Product Review: ExactHire Applicant Tracking System - MyExactHire

This is a snapshot from the ExactHire current website.

Recently, I’ve been getting some requests for recommendations on applicant tracking systems (ATS).  Now, before I get into the specifics of ExactHire, I do want to say that with some research, you may be able to find other similar products that work well for you.  The applicant tracking system was a revolutionary HR product in the early 2000’s, but has since become somewhat of a commodity, with nearly endless options available.  There are a lot of really good options on the market, at all price points.  Before buying, just make sure you’re getting the features you think you’re getting, and make sure you’re getting a fair price.  Make sure you see a demo, ask to use the system on a trial basis to check it out, and speak to other firms who’ve used the product and get a fair assessment before signing.

Now, on to ExactHire!  A note – I’ve not used ExactHire on a daily basis for nearly 2 years, and I understand there have been some upgrades to the system – which I will not be able to speak to.  The product I’m familiar with is called MyExactHire.  I’m reviewing this product, specifically for small to mid-market sized firms.  If you work for a large firm, or have a very high volume of job applicants, you may want to look at options more specifically designed for enterprise sized firms. 

Background:  ExactHire is an Indiana-based firm, which I believe was founded sometime in the mid 2000’s, prior to the economic downturn.  They have a small, but consistent team.  I don’t believe anyone at the firm actually developed the ATS software that they sell, but they do know the product well, and I believe they have a strong relationship with their developers – I never noticed an issue with the fact they didn’t create the software themselves.  You will actually notice a lot of similarities to the ExactHire ATS product and another mid-market ATS product called iApplicants – I believe they use the same, or a similar development team.

 The key staff have experience in selling HR software and as HR practitioners.  This means that they understand the HR software market, as well as pain points that you may have as an HR pro or as a small business leader.

Implementation:  As with most SAAS products these days, ExactHire does most of the heavy lifting during implementation, which is a big benefit, especially if time and resources are limited.  Typically, HR and internal IT teams have relatively little time to dedicate to initiatives like applicant tracking.  Also, if you have a lot of jobs, getting those jobs into the system can be a pain.  ExactHire handles the initial uploads of current jobs which can be a big time saver, or just a nice added benefit.  Additionally, the cost of hosting on premise is known to be an outdated business model, so the benefits of SAAS from an implementation standpoint, as well as a maintenance standpoint are really ideal for most small and mid-size businesses.  Last point on implementation is that it doesn’t take long.  They will work within your timeline, but it doesn’t take long at all to get the software up and running.

Configuration/Customization:  From my understanding, ExactHire’s new product, called “HireCentric” allows for a lot of configuration and customization.  The MyExactHire product also allows for some configuration and customization.  The job landing page can be uniquely targeted and matched to your regular website, so as to align to your branding and online messaging, as well as to create a professional candidate experience.  There is also the ability to configure the online application to ensure you are able to get the information from candidates you are seeking. 

Customer Service:  Since ExactHire is a smaller provider, you tend to get better service than you do with larger market providers.  For example, with Taleo’s ATS, you have to submit a ticket through the Oracle customer service portal, and response time is dismal at best.  ExactHire has a support email address you can use when you have issues or questions, and the response time was always under 24 hours when I had an issue.

Pitfalls:  So far, this has been a pretty good review, but this wouldn’t be valuable if I didn’t disclose some of the pitfalls, as there are always some when it comes to HR software.

