We are often reminded by clients of different applications that others may not have considered when using Extended DISC® Behavioural Analysis Reports.
In early December we were contacted by a human resources consultant who had decided to use Extended DISC® as he had been a user of another DISC based program for many years. He had seen one of our reports and was impressed by our ability to customise reports from a huge selection of over 1500 competencies.
Because his client had not been using Extended DISC® in recruitment, the selection of personnel for specific tasks had not always been as efficient as the management would have liked and the consultant was engaged because of an apparent lack of effectiveness of two executives who held key positions.
The consultant tells us that he decided that the best way to fully understand the management team was to have each of them complete the on-line questionnaire and obtain a Behavioural Analysis Report. The outcome of this approach provided the consultant with some information he had not expected.
To his dismay, he found that two of the executive team were in roles that really did not suit their behavioural style and in fact were working in situations that were outside their comfort zone.
The effect of this was that not only were the two executives working under pressure (and using more energy than they might have if working within their comfort zone) but their natural talents were not being utilised.
The two concerned were employed as sales manager and general manager.
The sales manager’s Profiles are shown opposite and the consultant’s initial suspicion was that the sales manager was in fact in the wrong job! He was a skilled technician but as so often happens, was so good at his job, was elevated to a position that simply placed him outside his comfort zone.
A similar situation applied to the general manager. He had been a very effective salesman and was promoted because of his sales record. Quite often such promotions would have been a correct choice, but the role of general manager in this instance required significant dominant traits, – something the incumbent general manager simply did not possess as will be noted from the Profiles shown opposite.
Another feature that impressed the consultant was the fact that FinxS Reports could be tailored to include competencies that relate to stress issues.
Stress was not so much a feature in the sales manager’s situation, – his was more an uncertainty of role but the general manager was clearly showing signs of stress.
The FinxS test reports used in this case included a range of competencies that assisted the consultant in identifying the likely cause of the stress, the signs of stress and suggestions to alleviate the stress.
The reason the consultant called us was to tell us that his client had now decided that they would not employ any new senior people without understanding their unconscious natural behavioural style, and nor would they promote any of the team without first understanding their natural behavioural style through the use of Extended DISC® Behavioural Reports.
The reports they had relied on in the past did not enable the comparison of the adjusted conscious style (Profile I) with the unconscious natural behavioural style (Profile II) and only reported on what was obviously the employee’s conscious adjusted style.
Needless to say, the consultant has recommended a change in the job description for both executives and a restructuring of the roles to take advantage of the valuable experience of both managers. He is certain that both executives would have left the company had he not taken these steps.
How often do we see people promoted into positions that simply do not suit their behavioural style because they had been successful in a completely different role?
The result is that often the person concerned will not only lose motivation but sometimes feel stressed or under pressure and more than likely consider leaving the firm. The organisation could therefore lose an experienced team member who should have been retained had his behavioural style been fully understood.
