as arm individuals with the insight they need to avoid a big mistake.

Performance Programs, Inc.

The Stress Head Game: Personality Matters

2011-01-13T08:29:00.007-05:00

Why is one person's manageable job another's stress nightmare?

The recent resignation of Pfizer's 55-year-old CEO Jeffrey Kindler was widely reported as being the result of too much stress. According to the Wall Street Journal story,

The Pfizer Inc. board was worried about how Chairman and Chief Executive Jeffrey Kindler was handling the stress of his job. He and company directors had begun looking for an inside executive to share the burden of running the world's largest drug company when Mr. Kindler suddenly decided to retire, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Certainly Kindler had his hands full at Pfizer. According to the Wall Street Journal, Pfizer's stock has sunk, and numerous R&D failures were part of the pressure. Kindler became "increasingly frazzled" to the point where his wife urged him to resign. The report goes on to say Kindler put in extraordinary personal effort, had looked for an executive to share the role, but ultimately had just "had enough," according to the article.

Pfizer is a large, complex company, but certainly other CEOs have faced similar challenges. What is it that makes the difference in how one person handles stress versus another?

While we don't have any information other than news reports about the circumstances surrounding Kindler's resignation, our work suggests a few things that may have been behind it. We'll look at two of them: personality and motivation.

There is a personality trait related to the experience of stress, called emotional stability. For those familiar with the Hogan Personality Inventory (pdf), we refer to this tendency as Adjustment. We know from research that successful executives are typically higher, rather than lower, on this scale. On the high extreme you have the stereotype of the test pilot—someone who doesn't appear to have an emotional reaction even to extreme, real, physical danger. But being too high can also cause problems. When this strength is taken to a fault, you can have a confident but arrogant person who won't listen to feedback.

On the low side are people who are passionate and appear enthusiastic and energetic. No doubt this was something those choosing Kindler as CEO were attracted to, someone with drive and a sort of impatience for making things happen. But people low in Adjustment are prone to reacting emotionally to all sorts of situations around them. Some show it openly, some feel it only internally, but most experience both. In fact, the WSJ article refers to a typical downside of a low-scoring person. Kindler apparently would have an emotional outburst during a meeting, and then an hour later be on the phone apologizing. People scoring low in adjustment are hyper aware, sometimes to the point of paranoia, about how they must be coming across to others.

It's a difficult balance finding the right executive personality for the job and its challenges at a given point in time. This story highlights a likely mismatch between the realities of a challenging assignment and the downside of emotional sensitivity, to the point of performance failure. According to reports, Pfizer's board was stressed by the situation as well, since they accepted the resignation immediately. Under the circumstances it was probably the best outcome for all involved.

Gaining a competitive advantage through Workplace Safety

2010-11-09T17:24:00.003-05:00

2010 has been a year filled with safety violations at the workplace. These violations have in turn led to a variety of catastrophic consequences.

On February 7, 2010, a power plant explosion occurred in Middletown, Connecticut that resulted in the death of 5 workers and injuries to another 27. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that it had found a total of 371 safety violations in the construction of the plant, 225 of which it considered deliberate.

On April 20, 2010, BP’s drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, leading to the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry . The explosion killed 11 platform workers, injured 17 others and released 62,000 barrels of crude oil daily into the sea. The spill cost BP about US$3.5 billion and caused extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats as well as the Gulf’s fishing and tourism industries. BP admitted that the disaster was a consequence of poor safety behaviors and procedures. The White House oil spill commission reported today that there was not a culture of safety on that rig and serious mistakes were made ahead of the tragedy.

On August 5, 2010, the Chile mining accident occurred when part of the San José copper-gold mine in the Atacama Desert near Copiapó, Chile collapsed. Fortunately, all 33 miners trapped 2,300 feet below the ground for 69 days were rescued. The total cost of the rescue operation was estimated at US$20 million. The mine had a history of instability that had led to previous accidents, including one death. The 33 trapped miners initially tried to escape through a ventilation shaft system, but the ladders required by mining safety codes were missing.

