June 25, 2003
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-- "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
-- Integrity and Ethics Survey Results
-- 25 Trends That Will Change The Way You Do Business
-- Managing the Generation Mix(tm)
-- What is DISC?
-- Employee evaluations made easy!
-- Testing and Assessments: An Employer's Guide to Best Practices
-- What TotalView readers have to say -
-- Rule #1 of good employee behavior - Show up for work!
-- Stop Guessing, Start Knowing - August 20, 2003 at The Lancaster Chamber
-- Manager's Guide to Emotional Intelligence - Only $9.95
-- What is Your Interviewing IQ

The Incredible Hulk opened last week on movie screens across the country. But every week employers hire and promote seemingly mild-mannered team players who transform into angry, hostile employees when things don't go their way.

Although Dr. Banner never discovered his cure, we have a solution for employers. Read on and enjoy this week's issue of The Total View.

"Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
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So says Dr. David Bruce Banner before transforming from research scientist into the Incredible Hulk.

Dr. Banner was trying to find a way to tap into the hidden strength that all humans possess. Then, one night in his laboratory, an experiment went wrong, causing him to be overexposed to gamma radiation. Now, whenever angered or distressed, the mild- mannered scientist finds himself transforming into a powerful seven-foot green creature known as The Incredible Hulk.

The Hulk is guided by David's personality, dealing with whatever distresses David. But unfortunately, David has no control over the Hulk's actions.

Maybe I've been spending too much time processing and interpreting employee behaviors when you start to "analyze" the behaviors and personality of action figures. But Dr. Banner's story loses some of its farfetched weirdness after you listen to a few of the horror stories employers share with me about bad hires and especially bad promotions. Just like the Dr. Banner, most candidates arrive for the interview on their best behavior. Unfortunately without forensic interviewing, observation and probing skills, you hire the Dr. Banner's of the world but you get the Hulk the first time things don't go his way. Sage turns to rage and you've gotten more than you bargained for.

Putting the selection odds in your favor doesn't have to be such a crap shoot.

How can you find out if the person you've hired won't turn into some green monster after a few days on the job? One of the most accurate, convenient, and reliable techniques is through the use of personality testing.

Let's imagine that Dr. Banner was applying for a position in your organization. He has submitted his resume and has impressed you at his first interview. You are ready to invite him back for your more comprehensive and structured interviews but first you direct him to complete a series of employment assessments, such as those included in the CriteriaOne(R) Assessment System.

If Dr. Banner had been screened using the CriteriaOne system, he would have completed three types of assessments: DISC, Personal Interests, Attitudes and Values (PIAV) and TotalView(tm) For this column, I'm just going to focus on just DISC and TotalView.

DISC is a four-style behavioral assessment and evaluates an individual's preferences for dealing with problems, people, pace and procedures. Behind each behavioral style is an emotion. The emotion exhibited by the D (or Direct) behavior is anger. High Ds have a short fuse and are quick to anger. Low Ds have longer fuse and are generally much more patient.

The Hulk is a D on steroids! As Dr. Banner warns "don't make me angry", he is telling the world, "I'm a D behavioral style." His rage may be an extreme case but we've certainly all experienced the explosive, volatile boss, manager, or co-worker. But I'm going to throw a blanket on the winds of DISC. "Labeling" all D styles as emotional cripples is unfair and inaccurate.

That is why we recommend the use of multiple assessments to get a picture of the whole person. Using the DISC model alone can mislabel people and that is not the intent. DISC is a powerful tool when used and interpreted properly. When used improperly, it becomes a destructive weapon. When combined with DISC and interpreted correctly, there is nothing better.

TotalView(tm), a five-factor personality and abilities assessment, provides us with several critical pieces of information. TotalView is a normed assessment and scores are based on an equal distribution of traits (the bell-shaped curve) representative of the normal population.

In the case of the Hulk, we would expect him to be a 10 out of 10 on competitiveness and assertiveness. Only 2.5 percent of the population score in the 10 range. They exhibit a level of competitiveness and assertiveness greater than 97.5 percent of the population. As the good doctor transforms into the Hulk, he becomes obsessed with winning and is not afraid to stand on principle, even if he stands alone. Combine this extreme competitiveness and assertiveness with a high D behavior and you have a bull-in-the china closet, or at least the Hulk on the loose. He wins, you lose and he's not afraid to tell you. To top it off you're never really sure when he is your friend or when he's the competitor.

After reviewing hundreds of completed DISC and TotalView assessments, our CriteriaOne consultants have found many high Ds do not always equate with 10s on assertiveness. In fact, many individuals who have D as their dominant behavioral style "score" in only the 5 to 7 range on competitiveness and assertiveness. To most of the population their desire to win and express their viewpoints is not seen as exceptionally assertive although their style might be perceived as abrupt and direct. Combine a 10 with a D behavior and you might be viewed as only caring about winning at any cost. Combine a 10 with a more people- oriented I or S style and they might actually get away with it. I can't impress on you enough times why it is so important to get the complete picture of the whole person.

As a final spot check on the Banner/Hulk employee, TotalView also evaluates what we call Stability. Stability assesses how well can individual can deal with rejection and criticism and cope with stressful situations. Individuals who are extremely tolerant and even-tempered are considered Poised and Relaxed. On the other end of the scales are the Restless and Excitable. Restless people are easily upset, irritable and prone to lose their tempers. Excitable individuals become tense and anxious in stressful situations. Sounds like Restless and Excitable describes the Hulk right on the money.

If we combine a high D, competitive-assertive personality who is Restless and Excitable, we've profiled the behaviors and personality of the Hulk.

It's that easy. Figuring out the truth about candidates and employees involves a journey that few of us have been prepared to take. Personality testing has proven to be one way to match the right people to the right job the first time.

Until candidates are willing to warn you about flaws like the inability to control their rage and admit to other personality challenges and alter egos, whole person assessment systems like CriteriaOne offer an employee selection and management solution that is convenient, reliable and cost-effective.

To learn more about DISC, scroll down to "What is DISC?"

To learn more about Whole Person Approach employee testing, email us at: iwolfe@super- solutions.com with your name, company, title and phone number.

Click here to order your DISC Personal Insights Profile.

Integrity and Ethics Survey Results
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If you're thinking of sharing some news in confidence, you don't want to miss reading the results of our Integrity and Ethics survey completed earlier this month.

Click here to see the complete results of the Integrity and Ethics Survey.

25 Trends That Will Change The Way You Do Business
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>From e-mail to health care, and from artificial intelligence to the end of HR as we know it, here are forecasts of how different the world of workforce management will be 10 years from now.

To read 25 Trends that will change your business, click here. Don't miss Trend #16.

Managing the Generation Mix(tm)
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Are you managing age diversity? Understand the four generations in the workplace today - each at different life stages, ech with conflicting perspectives, expectations, and needs. Learn best practices to foster understanding, leverage strengths, avoid clashes, improve productivity, and maximize teamwork. Turn diversity into a strategic advantage.

Managing the Generation Mix is a complete, customizable, off-the-shelf training program based on the principles contained in Bruce Tulgan and Dr. Carolyn A. Martin's popular book. Pricing includes an unlimited license and the following training materials on a single CD-R: