Charles Handler of Rocket Hire spoke at the July ATD Baton Rouge Chapter meeting. His presentation about talent assessment woke up my inner quant-geek because I don’t often encounter other I/O psychologists.
His talk and our chat before and after the presentation brought back memories of the SIX stats classes I took in grad school (my PhD program was deeply rooted in measurement) and of the famous (or infamous) faculty who taught those classes. I was reminded too about varied assessment work I’ve done for organizations including surveys, 360s, and employee selection. He even knew my former boss, a selection expert, from whom I learned much. Finally, I told him of teaching Employee Selection and Placement at LSU. Because selection is measurement based, it can be less than exciting. However, I did mix it up by teaching several sections using a service-learning model that benefited local nonprofits.
This stroll down memory lane started me thinking a lot about measurement and here’s Today’s Real Message:
Our house is 88 years old so home improvement projects are always in the queue. A lesson from years of renovation is that the most skilled craftspeople who produce the finest work are the ones who know how to take and use precise measurements.
Are people your most valuable asset? Do you truly understand the knowledge, skills, and abilities your recruits and employees possess? Are you looking for star quality but falling short? Good measurement can help you identify the right people, place them in the appropriate role, and provide the developmental experiences they need.
Here is an interesting example of how the FBI uses measurement data to figure out who belongs in the most important jobs. Note that the Assistant Director of HR says they “rely on other information and not exclusively on the surveys when promoting employees.”
The finest outcomes result from appropriate, reliable, and valid measurement.
I can help you with that.
Are you using assessments to identify, place and develop talent in your company? How’s that working for you? You can comment here.
Leave a Reply