These and many similar tragic accidents could have been prevented if closer attention was paid to workplace safety. According to Hogan Assessment Systems, 3 components that must come together to create a culture of workplace safety are: a) worker personality, b) a culture of employee engagement and c) organizational leadership.

Based on 28 years of scientific research on workplace safety, Hogan has devised a Safety Competency Model based on six dimensions. A thorough understanding of the following 6 safety-related dimensions can help organizations enhance productivity, reduce turnover, lower accident rates and increase team and customer satisfaction:

1. Defiant- Compliant: Low scorers ignore authority and company rules. High scorers willingly follow rules and guidelines.

2. Panicky-Strong: Low scorers tend to panic under pressure and make mistakes. High scorers tend to be sure of their decisions.

3. Irritable- Cheerful: Low scorers lose their tempers easily and then make mistakes. High scorers tend to remain calm, even in stressful situations.

4. Distractible- Vigilant: Low scores can be easily bored, and become inattentive. High scorers tend to stay focused on the task at hand.

5. Reckless- Cautious: Low scorers are prone to taking unnecessary risks. High scorers tend to evaluate options before making risky decisions.

6. Arrogant- Trainable: Low scorers overestimate their own competence and as a result may be difficult to train. High scorers tend to be willing to listen to advice and take advantage of opportunities to learn more.

To learn more about the Hogan SafeSystem and Safety Report, click here. Please call us if you are interested in attending a free webinar on the Hogan Safety Report and its applications.

The Linkage between Emotional Intelligence and Personality!

2010-10-13T16:00:00.002-04:00

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is one of the most revolutionary ideas formulated in recent years and its positive impact on both personal satisfaction and career success has been demonstrated consistently. Numerous studies have confirmed the relationship between EI and improved job satisfaction, organizational commitment, communication, productivity and bottom-line results.

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to identify, use, and manage emotions of one’s self, of others and of groups. It is the capacity to understand other people, their emotions, what motivates them and how to engage them in constructive ways. EI is all about being smart using your heart!

Emotional Intelligence consists of 4 primary competencies:

Self-awareness – The ability to recognize your own emotions and how they affect your thoughts and behavior, know your strengths and weaknesses, and have self-confidence.
Self-management – The ability to control impulsive feelings and behaviors, manage your emotions in healthy ways, take initiative, follow through on commitments, and adapt to changing circumstances.
Social awareness – The ability to understand the emotions, needs, and concerns of other people, pick up on emotional cues, feel comfortable socially, and recognize the power dynamics in a group or organization.
Relationship management – The ability to develop and maintain good relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and influence others, work well in a team, and manage conflict.

The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI), based on the Five-Factor personality model, is one of most prominent personality assessments used in business settings. Millions of people have taken the HPI and the inventory has been validated in over 400 jobs ranging from janitor to CEO. The HPI has effectively been used to predict job performance and success in careers, relationships, education and life.

The instrument consists of 7 primary scales:

Adjustment- The degree to which a person is calm, confident, self-accepting and stable under pressure
Ambition- The degree to which a person appears self-confident, leader-like, competitive and energetic.
Sociability- The degree to which a person is outgoing and needs and/or enjoys social interactions.
Interpersonal Sensitivity- The degree to which a person is warm, sensitive, perceptive, tactful and concerned about others’ opinions.
Prudence- The degree to which a person seems conscientious, rule abiding and dependable.
Inquisitive- The degree to which a person seems strategic, big-pictured, visionary and innovative at problem solving.
Learning Approach- The degree to which a person seems to take pleasure in learning for the sake of learning and staying up to date on business and technical matters.

The associations between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI)

1. The Self-awareness scale of EI is positively associated with the Interpersonal Sensitivity scale of the HPI. These individuals are aware of their emotions and their impact on themselves as well as the thoughts and behaviors of others. Self-awareness also shares a curvilinear U-shaped relationship with the HPI Adjustment scale. Specifically, individuals who are very self-aware are also very open and responsive to feedback (Low Adjustment) and also calm, consistent and self-confident (High Adjustment).
2. The Self-management scale of EI appears to be positively related with the Adjustment, Ambition and Prudence scales of the HPI. These individuals possess the ability to manage emotions in constructive ways, control impulsive behaviors and successfully handle stressful situations (High Adjustment), take initiative, set high expectations and are results-oriented (High Ambition) and are also organized, thorough, detail-oriented and rule compliant (High Prudence).
3. The Social-awareness scale of EI shares positive associations with both the Sociability and Interpersonal Sensitivity scales on the HPI. These individuals are tactful in their ability to recognize the feelings, needs and concerns of others (High Interpersonal Sensitivity) and are also socially proactive, easily approachable and enjoy working and being around others (High Sociability).
4. Finally, the Relationship-management scale of EI also appears to share positive associations with Sociability and Interpersonal Sensitivity. These individuals have the capacity to communicate clearly and develop and maintain positive personal and work relationships. Furthermore, EI’s relationship-management scales shares a curvilinear U-shaped relationship with the HPI Ambition scale. Particularly, individuals who are competent at relationship-management are not only able to inspire and influence others (High Ambition), but also are excellent team players.

To learn more about the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) and the HPI Career Report that provides you with career development/management tips and guidance, click here.

Credit and Blame Type Assessment!

2010-09-23T10:45:00.002-04:00

Performance Programs Inc. is pleased to announce the new “Credit and Blame Type Assessment” (CBTA), developed in partnership with Hogan Assessment Systems and Dr. Ben Dattner, author of the forthcoming book “The Blame Game: How the hidden rules of credit and blame determine our success and failure” (Free Press, March 15, 2011).

Credit and blame are at the heart of organizational psychology and career success. How people assign credit or blame to themselves and others is a critical factor in professional development, workplace relationships, dynamics within and between teams, organizational culture, and leadership performance. There is a high degree of subjectivity in how people assign credit and blame to themselves and others, and it’s important to know how the way in which leaders assign credit and blame may be perceived by others. When it comes to the social dynamics of credit and blame, perceptions matter. Leaders have different styles of assigning credit and blame, and different styles can be perceived as more or less effective and motivational in different situations, roles, and organizations. Successful leaders are often highly self-aware, and socially sensitive, about the challenges and opportunities of credit and blame, and are able to effectively adapt their style in different circumstances in order to motivate others, to create cohesive and loyal teams, and to recognize and reward good performance while holding people accountable for results.

The report categorizes responses into 11 blame “types” organized into 3 categories:

Category I: Tendency to Blame Others

- Volatile Guardian – Assign credit and blame based on mood
- Sensitive Retirer – Make decisions that minimize risk of blame
- Wary Watcher – Vigilant for evidence of others unfairly blaming them
- Rationalizing Blamer – Refuse to take responsibility for mistakes

Category II: Tendency to Deny Blame

- Big Person on Campus – Lead with main purpose of receiving glory
- High Wire Walker – Seek credit by doing whatever is necessary to get it
- Indifferent Daydreamer – Uncaring about either credit or blame
- Thespian – Focus on gaining attention from others
- Assertive Daydreamer – Assign credit or blame on superstition over fact

Category III: Tendency to Blame Oneself

- Micromanager – Perfectionistic, focused on tactical
- Martyr – Take more blame than deserved

The report is intended to help people reflect on the way in which others perceive how they assign credit and blame. It details several leadership “types” and provides percentile scores that indicate how likely it is that the people who work with or for those taking the assessment will perceive that they fit those various styles. This report is intended to be a point of departure that encourages leaders to explore how they currently assign credit and blame, and how they might more productively assign credit and blame in the future. This report is not intended to be a substitute for open and candid feedback from colleagues, peers, or supervisors, which is helpful to solicit on an ongoing basis at any stage of one’s career, not just for issues of credit and blame, but for all aspects of leadership. This report is not intended to provide any definitive “answers,” but is instead intended to provide questions for people who take it to ask themselves and others over time as they develop their leadership skills.

For more information about Performance Programs Inc.: http://www.performanceprograms.com

For more information about “The Blame Game”: http://www.creditandblame.com/

To take the Credit and Blame Type Assessment (CBTA) click here

Using Assessments in Human Resource Consulting

2010-08-26T09:10:00.009-04:00

We are presenting a 90-minute workshop at the Connecticut Psychological Association Convention in Hartford!

The topic is "Using Assessments in Corporate Consulting" and we will talk about the benefits of crafting a HR strategy based on scientifically designed human resource assessments.

Workplaces are undergoing major changes due to a variety of reasons ranging from changes in technology to the uncertain economy. As a result, many organizations are dealing with issues such as low employee engagement, high turnover rates and unhappy customers. The case of the JetBlue flight attendant brings these issues in sharp focus. As HR and organizational development professionals strive to play a more strategic role in resolving these issues, the use of assessments is becoming indispensable.

Personality assessments provide unique insight and can help businesses select, develop and retain capable talent that is well-aligned with the organizational culture. Organizational assessments yield information on topics such as employee satisfaction and morale. Employee assessments can be used to coach staff for effective leadership and management roles.

All types of assessments help to improve the overall effectiveness and productivity of the organization. View this Flash presentation for an overview of the major categories of assessments and how they can be used by organizations to improve employee as well as organizational performance.

Hope to see you at the Hartford-Windsor Marriott on November 12, 2010!

Enough is enough...?

2010-08-11T11:24:00.018-04:00

Flight attendant Steven Slater's unconventional exit from a JetBlue plane struck a chord with many. Asked about this by CBS News, workplace psychologist Ben Dattner (*) said (at about 1:00 in the clip),

"When people feel that they have no control over their workplace environment, and that they are getting blamed anyway, they can snap."

And, as the reporter very astutely observed in the above clip, few will ever give notice or get noticed like Steven Slater.

Which is not to say that workers and employers are without options when it comes to creating workplaces that work for all concerned - employers, employees and customers. Here are some ideas:

1. Employee opinion surveys are a great way to get a pulse of the workplace. These surveys can be designed to gauge worker morale and commitment, workplace culture and climate, or any other issues (such as change readiness) that are front and center in organizational life. We also sell employee survey norms which are indispensable when it comes to assessing how your organization ranks compared to other similar organizations.

2. Individuals can take a range of assessments to learn more about themselves and to design a course of action that can lead to greater personal effectiveness and a more fulfilled life. An example is the Full Engagement Profile from Human Performance Institute, which was featured on the Oprah show a few years ago.

3. Customer satisfaction surveys are a great way to get a read on customers' perceptions. For example, Steven Slater has emerged as a hero, because he stood up to a passenger who failed to comply with safety guidelines. An airline that knows of this and other customer frustrations (like tiny peanut packets!) and devises a way to eliminate or manage them is sure to have a leg up on its competitors.

4. Indeed, tying employee rewards to customer satisfaction is a win-win. Over the years we have implemented such programs for large corporations such as Prudential Relocation and Nortel Networks.

* We are currently working with Ben Dattner to develop a companion assessment to his book, "The Blame Game: How the Hidden Rules of Credit and Blame Determine Our Success or Failure", which is expected to be out in March 2011.

Where and how do assessements fit in the hiring process?

2010-07-26T11:54:00.003-04:00

Many managers don't understand that assessments are just one piece of the hiring process. Contributing to the challenge of using assessments is the fact that there are thousands of instruments -- and some of them are of questionable value at best.

Click here to read an article in Human Resource Executive magazine that discusses the promises and pitfalls of using assessments in hiring.

Surveys and Reports in multiple languages

2010-02-25T13:52:00.021-05:00

Much easier than you might think

Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in the number of clients requesting survey and report applications in multiple languages. Given the 24x7 "flat world" nature of the Internet, this is hardly surprising.

We have recently developed several survey applications that support languages ranging from Spanish and German to Chinese and Japanese . Indeed, we are seeing an increase in requests for systems that can support multiple languages.

The applications were built in such a way that launching additional languages is as easy as loading translations through an online translation tool. Although the initial cost of developing a language-capable web site is 20-25% higher than developing an English-only web site, this cost can be recouped when just one additional language is offered.

Survey

Below is a sample of a survey snippet in English and Japanese.

