In over ten years
of consulting, I have found that around 95% of "business"
problems are really communications problems. That is, they are the result
of a misunderstanding, non-communication, or missed communication. In
businesses, failure to communicate can be disastrous - ranging from
a loss inventory, to disgruntled and unhappy workers, to the worst case
of all, displeased and dissatisfied clients. Any of these mean lower
or lost profits for our businesses!
Communication, however,
is a skill that can be learned. Once you understand who you are and
who your people are, communication can take place quite easily with
fewer misunderstandings. In order to facilitate communications, we must
determine the personality/communications style of the persons involved.
Three fairly simple
testing devices can help you during the interview and pre-hire process
to ensure that the employees hired by your firm fit your job needs,
are honest and reliable, and that you will be able to communicate with
them to build an effective team for your organization. In today's "ready
to sue" society, it is crucial that we hire the best candidates
for our positions and that we can back our selections with valid data.
The CheckStart survey
is an easy, inexpensive tool used to determine basic job fit. The applicant
answers fifty quick questions which are then mapped against a choice
of five career options: general, sales, management/supervisory, customer
service, or customer support. If the results indicate that the individual
will fit the basic requirements of the job and will fit in with the
company culture, you're ready to move to the next survey.
The second instrument
is called the Step One Survey. It helps to discover those applicants
who are most likely to commit illegal acts or violate company rules
and policies. Honest employees are a requirement for our businesses.
This test will let you know whether the person you are considering hiring
will be honest with you and with your clients. The survey also measures
feelings about substance abuse, as well as reliability and willingness
to work. Hiring honest employees is of no value if they don't work hard
or aren't reliable once they're on our payroll! Step One is low-cost
and easy-to-administer.
Personality Plus
was developed by Florence and Fred Littauer and tests the individual
for their personality type - one of four basic styles. For example,
the Popular person is best at making initial contacts with people and
is good at creating enthusiasm, but is too easily distracted and forgetful.
The Powerful person is good at motivating people to action and controlling
plans and productivity, but may be too impulsive and intimidating. The
Perfect person is good at planning and explaining the details and being
sensitive to the needs of others, but is also too easily distracted
and often critical. The Peaceful person is great at making sure the
group is comfortable and staying calm and functional amid crisis, but
is apt to be too undisciplined and indecisive.
Once we understand
who we are and why we communicate the way we do, it is easier to communicate
with others. We can learn the communications needs and styles of the
various personalities and begin to communicate not out of our personality,
but into theirs. This enables us to build strong teams within our businesses
as we can recognize and value the various pieces of the personality
"puzzle" that make up our company.
Only by effectively
hiring and then communicating with our staff can we build an effective,
efficient and profitable team. Only as we are willing to look within
ourselves and modify our behavior/speech patterns to work with differing
personality types will we be able to communicate clearly. Only by communicating
distinctly with our clients can we be certain we will ensure their satisfaction
and build repeat business.