April 23, 2003
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-- You only have to "C" it to believe it!
-- Bending the rules vs. playing by the book
-- How does the high C/low C scenario play out at work?
-- Why does style matter?
-- Last chance to register for "Stop Guessing, Start Knowing"
-- Developing and Assessing Competencies Just Got A Lot Easier!
-- Ask the Experts - Interviewing, Employee Testing and more
-- Job Stress Stretches Bottom Line
-- A Selection Solution that gives you The Total View
-- CriteriaOne Certification Training - June 5-6-7, 2003
-- The Manager's Guide to Interviewing and Hiring Top Performers
-- Final days to complete your Workforce Climate Survey.

Success Performance Solutions announces an easy way to get answers to the tough questions. We've created a Bulletin Board just for you.

Every day we get dozens of questions such as:

"What is the best test to use for hiring?"

"Are your tests legal to use?"

"What should we do if a candidate refuses to take your test?"

"How do I know if a candidate shares our values?"

These are great questions and not unique to a single organization or position. So we're pleased to announce our new community forum where you can ask these questions to professionals and other colleagues in the workplace. To sign on, look for the instructions toward the end of this week's issue.

You only have to "C" it to believe it!
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Every year without fail we are required to file our tax returns. And every April 15 hundreds of thousands of people rush to the post office with their tax returns in hand trying to beat the midnight deadline. It's not like the arrival of April 15 isn't predictable. Everyone knows that it arrives every 365th day - like it or not.

So why is it that so many people wait to the last minute when they know the deadline won't pass and the penalties are stiff for ignoring it?

Before I get to the procrastinators, let's talk about the people who actually file early. I'm not talking about filing just on time. I'm talking about individuals who self impose their own deadline before the groundhog even has a chance to see his shadow. When they don't receive their W-2's by mid-January, their pulse begins to quicken. By January 31st they break into a cold sweat if their returns are not postmarked.

Why in the world do some people get so excited about beating the deadline by months when others push the deadline right to the limit and then request an extension?

Bending the rules vs. playing by the book
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One answer lies in behavioral styles. A very popular assessment model uses the letters D-I-S-C to describe four different styles, or individual preferences. The "C" describes those individuals who are energized with "complying" by rules set by other people. (This doesn't mean they like the rules but that they are energized by following them.) Nobody that I ever met likes taxes but the high C individuals are pleased as punch to own the bragging rights of done on-time, on- budget, error-free.

When observing the behavioral styles of others, it is equally important to know if an individual is low "C" as well as if it is a dominant style. Why? Most people interpret styles like they read fuel gauges - you either have "C" or you don't. But individuals who are "low in C" (or any style for that matter) doesn't mean that they are void of style. Individuals not energized by compliance still have a preference for compliance - they just may avoid it whenever possible. This does not mean that the low "C" individuals do things that are illegal, immoral and unethical. As individuals energized by compliance tend to file taxes early, low C individuals tend to demonstrate their independence by challenging the deadline and bending the rules. They each will expend an equal amount of energy in either complying or avoiding. Why? Because "rules are guidelines just waiting to be broken."

What are your preferred styles? Order your Personal Insights Profile today. This 22-page, no mess coin-scratch instrument measures a person's behavior and helps the person understand their own and other's behavioral styles to improve communication. It incorporates the four dimensions of normal behavior with 24 specific graphs that are easy to reference for effective learning. This is the most complete and accurate instrument on the market today.

How does the high C/low C scenario play out at work?
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Let's say an office meeting is scheduled for 8:00 AM. High C people set their alarm a few minutes early on the day of the meeting - just in case the traffic is bad. In fact, they may set two alarms. You never know when you might sleep through the first one. They arrive in the office fifteen minutes early. They are usually the first to arrive. They make the coffee and clean up the counter, fill their coffee cups and are in their seats waiting for the others to arrive at least five minutes before the top of the hour.

Middle or situational Cs also may set their alarms early. But hitting the snooze button one time won't hurt. In fact, they might have even set the clock a few minutes fast just to fake themselves out. They leave their home fifteen minutes before 8:00 AM. Of course it takes twelve minutes on a good day to get to work on time. On this day, they arrive just a minute or two early but stop off in the break room to re-fill their coffee cups before joining the meeting. They enter the meeting room "around 8" to the chagrin of the high Cs who were ready to begin promptly at eight.

The meeting begins. Noticeably missing are a few key employees. These empty seats of course belong to low Cs. These individuals had all intentions of leaving home early and being on time. Unfortunately, they woke up just a few minutes late after hitting the snooze one too many times. Then they forgot it was garbage day. The dog needed to be walked - and of course, Fido decided to take a long walk this day. And where oh where did those car keys go? Finally they arrive at the meeting at 8:23. Hey, what's twenty minutes or so when the real discussion doesn't ever start right away. "Sorry I'm late", they say and then go on to describe why they are late this time. You can just picture the glares and disgust directed at them from the high Cs.

Yes, I want to learn how my organization can improve communication and reduce conflicts in our workplace. Click here to join our next teleconference on using DISC in the workplace. Just type "DISC" in the comment box.

Why does style matter?
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Because how people respond to the rules and procedures at work (and in life) is just one of the many causes of interpersonal conflicts. When you pit individuals who believe everything should run by clockwork with those who believe it's more important to enjoy every minute and not count them, the focus shifts from how effective is the performance to how the job is accomplished. It now becomes personal.