The sample shows how all elements of the survey presentation including the items, instructions and scale can be translated.

Report

Below is a sample of the reports in the two languages.

All parts of the report page have been translated: static information such as headings, page numbers and copyright information as well as dynamic elements such as results interpretation.

Translation Tool

The online translation tool displays the text to be translated in English and has a text box for the translator to enter the translation. Because the translation tool is available online, it is very easy for the translator to refine/tweak translations as and when needed. Indeed, the translator can review the translations in real time allowing the translations to be read in context and so to be fine-tuned for tone as well as for how they fit on the web or printed page.

Items to consider when designing a multiple-language survey web site are described below.

One, the language setting of the user’s web browser can be used to determine the language in which the survey is to be shown. So, in most cases the survey experience can be seamless from the end user’s point of view. The exception to this is the case when rater anonymity and confidentiality are important. In such situations, all surveys (and in particular the comments) must be collected in the same language. If this is not done, the comments could reveal the identity of the rater.

Two, the length of text can vary widely across languages and this should be taken into account when designing the report. Imagine trying to fit "All rights reserved" and "Todos los derechos reservados" in the same space. A related issue is report pagination, or, how to avoid page breaks in unexpected places. The report may have to be designed with “fixed” elements, such as printing the results for just 5 items per page.

In summary, creating a survey and report that support multiple languages is not as difficult or expensive as one might think. By creating a platform that "speaks to" users all over the world, it becomes possible to extend the reach of your intellectual property several-fold and to reap a higher return on the investment.

Want more information? Arrange for a test-drive by emailing surveys@performanceprograms.com.

Certification Webinar Trains Human Resource Professionals on 360 Feedback for Leadership Development

2009-08-31T11:21:00.007-04:00

Employers seek effective ways of developing leaders as the rate of change accelerates in workplaces worldwide. In response to this critical need, Performance Programs, Inc. now offers convenient and cost-effective professional certification webinars on 360 feedback instruments in Clark Wilson Group's Task Cycle(R) Series.

The Task Cycle 360 Feedback Series is the longest established, best researched 360 feedback collection available today. The Task Cycle is a logical sequence of steps essential to overall effectiveness of management and leadership. It is a scientifically validated, predictive model with well-researched mathematical foundations. The ten surveys in the Task Cycle series are role-specific and validated.

The Task Cycle was developed by Dr. Clark Wilson, who was the first to use 360 feedback for management development in 1973. Task Cycle research continues today and norms are continually updated based upon thousands of cases in the research database.

The 2009 certification webinars are scheduled on September 16 or November 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (East Coast time). The two-hour session is conducted by industrial psychologist Dr. Paul Connolly, who was a close colleague of Clark Wilson. Connolly is also co-author of several Task Cycle Surveys published by Clark Wilson Group. Through the webinar and post-webinar follow-up, participants learn to administer, interpret, and provide coaching to individuals. The agenda includes: Key requirements and best practices in 360 feedback; the Task Cycle model, including an overview of psychometric background ; in-depth discussion using sample reports; review of several 360 assessments including Executive Leadership Survey, Leadership Competencies for Managers, and Survey of Management Practices; review of sample profiles and interpretation. Certification includes a 30-minute review of participant’s first case by telephone, as well as an extensive collection of 360 feedback support materials.

Investment is $600, which includes products and services that would be more than $1500 if purchased separately.

For further information, or to register, call Sonya Hamilton at 1-800-565-4223. Performance Programs is an authorized distributor and certification training provider for Clark Wilson Group.

Wall Street Journal Says Some Employers May Increase Testing Following New Haven Firefighters Decision

2009-07-17T13:23:00.006-04:00

In spite of the many advances made in the testing industry regarding fairness, many employers are still hesitant to use it during employment screening. A recent WSJ article says that some are encouraged by the recent Supreme Court ruling in the New Haven Firefighters case. We thought you'd like to know about this article on pre-employment testing.