• High Volume of Applicants – ExactHire is not the best solution if or when you have a very high volume of job applicants.  When you have a high volume of applicants, you need ways to sort, search and rank applicants in order to maximize your time and ensure you’re recruiting as efficiently as possible.  While you can ask questions as part of the process, the ability to rank or rate applicants based on responses does not exist.  You still have to go in and open and read all of them in order to form judgment.  Additionally, the ability to search the system is not great.  Let’s say you wanted to search all job applicants within the last year that included the term “SEO” on the application or resume.  You can’t do it in ExactHire.  Searching applicants for key terms, company names, job titles, etc. is important when your applicant volume is high, and unfortunately, this system falls down here.  However, to be fair, I didn’t find this to be problematic, until the daily applicant volume exceeded the 30-50 applicant per day mark.
• Integration with other HR systems – I don’t believe that ExactHire was created with the intention of integration with other systems.  That’s not to say that something probably can’t be built, but integration was and is an afterthought with this product.  Again, when applicant volume is lower, this isn’t so important.  However, for organizational efficiency, this becomes increasingly important, the more open jobs, and the more applicants you have.
• Reporting – the system does offer some powerful reports, particularly if you’re unaccustomed to having reporting mechanisms.  For example, it makes EEO reporting a breeze.  It also provides some reporting for applicant sources, and other general fields that applicants are asked.  However, if you want deeper analytical insight into your recruiting process such as time to hire, applicant flow, quality of applicant, etc., there’s really nothing there to help you.  There’s a focus on analytics in the world of human capital, and I imagine their newer product addresses some of these shortcomings, but having data insight capabilities is important to a lot of businesses, so be sure the reporting meets your level of expectation in this regard.

Perks:  I usually prefer to end on a positive note, so I want to list a few additional perks that I found with this system:

• You can create an entire career page using their software.  If your IT team is unable to commit the time or resources to building out a career page, you can do it yourself using this system.  In addition to the page which lists job openings, you have the ability to create other pages on your MyExactHire page that might outline employee benefits, the company culture, the application process, what it’s like to work at the company, etc.  It’s also relatively easy for non-tech savvy people to create these pages using their templates and page builders.
• You get to have a slightly closer relationship with the vendor than you might with other larger providers.  You’ll get to know the staff well, and they’ll remember your questions, challenges, and what’s important to you.  It’s hard to place value on this, but trust me, it comes in handy.
• The system automatically posts jobs to several job boards for you including Indeed.com, SimplyHired, Oodle, etc.  While not quite as high profile as CareerBuilder or Monster, and not as niche as Dice.com, these are great job boards and will secure a lot of leads for you, and help spread the word about your openings.
• The cost of this ATS is very reasonable.  For Cadillac systems, you will pay a high price tag.  And while this system doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles that the top market leaders possess, it does have a lot of great features and unlike those systems, it won’t break the bank.  In fact, for most companies, I imagine it would be pretty easy to establish a business case for this software saving budget dollars.

Overall, to all the folks who've been asking about mid-market applicant tracking systems, I would encourage you to check out solutions at ExactHire (www.exacthire.com).

If you have additional specific questions about this software, or my experience with it, please contact me at CatapultHRSolutions@gmail.com.

*I am not affiliated with ExactHire, and was not asked (or compensated) to write this product review.

The Top 3 Entry Level Jobs in Sports

I’m asked on a daily basis by job hopefuls on how to break into the sports industry.  Sports barely suffered during the recession of 2008-2009, which is surprising given the cost cutting and budget tightening that occurred, and has persisted.  Most medium sized and major universities offer majors in sports marketing or sports management - in fact there are 300 universities in the US currently offering this major with tens of thousands of graduates each year.  The problem is that the amount of people who want to work in sports, does not equal the amount of opportunities.  It’s simple economics.  For example, in my organization, it’s not uncommon for a job opening to be posted for a week or two, and for us to receive thousands of applications.  This includes both entry level, and more niche roles.  I've worked in other industries, and I'll tell you there's definitely something special about working sports, and apparently, tons of job applicants know it.  The competition is fierce, as anyone trying to break into the industry already knows.

As I opened my email on Monday morning, I had an astounding 11 inquiries via LinkedIn, just from the weekend all asking a different version of the same question, “How can I get my foot in the door in sports?”  I plan to release a special report later this year with in-depth details about the roles I'm going to describe, and further, how to position yourself for such opportunities and to get your foot in the door with a sports team.  However, for today, I wanted to give you a preview and list the top 3 entry level jobs in sports.

1. Sales.  I know this is not what many young graduates and early career professionals want to hear, but sales is where the jobs are, and ultimately where some of the best careers are built. 
2. Customer Service.  Most sports teams find that great customer service is (or should be) one of their core competencies.  This ranges from the front lines all the way to the top of the organization.
3. Public Relations.  Most teams, particularly large market teams, maintain significant staff to handle public relations matters, with high exposure even for entry level staff.