Interpersonal conflict is not productive and organizations can ill afford even a minute of non- productivity these days. Although differences in behavioral styles are a primary cause of workplace conflict, the truth about behaviors is that there is no right or wrong style - there are just different styles. When different people approach work differently, sometimes they simply get on other people's nerves. (Want to have fun? Just re-arrange the desk of a high C.)

Organizations today are finding it more and more difficult to locate enough people who have the skills to do a job. What they can ill afford is to hire people who are qualified but then get upset when they do the job differently than "the way we do things around here". The result of differing work styles is stress between the employee and others, and between the employee and the requirements of the job. More often than not this ends up in the individual leaving the organization voluntarily or involuntarily, but not after a lot of unnecessary tension and hard feelings.

Understanding an employee's work style, or how he or she prefers to respond to problems (D), people (I), pace (S) and procedures (C) is essential for job satisfaction, job retention, and productivity. Profit margins in today's world have no room for losses due to low morale, turnover, and ineffective activities and people. Mismatching employees to the right jobs and teams is avoidable and placing the right people in the right positions is no longer best left to chance.

Last chance to register for "Stop Guessing, Start Knowing"
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"The best seminar I've attended in years"

"Ira really knows his stuff. With his help we will stop guessing about hiring and promoting."

"The only improvement I'd make to this presentation would be to make it longer."

The Atlanta's seminars sold out. Don't miss Stop Guessing, Start Knowing in Lancaster (PA) on April 30.

Register today for The HRD Press/Training House workshops: Stop Guessing, Start Knowing - How to Accurately Assess Personality and Competencies.

Hampton Inn, Greenfield Corporate Center, Lancaster (PA)

8:30 AM to Noon and repeated again at 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM

To register for this seminar, click on the link below. Less than a handful of seats remain.

Yes, register me today for the Stop Guessing, Start Knowing Seminar.

Developing and Assessing Competencies Just Got A Lot Easier!
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Leadership ability.

Delegation skills.

Analytical thinking.

Change handling skills.

Motivation skills.

These are just a few of the required crucial skills needed by managers and leaders today.

Janus Performance Management Systems is an easy to use and cost effective approach for improving performance, assessing jobs, aligning an organization, and meeting other HR goals.

The Online Janus System makes it easy to identify from 3 to 10 core competencies per position, build competency-based job descriptions, develop job- specific interview questions and adminster performance evaluations - a seamless, continuous, cost-effective solution to selecting and managing top performers. Sign up for our next Janus teleconference on May 7 at 11 AM (EDT) by clicking here and typing Janus - May 7 in the comment box.

To download a FREE copy of the Janus Performance Management Competency Library, click here.

Ask the Experts - Interviewing, Employee Testing and more
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Join our Whole Person Approach Bulletin Board. Ask certified employee selection and performance management professionals about the best tools and technigues to match, manage and motivate employees.

To join the Whole Person Approach community, click here.

Job Stress Stretches Bottom Line
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Although stress is inevitable and unavoidable, individuals whose work styles are mismatched to a job only increases the risk of job-related absenteeism, illness, mistakes and accidents. Eliminating the stress is impossible but behavioral and personality assessments are becoming an economical and effective way to identify employees who are most at risk and as tools to help coach managers coach them on how to cope with and manage stressful situations.

New Column published in the April Business2Business magazine.

A Selection Solution that gives you The Total View
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Make better hiring decisions by using valid and reliable information on personality, interests, abilities, and working characteristics.

The TotalView Assessment identifies key traits where a job candidate may not align with the job-then provides behavioral interviewing questions to probe deeper into the candidates experience-to determine job fit suitability.

TotalView provides an objective comparison of the candidate with a psychometrically sound standard of high performance.

Match 20 traits to high performance in a specific job in your organization.

Five reports including selection, coaching, working characteristics, succession planning and individual for one price.

Click here to view sample reports.

CriteriaOne Certification Training - June 5-6-7, 2003
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"Light years ahead of the competition" says one CriteriaOne participant.

If job analysis, job matching or employee testing is on your strategic calendar this year, you don't want to miss CriteriaOne. ( CritieriaOne )received trademark status in March 2003.) If it's not -- it should be!

Register today for our next CriteriaOne Train-the-trainer workshop to be held on June 5-6-7, 2003 in Lancaster PA. Read what one participant in our last workshop had to say about his experience:

"Your CriteriaOne seminar this weekend was incredible. For years I did both contingency and retained search work for clients nationwide thinking the screening tools I used were serving us well. The information and skills you shared during our training are light years ahead of the rest of the screening and assesment systems out there."

B.M., Sr. Sales Consultant

Get certified in CriteriaOne. Cllick here. Please indicate the best time and day to contact you.

The Manager's Guide to Interviewing and Hiring Top Performers
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This book is for individuals with training responsibilities who are looking for tools to help their managers, supervisors, and/or team leaders interview, hire, and retain top performers. If you or someone in your hiring system has limited experience in interviewing and hiring, this book will help you and your organization to be more proficient in hiring practices. Includes over a dozen job aid templates for recruiting, hiring, and retaining top performers.

Visit the SPS bookstore and order Interviewing and Hiring Top Performers.

Contact Information
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email: iwolfe@super-solutions.com
voice: 717.656.4632
web: http://www.super-solutions.com
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