The Perils of Accentuating the Positive

2009-06-12T16:32:00.007-04:00

Since the early '90s, the pendulum of academic and popular thought on business training and development took a giant swing towards positivity and the search to build on one's strengths. It is an effect, in part, of the positive psychology movement. Positive psychology got a boost in the business world with books such as Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton and a parade of new book titles each year is evidence of its popularity.

Not so fast, says Rob Kaiser and the management and leadership thinkers he's assembled to look at the downside of focusing on the upside. Kaiser was co-author with Bob Kaplan of The Versatile Leader, for which PPI assisted in creating the online Leadership Versatility Index. Kaiser and Kaplan's versatility research shows that more than half of what separates the most effective leaders from the less effective is agility among all the leadership competencies. Those aspiring to greater levels of leadership skill need to bring up their challenge areas as much as they need to accentuate their strengths and comfort zones.

The Perils of Accentuating the Positive takes a thoughtful look at the strengths-based development paradigm in ten chapters that draw on decades of research and years of deeply related experience by the chapter authors. The book includes articles by Michael Benson, Steven Berglas, Anand Chandrasekar, Craig Chappelow, Guangrong Dai, Malcolm Davies, Robert Eichinger, William Gentry, Robert Hogan, Robert E. Kaplan, Jean Brittain Leslie, Morgan McCall, King Yii Tang, and Randall P. White. Loaded with practical advice, it provides the rest of what you need to know about the practice known as “strengths-based development.” Perils can be purchased through Hogan Press or Amazon.com

Three Steps to Getting the Most from Career Assessment

2009-06-09T13:20:00.000-04:00

If you're in a career change right now, be sure to take advantage of the advice offered in our latest white paper: Three Steps to Getting the Most from Career Assessments. This white paper shows where formal career tests and assessments fit in the overall process of planning a career. It provides an introduction to best practices for tests and assessments in a career counseling environment. It is based on the actual experience of Dr. Wendy Alfus-Rothman, of Wenroth Consulting, and one of her clients, David Fabricant of Stryker Spine. The article also quotes the president of the National Career Development Association, Judith Hoppin.

Read the complete Three Steps to Career Tests article.

Download the PDF.

Tests & Assessments for Career Direction: An Overview

2009-06-09T12:47:00.005-04:00

Formal career assessment has become very popular and, when used judiciously, provides reliable information in a concentrated timeframe to support career changes and job searches. There are four major categories of career tests: interest inventories, motives and values inventories, personality tests, and ability tests. Each addresses a different part of the puzzle. This paper provides a tour of career tests and assessments and what some have to offer. It is intended for a general business audience, but it is not an exhaustive review of all career-related tests. Career coaches and counselors may offer it to their clients to help them understand the range of options. Others may find it helpful in seeking out the right kinds of tests for themselves.

Download the white paper on Career Tests in PDF format.

Professional Certification for Hogan Personality Inventory

2009-06-09T08:00:00.002-04:00

No one can predict the future performance of a new hire, but we have found that employers who use personality tests from Hogan Assessments take a lot of the guesswork out of their hiring. To assure best use of these tests, Hogan Assessment Systems requires certification for coaches and HR professionals prior to delivering test results to their clients and workgroups.

Next Sessions: September 24 and November 12, 2009

Performance Programs chose Hogan instruments over the many others available in the market because they meet all the criteria of excellence in workplace assessment, including rigorous scientific standards and no adverse impact. We have worked with Hogan instruments for 10 years, helping hundreds of clients implement them for both candidate selection and development.

We use all of the Hogan-authorized materials, workbooks, PowerPoint, assessments, information and complete all Hogan training objectives. The Hogan Workshops have pre-work modules and a self-assessment. Registration should be completed at least two weeks in advance. All Hogan workshops are pre-approved for credit by the SHRMS's Human Resource Certification Institute for SPHR, PHR, and GPHR certifications. APA credits are also available.

These one-day seminars are scheduled from 8:30 – 4:30 in Westbrook, CT at Water's Edge Resort. This is close to Rt. 95 and accessible by Amtrak or Shoreline East/MetroNorth trains. The workshop location is within one hour of either the Providence, RI or Hartford, CT airports.