While my perspective is primarily from a baseball standpoint, I’m confident you’ll find similar entry level roles within other sports and within most pro teams.  In the upcoming special report, I plan to give you information and tools to help you increase the odds of landing your dream job in the sports industry, without the over-emphasized internship and networking tips that most experts provide.  

Stay tuned, and comment here or tweet me (@CatapultHR) to let me know of any specifics you'd like me to write about and I'll try to include them in the published report!

Note:  I am unable to respond to every job inquiry, so please reference the Cubs Careers Page for more information on job opportunities with the Cubs.

The HOW Is Just As Important As The WHAT

The business world really caters to “Type A” people.  In most organizations I've worked for, the role models tend to be analytical, critical thinking, and driven folks - and generally Type A people.  Wikipedia (yes, I’m referencing Wikipedia, go ahead and laugh) defines Type A personality as individuals regarded as ambitious, rigidly organized, highly status conscious, sensitive, truthful, impatient, always trying to help others, taking on more than they can handle, want other people to get to the point, proactive, and obsessed with time management. People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving "workaholics" who multi-task, push themselves with deadlines, and hate both delays and ambivalence.  I tend to be a little “Type A” myself, and the proverbial message I've gotten from the various organizations I've worked for, is that they this is probably a good thing.  All of the individuals at the top fit this mold to a tee.  Additionally, since I work with managers throughout our appraisal process, I know that managers recognize and reward these traits.  The problem with being “Type A” is that the focus on the end result can sometime mean tunnel vision.  That’s a problem, because when the focus is so strong on the end result, we tend to overlook how we get there, and often crush people in our path or compromise our principles.  That’s why my organization took a stand when it came to our values.  While my opinion may be biased, hear me out.  The values are more than words on a page, or things we hope our employees take to heart.  They take a stand and say that it’s not only what we accomplish…it’s how we accomplish it that matters.  This is why the exhibition of our values is equally weighted with meeting individual and organizational goals on the annual appraisals.  

I've experienced the difference this makes first hand.  In my previous role, the organization had strong principles that were reiterated regularly during orientations and trainings and even by managers and top leaders.  The problem was that they did not take a stand, or provide guidance to employees on the expectations of the organization when it came to values.  Those core principles were:

• Be honest & respectful
• Be fun
• Be frugal
• Be friendly
• Be creative
• Be healthy 

Now, don’t get me wrong.  These are good and important goals, and things I personally strive for still to this day.  However, in my current organization, we argue that honesty and integrity are “tickets to play”, meaning that they are a minimum expectation of all employees.  They are part of our Code of Conduct, and reiterated to employees on their first day.  The other principles sound good as you read them, but how do you know if you are meeting, or even exceeding expectations when it comes to the exhibition of these?  Fun, frugality, friendliness, creativity and healthiness can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people.  Beyond a lack of guidance, it was clear that they were not meant to tell employees how they were expected to act.  The result was that the organization generally met its goals, but not because employees were always working together, or creatively to reach the goal.  There tended to be some “throwing under the bus” situations on a basis more frequent than anyone would prefer, mostly because the organization valued “Type A”, but there were not enough guiding principles on how goals would be achieved and how individuals would work together.  A culture without strong values that people are held accountable to unfortunately also means that trust is not an inherent part of that culture.

Please don’t misunderstand - I’m not saying this approach is wrong.  All I’m saying is that as someone who has been both part of the organization, as well as a bearer of the “core principles” message, I prefer values that better translate into action, and that take a stand to say the HOW is just as important as the WHAT.  The values are not "tickets to play", but rather, they are differentiators.

A sample Values grid.

In my current organization, we went through a process to redefine the organizational values by conducting focus groups representing all departments and functions within the organization.  After gathering focus group data, we pulled together representatives from all departments to form the “Values Committee”, a cross functional team responsible for resetting the course when it came to organizational values.  Prior to working on the task, all committee members read Harry Kraemer’s “From Values to Action”.  If you've not read this book, you should pick it up – it’s a quick read.  This group organized the data, looked for patterns, and developed the values based on the information we heard from our people.  To make sense of all the data, they grouped some of the ideas into “themes” under each value.  They then went on to define, as a group, what meeting expectations looks like, exceeding expectations looks like, and development needed looks like for each theme within each value.  I like this because there are not too many questions about the “subjectivity” of our values.  Granted, the definitions are generic enough to transcend departments and roles, but they’re precise enough to let you know where you stand.  Our values are:

• Inclusive
• Critical Thinker
• Service-Focused
• Innovative
• Initiative

My Values Card that I
keep at my desk.

There are not too many surprises at appraisal time, and not too many disagreements.  If a manager or employee begins to define the value in their own way based on their own philosophies or experiences, it’s easy to bring them back to the definition that the organization agrees upon.  It has also been simpler to hold people accountable to exhibiting the values since they are reviewed on how well they do so at least once per year during their appraisal.

I come across the occasional person who disagrees, and places more weight or value on job performance, rather than exhibiting strong values.  However, I’m a firm believer that if you have a goal, or want something, find people who have reached that goal, or done that thing successfully, and emulate them (i.e. if you want to be rich, handle money the way rich people do).  All of the experienced leaders that people respect and actually like working for, believe that values are equally important to being a high performer, so that’s the model I plan to continue to subscribe to.  For now, I'll embrace my "Type A-ness", so long as I don't lose sight of the fact that the HOW is just as important as the WHAT.

6 Reasons You Should Consider a Start-Up For Your Next Career Choice

Attention Job Seekers!  This post is for you!  When I was in business school, the big push was for students to take opportunities with large companies and Fortune 500 firms, which is not a unique business school experience.  Now, before I go on, and at the risk of sounding contradictory, I do think that there is something to be said for starting your career with a big, well known company.  I did not do this.  I've always worked for small and/or entrepreneurial type firms.  My current organization is the most “corporate” environment I've ever worked in and it’s a far cry from true “corporate America”.  I mean, I get to watch sports, or attend a pro sporting game during my workday – it’s pretty awesome.  My current employer is actually over 100 years old, but it’s transforming in ways that give it the occasional start-up like characteristic.  The balance of both is new for me, and part of what drew me to the role over my traditional pick of the entrepreneurial feel.  What can I say, I want ALL the experiences!  However, I've watched others follow the path of starting in large firms, and moving onto small or mid-size firms later in their career.  From both a career development and compensation standpoint, I won’t argue that starting your career and spending the first 2-10 years in a large firm has value.  However, I would argue that many successful careers were built on the model of building knowledge, skills and abilities in a more independent way via start-ups and small businesses as well. 

Whether you’re looking for your first job, looking to make a change out of corporate America, re-entering the workforce, or just want to explore your options, here are 6 reasons (from my experience) why you should consider working for a start-up or entrepreneurial company as your next career choice:

1.  You will have more responsibility.

In a start-up, you are probably part of a small team.  What this means is that you are likely very different from your co-workers – you probably have a different skill set and a different way of approaching tasks and problems.  In my first role after graduate school, I worked for a start-up and was the HR Director for a company that started at 40 people, and ended at 150 before I left.  Being the HR Director for a high growth start-up meant that I had the responsibilities of recruiting and performance, but don’t forget that I was also responsible for many of our facilities, and the smooth operations of the office and leadership team.  I had to scale the company for growth by designing the structures of each department, and then actually getting the talent in door.  I also had to make sure we were getting the most from our staff and that they were engaged, while also handling all the administrative responsibility of HR such as payroll and benefits, as well as make sure our facilities were in tip top shape, and so much more.  I might not have been given the same level of responsibility at a larger firm.  Was I the most important person on the team?  Absolutely not.  But, was I an integral part of it?  Definitely.  And that's an empowering place to be right out of graduate school.

2. You will be able to do and try a lot of different things.

I have heard on more than one occasion from my peers in large, Fortune 500 companies that the part they dislike about their job is that they are generally stuck with their main task and don't get to branch out into other areas.  This sentiment better resonates with me after having worked now in both start-up and more structured, corporate like environments.  One person per task doesn't sound like any start-up position I've ever heard of.  Working in a start-up means wearing lots of hats, and I mean LOTS.  I would joke with my friends, that in my roles with start-ups, I would be having a strategic conversation one minute about the structure of a department or the direction of a product, and the next minute, I would be squatting with a wet vac to avert the most recent office crisis. 

