Have you ever selected the wrong person for a job? Your candidate interviewed well, their profile was good, but after a few weeks their performance did not live up to their promise. If this has happened to you, you are not alone!
Every year more than forty percent of managers and employees are selected for jobs they find dissatisfying, and unmotivating, with the result they leave their job and employer at the first opportunity. With this attitude to their job it is hardly surprising Australia loses $80 billion every year in poor productivity.
$80 billion is a lot of money! What can be done to turn this loss into an $80 billion annual profit? How can you be sure that only managers and employees, who will be motivated by their work, are selected for the job, not those who will leave for a ‘better' job at the first opportunity? In short, is there a way to accurately select the high performer, the "right person for the right job", every time? The answer is yes!
No doubt you check a candidate's qualifications, education, competencies, experience, and references match the job. Then at interview, you assess the candidate's perception of the job, how they say they will work, and behave in the job, and the probability they will be a success.
But do you also check that your candidate's attitudes, beliefs and values - the motivators of your candidate's behaviours - match the attitudes, beliefs and values required for high performance in the job? People who believe in what they do are keen, motivated, and enthusiastic, about their work. They stay in their jobs. They do not spend time and energy looking for another job, or employer.
Perhaps you use behaviour profiles to help your selection? There are many sorts of behaviour profiles in the market. The two most commonly used profiles describe a person's behaviour either in terms of a "style", or as a "type".
"Behaviour style" profiles describe how the candidate "thinks" he, or she, behaves in the job. These profiles are identified by the inclusion of such words as "sees himself" and "presents herself".
On the other hand, the "behavioural type" profiles describe the responder's reactive temperament "type behaviour" and adds caution about the type described, asking the responder: "whether it fits you. If it doesn't, try to find one that does."
Neither "behaviour style" nor "behavioural type" profiles comment on the influence the job, the people the candidate will work with, or the organisation's culture, will have on the candidate's behaviours.
Behaviour profiles based on attitude meet this challenge
Your thinking, motivated by your beliefs and values, is your attitude. Attitude determines behaviour. Attitude is the accurate predictor of behaviour. Attitude is more than twice as important for success in a job, as any other personal attribute.
As a leader, manager, or employee you think before you act. You think about what you will do, how you will do it, and your behaviour to achieve your objective. If you believe you are right, your belief instantly motivates your behaviour to achieve your objective. If, on the other hand, you are not sure you are right, or you believe you are wrong, your beliefs reduce, or even shut down, your motivation for that behaviour.
Attitude behaviour profiling measures two sets of attitudes. The first set are management's benchmark of attitudes for high performance in that specific job, or position. The second set are the candidate's attitudes to the position.
The "gap", between the benchmarked high performance attitude profile and the candidate's attitude profile is then measured.
The smaller the "gap" measurement, the more the candidate's beliefs, values and attitudes, motivate the candidate behaviours that management requires for high performance in the job.
The larger the "gap" measurement, the less the candidate's beliefs, values and attitudes, motivate the candidate behaviours management requires for high performance in the job.
Attitude behaviour profiles have further advantages
In addition to a comprehensive description, and analysis, of the candidate's attitudes, and behaviours, in the job attitude behaviour profiles measure, validate, and predict the candidate's:
- performance on appointment to the specified job
- potential for high performance in the specified job
- job and culture "fit"
- ability to walk the talk in the job
- leadership, and ability to manage change
Attitude behaviour profiles confirm the candidate you appoint is "the right person in the right job". A person you will rank as a high performer, not as a problem "also ran" who will probably leave at the drop of a hat.