All seminars are $1200, discounted from the full retail value of $ 2300. Certification includes: a personal assessment ($450 value), a copy of The Hogan Guide ($75 value), all Certification Materials ($300), two free assessment IDs for post-workshop use ($800 value), one hour of pre-conference telephone review of your own reports and one-half hour of post-conference telephone review of your first live case ($675 value). In addition, you receive access to the DYAD Training Tool for rapid report interpretation.

Please inquire about rates for additional telephone consultation beyond the first hour.

Please call if we can be of assistance: 1-800-565-4223 or register now.

Another Way to Identify High Potential Candidates

2009-05-05T11:42:00.005-04:00

We keep hearing about the importance of talent identification and management. We thought our friends and customers would like to know about a new tool: the High Potential Candidate Assessment Report from Hogan Assessments.

The High Potential Candidate Assessment Report allows employers to identify top candidates in relation to specific business competencies. It is based on research from a global sample of more than a thousand executive MBA program graduates. This sample group represents one of the highest-level talent pools ever used to create a profile of high potential candidates for leadership roles. The assessment involves three instruments and provides a highly integrated view of the candidate's strengths and challenges.

Visit our site and obtain a sample report for more information.

Companies Still Investing in Leadership Development

2009-03-09T12:35:00.008-04:00

For the past several months, it seemed to us that employers had not yet cut back on leadership development--and in some cases, were increasing it. A recent article featured in the Wall Street Journal--"Despite Cutbacks, Firms Invest in Developing Leaders"--affirmed that hunch. If you're in the human resource consulting field, it's an important trend to watch. To view the article, click on the link:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123395874246058397.html

Career Transition? Top Career Guides & Sites

2009-02-23T12:14:00.001-05:00

Many books and courses have been devoted to the problem of finding work that suits you. If you're in career transition mode, see the books and Web sites below; according to our research, they are among the most respected, most visited or bestselling career guides of the past ten years. These are not job posting sites (though some point to job sites), providing instead the tools to identify and find the best jobs and careers based on your qualifications, interests and more.

Top Five Career Books
Based on sales figures and positive reviews, here are five books at the top of the career guidance category:

What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles. This is the all-time classic in its field and is updated every year (2009 version available). The companion Web site is http://www.jobhuntersbible.com.

Do What You Are by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger, 2007. The authors show you how to use personality type to find the right career. This book is best used with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The associated Web site is http://www.personalitytype.com/whoweare.html .

I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was by Barbara Sher. This book speaks to those who are motivated but don’t have a strong career direction. Her Web site is http://www.barbarasher.com/.

The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success by Nicholas Lore. The associated Web site is http://www.rockportinstitute.com/.

Career Match: Connecting Who You are with What You'll Love to Do by Shoya Zichy. The associated Web site is http://www.colorqprofiles.com/ .

Occupational Outlook Handbook and Web Site:
Occupational Outlook Handbook is both a book and has an online tool at http://www.bls.gov/oco/. It is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The print version is revised every two years. (We assume the Web site is updated more often!)

Some readers may be put off by the book’s catalog format and cut-and-dried prose, but the Handbook provides more specific, high-quality information about more individual occupations than any other guide on the market, hands down. Very broad coverage includes jobs ranging from beauticians to funeral directors. For each occupation, you can learn about the day-to-day experience, training and qualifications, job outlook, and earnings potential.

The interactive Web site, http://www.bls.gov/oco/, is likewise extremely useful.

O*NET OnLine:
The O*NET database describes more than 800 hundred occupations and has very advanced search capabilities. The database, which is available to the public at no cost, is continually updated by surveying a broad range of workers. Jobs groups are organized from the lowest education and experience requirements to the highest (Zones 1-5). Each title is linked to an extensive job description. Notice that some job titles have the “In Demand” symbol--which offers a quick take on this key piece of information. The O*NET program is sponsored by the US Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).

Riley Guide: http://www.rileyguide.com/careers.html
This is a no-frills, comprehensive guide to employment opportunities and job resources on the Internet. It offers free career and employment information and explains the process of online job search. They do not post jobs nor resumes, but point to places that do.