3.  You will learn from brilliant people.

All companies are looking for “problem solvers”.  If you don’t believe me, go look at the career website listings of 3 organizations you know of.  Trust me, even if you have to read between the lines, they are looking for people who can either sell, or help solve their problems.  People who start their own business have a different mental and professional makeup than those who have never gone off to create something on their own.   Entrepreneurs solve problems in original and innovative ways, which make them some of the best people you can learn from.  Innovation is more than creativity – it’s solving problems in new ways, and learning how to act and react in flexible ways.  Some people have a real gift for this, and they often start companies.  You should want to learn from these people - it makes you more valuable in the job market.

4.  You will be visible.

This is a double edged sword, because in a start-up, visibility magnifies both accomplishments and failures.  Anyone who has seen "Office Space", "The Office", or any other comical show or film around office satire knows that in big companies, your work goes primarily unnoticed, or someone else takes the credit for it.  Due to the nature of a small team, your successes will be recognized instantly.  As a benefit to working in a start-up, I recommend you savor these moments, and bask in the glory.  The other side is that it’s pretty easy to see when someone makes a mistake.  I’d argue that this isn't necessarily a negative though.  There is a lot less slacking in an entrepreneurial environment.  It would only be a matter of days before your coasting would be noticed, and trust me, your team members will be upset.  It also makes you more conscious of producing error-free work.  Since you know the lights are on and everyone is center stage, you will be focused on not making mistakes, so as not to disappoint your co-workers.  Then, when others say, “we couldn't have done it without you”, you’ll know they mean it.

5.  The work culture is awesome.

Those of you reading this who currently work in a start-up are probably wearing jeans or shorts, sandals, and t-shirt right now.  I actually enjoy dressing up a little, but I can tell you that being able to throw on jeans in the morning if you want to is a real perk.  It’s also a really fun environment.  If there isn’t at least one good joke or email per hour between you and your co-workers, it’s probably a slow day.  You also get to form real friendships with your co-workers.  It’s much easier to be friends with your co-workers when you have to work so closely and rely on each other so heavily.  There’s no room for backstabbing and excessive office politics.  Additionally, passion is contagious, and it comes really naturally in an entrepreneurial atmosphere.

6.  There are financial rewards.

There are two pieces I want to talk about here.  First, working in a start-up teaches you to be frugal.  At one company I worked for, being frugal was one of our core principles.  It’s likely that money is tight.  Even if investors are knocking on every door, or the owner has a really rich uncle who stops by frequently, it’s highly likely that you will be asked on a regular basis to do more with less.  This responsibility will certainly transfer to your own life as well, and you'll end up finding new ways to find fulfillment beyond spending your money. Instead, you'll likely discover a joy in creating and doing, rather than consuming.  In the start-up world, it's about creating more and consuming less (except when it comes to your favorite lunch joint).  Now, you must be in it for more than money when joining a start-up, but let’s be honest, very few people get rich working for a big company.  Many people who make millions, make it in stock options.  It’s also nice to know that there is real upside for your hard work, besides a shiny pen at the end of a 40 year career.

I kept this list to 6, but one additional value I found was that these experiences have permanently instilled the value of hard work, ownership, and self-sustainability within me.  This alone, is something I can never say “thank-you” enough for.  Keep an open mind about your next opportunity, and consider a start-up!

4 Workplace Assessments – And My Reviews on Them

I've had the good fortune to take part in many personality assessments over the years.  I've had the pleasure to use 4 in the workplace with staff.  I’ll only be reviewing assessment which I've both taken personally, and used as a facilitator.  I've used these assessments to infuse teams with collaboration, to enable them to work more effectively, and to provide insight that allows them to work better on a personal basis.  Each of these assessments also provided me with some insight, or solidified the characteristics I already knew about myself.  The assessments I’ll be discussing include:

• Strengths Finder (www.strengthsfinder.com)
• Myers Briggs Type Indicator (www.myersbriggs.org)
• Interaction Styles (www.interactionstyle.com)
• In Color Insight (www.incolorinsight.com)

Let’s get right into it:

Strengths Finder:  I started with this one, because Strengths Finder is a bit of a cult favorite among HR and managers in terms of assessments.  To take the assessment, you must purchase the “Strengths Finder 2.0” book and use the code in the book to take the online assessment which consists of several questions you will answer on a likert scale.  You only have 20 seconds to respond to each question so as to get your “gut” response.  The assessment gained exposure and notoriety through its affiliation with Gallup.  The idea behind this assessment is to focus on strengths, rather than shortcomings because focusing on strengths yields the best results and most potential for growth.  The idea is that if one focuses on a weakness, they will improve, but will likely only ever be mediocre at the skill or characteristic.  Focusing on traits that are already strengths allows one to move from “good to great”.  The Strengths Finder book argues that encouraging your staff to focus on strengths also yields high employee engagement.  After answering the questions, the assessment identifies your top 5 strengths (out of a total of 34 themes).  You can then use the book to learn more about the strengths, and gain ideas for leveraging those strengths.  People really love this assessment.  I would venture to say it is probably the most widely popular assessment of this kind, and for that reason it’s easy to get individuals engaged in using it.  While I generally agree with focusing on strengths, I think one must be careful with that message, as it can send a mixed signal for some individuals whose developments are barriers to growth and progress, hence stalling their development.  While this assessment has earned a top rank among HR practitioners and even academics, this is not an assessment that I’m particularly fond of.  I found that I didn't really learn anything about myself by taking the assessment, and that the terms are difficult for me to relate to.  Further, I found that there is a real lack of actionable advice that goes with Strengths Finders.  However, it is entertaining and interesting to read about the results this assessment spits out.

Myers Briggs Type Indicator:  Myers Briggs (also known as MBTI), has been around for some time, and it is used widely in both educational and professional settings.  MBTI is based on the psychological research and theories of C.G. Jung, specifically noting his ideas around introversion/extroversion, archetypes and pulling upon the idea of personality “preferences” (i.e. we prefer to act certain ways, particularly when focused or under stress). 

• Favorite world: Do you prefer to focus on the outer world or on your own inner world? This is called Extroversion (E) or Introversion (I).
• Information: Do you prefer to focus on the basic information you take in or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning? This is called Sensing (S) or Intuition (N).
• Decisions: When making decisions, do you prefer to first look at logic and consistency or first look at the people and special circumstances? This is called Thinking (T) or Feeling (F).
• Structure: In dealing with the outside world, do you prefer to get things decided or do you prefer to stay open to new information and options? This is called Judging (J) or Perceiving (P).

Your Personality Type: When you decide on your preference in each category, you have your own personality type, which can be expressed as a code with four letters.  The assessment is typically taken online, and the results, along with accompanying information about the type are typically provided.

The 16 personality types of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument are listed here as they are often shown in what is called a “type table.”

ISTJ	ISFJ	INFJ	INTJ
ISTP	ISFP	INFP	INTP
ESTP	ESFP	ENFP	ENTP
ESTJ	ESFJ	ENFJ	ENTJ

I’m really quite a fan of MBTI.  It’s been around for ages, so I've taken it three different times, and I suppose I’m rather consistent, because I've gotten the same results each time.  For the record, I am a INTJ.  I find that this assessment provided me with the most robust self reflection tools of any assessment.  So, if self-reflection is the goal of what you’re trying to accomplish – I think MBTI is your best choice, hands down.

Interaction Styles:  Interaction Styles is similar to other assessments, but focuses more heavily on the ways in which people interact with each other, rather than on the internal personality.  The idea is that most people regularly behave out of their propensity of a style.  Most also enjoy being treated as they behave (a different approach than the In Color Insight).  There are four different styles:  Relater, Expresser, Analyzer and Director.  There are two axes that make up the four quadrants of the Interaction Styles.  The horizontal axis is called the “Action-Oriented Dimension” and the vertical axis is called the “Emotion-Oriented Dimension”.  Your propensity for both action and emotion determine your interaction style.  

One of the biggest benefits to this assessment is the fact that it is available in a paper format, rather than just electronically.  For this reason, this particular assessment is good to use with front-line staff or staff that are not savvy with technology.  I also find this is a good assessment for individuals who are taking on either a new leadership role, or who are taking on a very different leadership role than they've held previously.   It gives a good framework to work from for such transitions, and can be easily translated to most low-skill or mid-level position workers.  Because this assessment does not require technology, it can be a good one to use as a complementary exercise during other trainings, and generally keeps participants highly engaged since they must work through the questionnaire on the spot.

In Color Insight:  This last one is rather new to me, but perhaps one of my favorite assessments, which is why I left if for last.  In Color Insight utilizes the Personal Insight Inventory (PII) which uses a short word-association survey to provide a profile of an individual’s behavioral preferences, energy drivers, and expectations for interpersonal interaction – using color to depict orientations toward action, people, ideas and structure.  InColor Insight operates on the finding that human beings intuitively associate certain qualities and feelings with certain colors.  Using the universal language of color, the profiles communicate easily using four primary colors to represent behavioral orientations:

Action-oriented – Red

People-oriented – Yellow

Structure-oriented – Green

Ideas-oriented – Blue

After answering the questions, the assessment reveals a full report outlining your personality according to the colors different “systems”.  The assessment first outlines your behavior system (how you prefer to act), your expectations system (how you expect yourself and others to act), and your energy/need system (your subconscious, or the way you act under stress).  The assessment is based upon the research and theories of many people over time and tries to incorporate the significant ideologies of many other assessments.  The simple scheme creates a fun and memorable shared language teams can use to apply the insights gained from the assessment.  From my experience with this assessment, the common language it creates lives long beyond the debrief exercise, and it probably has the most lasting impact within teams for that reason.  I believe this assessment is the best at providing team building while also providing some self reflection.  Using the colors, teams can talk about their interactions with one another, and find ways to better collaborate using the new shared language of color.  I highly recommend this assessment if you are working with teams that are newly formed, or that are going through significant change.  It’s also a good tool to use with teams whose working relationships may have become stale.  If one of the main goals of doing a session with an assessment includes team building, this is by far the best assessment of the four.

As you can tell, I believe each of these assessments has a place; otherwise, I wouldn't bother mentioning them.  There are many assessments out there that I've used that are not worth the paper they are written on.  So be careful when choosing to use assessments with your staff.  Carefully determine what your goal is before using any type of assessment with your employees.  By knowing what you hope to get out of it, you’ll better be able to choose and leverage the tools available to you.

What other assessments do you like using with staff?  List them in the comments below!

Messy Desk = Messy Perception: It Can Hurt Your Career

This week, I cleaned my desk.  Not just a reorganizing-of-piles type of cleaning.  I sorted through everything and even took the Clorox wipes to it.  In comparison to others, I’m not necessarily a messy desk type of person.  However, after a couple hectic weeks it begins to look a little disheveled, and a pile or two of papers begins to form.  I recently found an article online from the University of Texas about how people perceive people who have messy desks.  The study from UT found that people with messy desks or offices are less efficient, less organized and less imaginative then people with clean desks.  And you know what – I bet you didn't need an academic article to come to that conclusion.  Why is that?  The bottom line – it can hurt your career.  If you have a messy desk, you look like you operate in a constant state of chaos and are out of control.

Now, I think about some of the people at my organization who have messy desks.  What I often hear from these individuals is that, “It’s not really that messy”, or “it’s an organized mess – I know exactly where everything is”.  Their argument essentially is that they operate just as well and efficiently in their messy space than the person next door who is neat and tidy.  The more I think about it though – that could be true, but it doesn't really matter.  Why?  Because my perception is that they aren't efficient or organized, even if they insist they are. 

I think this goes a little deeper though.  Having a messy space is really undermining their career, even if just in subtle ways.  If you’re a senior leader, buried in a mess, the perception is that you’re in over your head, or you can’t handle the responsibility of your role.  If you’re in middle management, you may be overlooked for special assignments, or even promotions, because people worry that when they trust you with something important, it may disappear in a pile of papers, never to be seen again.  Consider the idea of someone wearing a clown costume to work.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but in actuality, the job could likely still get done.  However, it wouldn’t instill confidence in others to work with or rely on that person.  Appearance is an important part of human nature, whether you agree or not.  This means that the tidiness of your space is as important as your outfit.

Consider the study cited above as a warning to managers as well.  Are you considering promoting someone who has a messy work space?  Perhaps it’s a mistake.  It probably seems to others as though the person might be in over their head, or they just don’t care.  Is that the type of confidence you want to instill in staff through your new leader?

Another anecdote I've heard from messy deskers is, “It’s an expression of who I am!”  And this I believe is true – it does seem like a messy space may be a reflection of what is going on in someone’s head.  But being efficient, organized and creative are important in today’s workforce, and those individuals are setting themselves behind.  I would encourage them to create a reflection at work of their best self – especially if you don’t want to unknowingly hurt your career.

Action plan and food for thought:  consider implementing a practice where everyone tidies their work space before leaving each day.  It might sound a little extreme, but as a leader (and from an talent development perspective); in a small way it allows you to build your people up to their greatest potential by not allowing them to undermine themselves.

Picture:  In the spirit of practicing what I preach, I've included a picture of my desk after I cleaned up.  I left out the before picture, so as not to undermine myself or give you the wrong impression ;)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic - leave your comments below!

3 Steps for Developing People Through the "Art" of Difficult Conversations

Part of my role includes talent and organizational development, and one of the 2014 initiatives in this area that I've been spearheading is leadership and manager development.  To kick things off, our entire leadership team (managers and above) just spent two intensive days at Kellogg’s Allen Center participating in a customized leadership development session around the managerial gaps in our organization.  We covered several topics including performance management, coaching conversations, and fostering team collaboration.  However, I want to speak with you about one particular tool we learned around the “art” of difficult conversations.  The session on "Developing People Through the Art of Difficult Conversations” was lead by executive coach and faculty member Brooke Vuckovic and this blog post is based on her presentation.

This topic would be relevant in nearly all leadership development or management training sessions.  Our organization is no different.  I mean, who enjoys tough conversations?  Who even knows someone who enjoys tough conversations?  If there’s one thing I've come to believe on about training and leadership development, it would that it’s much easier to approach what can be an intimidating task if you have a framework to work from.  The framework that Brooke highlighted in her session is the CPR model from Patterson, et al Crucial Conversations, 2005.

Before going into the framework, I want to emphasize a couple points, and the first is to examine whether you should have the conversation at all.  Some things to consider when deciding to have a difficult conversation:

• You’re beating a dead horse – the person gets it
• Timing
• You don’t have the facts
• You don’t understand your emotions or you feel morally superior
• Expectations are not clear
• What’s your intent?  Are you enforcing standards to stick it to others?
• The relationship is superficial or time limited – you should let it go

Additionally, I can’t overemphasize the importance of choosing the right problem to address.  Many leaders fall into the trap of choosing the wrong problem.  Some warning signs that you may have chosen the wrong problem include:

• You’re constantly discussing the same issue
• You feel increasingly frustrated, even if the problem itself isn't escalating, just continuing
• You resolve the issue you originally discussed, but you still don’t feel quite right:  the discussion didn't address what you really want

Once you have correctly identified the problem that needs to be addressed, it’s time to consider the CPR model.

Content:  For first time problems, stick with observable behaviors:  

“Sally, I notice you missed the meeting you had agreed to attend with the client.  I was wondering what happened.  Are you OK?  Did you run into any setbacks?”

Pattern:  If the behavior occurs multiple times, the pattern becomes the issue:

“We've discussed this before.  You agreed it would not happen again, and I’m concerned about the pattern of disappointing our clients and putting the onus on less senior members of the team.  What are our options for resolving this?”

Relationship:  The issue is no longer the behavior or the pattern; it’s that you've lost trust in them; and it’s affecting how you treat one another.

“This is starting to put a strain on how we work together.  I feel like I have to check up on you to make sure client care is managed well and I do not like doing that.  My fear is that I can’t trust you to keep the agreements you make.”

Most difficult conversation topics can move progressively through this model – although it could be argued, that skipping steps can sometime be appropriate, depending on the employee situation. 

When you think of difficult conversations with employees, asking yourself questions to determine if you should even have the conversation is a meaningful exercise, and one that many managers miss when leading their people.  Another potential pitfall for leaders, is addressing the wrong problem.  Consider the three questions above when determining if you've wrongly identified an employee problem.  And lastly, use the CPR model when having those difficult conversations.  Focusing on behaviors, patterns and relationships can keep these tough topics from becoming too personal, and will keep you pointed at the right things.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on handling difficult conversations, and if you've encountered any other models or tactics that work well for you.  Share them in the comments below!