The challenge was clear. The CEO I was serving as a consultant had a big ask. His company had grown to the point that he needed to add a layer of management for the shop floor. He had identified six of his top operators. And he wanted to know two things:
- Could they successfully make the leap to supervision?
- What skills did we need to equip them with?
And so we set off on a one-year journey. As a first step, we administered an assessment tool that utilized well-validated benchmarks for this role and compared these six to their national norms. I had used this tool many times in the past, and it had the uncanny ability to predict if people were a match to a role or not.
The results came in, and I can still recall my apprehension at breaking the news. Of the six people identified, this tool only saw one as a good fit.
The CEO listened carefully and then took a deep breath. I held my breath, wondering what the reaction would be.
I still recall his words: “Kris, he said. These are six people I have great faith in. They are my top performers. I want to give them every chance to succeed. I want to dance with the people I invited to this dance.”
And dance we did. We identified the most critical skill sets. We trained. We practiced. We coached. We discussed.
And after many months, it was clear. One person was well suited for the new role. The others were better suited, happier, and more valuable assets in their previous roles.
I’ve seen it a thousand times and lived it more than once. I suspect you have, too. There are good people, dedicated individuals, who do their best, yet get placed in a role that is not suited for them. The fallout often includes:
- The person in a role mismatch being seen as a failure
- They then get discouraged and disheartened. Loyal employees might leave.
- Results suffer – even if they are doing their best and shouldering on.
This scenario of being in the “wrong role” reminds me of a source of constant friction between my husband and I, both business owners. He is very left-brained. Loves nothing better than an Excel spreadsheet. Extraordinary attention to detail.
I am right-brained. I think in words and images, not numbers and spreadsheets. I am putting a “finger to the wind” to approximate and go.
He can’t understand why my monthly reconciliation is such a burden. I have the tools (thanks to QuickBooks). I have relatively few transactions. I can do math and am smart enough to figure things out.
And while all that is true, I intensely dislike this task. It’s not that I can’t do it; it’s that I can think of 100 other things that are more rewarding and fulfilling. And so I procrastinate and put it off, and then dig a hole where reconciling the books, which may have taken 30 minutes, now takes three hours, as I have three months to reconcile, not just one.
The moral of this story is that each of us has unique talents, gifts, and propensities. And the closer the fit between what we can and love to do and the role we are in, the higher the chance of success. The more productive we are. The better we feel about ourselves and our work. The more likely we are to stay, and to be happy staying.
That is the conundrum those of us placing people into positions face. The path is fraught with mistakes, mishaps, and misjudgments.
If you’ve selected people for jobs, you most likely have experienced:
- People with great-looking resumes who, once on the job, appear to have fabricated their credentials and accomplishments
- Employees who shine in one role get promoted to another and fail dismally
- The unexpected delight of discovering someone who was flying below the radar and, when given a chance, rises and shines.
- The challenge with finding the “right seat” for someone with unrealized potential.
So the big question is:
“ How can we more accurately match people to roles and better predict the likelihood of a successful match?”
When we have a health issue, a range of diagnostic tools provides us with data to diagnose and recommend treatment options. We have X-rays, CAT scans, and MRI’s. What if there were a tool that would help employers use actionable data to identify who might be a better fit for specific roles?
I’m excited to share that there is! It is six times better than the old tool I used with the six new supervisors. It is validated and uses AI and advanced algorithms to help leaders answer questions like:
- Who is my candidate pool is more likely to be successful in this role?
- Where do I have hidden talent in my organization?
- What are the characteristics of people who are high performers in specific roles, and how can I find more like them?
- What makes someone likely to stay with the organization?
The tool is Almas Insights, a behaviorally based assessment that puts people in a job simulation to create their unique profile across sixteen competencies. Once you have the data, you have access to a dashboard where you can see your entire data set – and can make data-driven insights for any number of placement situations.
I’ve done this work for a long time, and this is a tool that is a game-changer. Don’t take my word for it!
I’m inviting you to a free webinar at noon ET on April 22, 2025. All you need to do is to register here.
Reading this after the 22nd and would like to learn more? Easy! Just schedule some time to talk with me using this link.
