Assess - The Power of Clarity

When you hear the word "assess", what comes to mind first? If you are like me, I think of a test. That is certainly one accurate description. However, assess can mean a lot more than that.

What is assessing:

How many decisions do you think the average person makes in one day? If you guessed (or knew) that number is a staggering 25,000-30,000 times, then you would be right. But something happens before everyone of those decisions...we assess what we know to help us choose. There is that word again...assess.

From an individual, team, or organizational context, the ability to assess well is a critical skill. Otherwise, decisions are made and actions are taken that are less than optimal.

Assess literally means -  to determine the importance, size, or value of (Merriam-Webster online dictionary).

Why assess:

It appears obvious that getting better information or data would aid in the decision making process. The truth is most people, teams, and organizations do not have well defined assessment processes and tools. What happens when you do not have these important resources:

• Gaps are not discovered
• Performance is inconsistent
• Talent is hired that is not the right fit
• Teams continue to be dysfunctional
• Culture suffers
• Organizations lack vitality
• Accountability is low

Then why wouldn't everyone invest in good assessment resources? Probably because it takes time and effort to explore these and people are already at capacity. But what if we did spend the time and energy to create a good set of assessment processes and tools? The answer, you would create a liberating structure that frees up time, energy, and focus for more valuable efforts instead of repeating the same steps over and over in an endless loop.

The how of assessing:

This is where we find most people, teams, and organizations get stuck. How to assess. That is where we can take some simple steps to put impactful assessing practices into place.

Assessing applied:

• Put in place a quarterly assessment comparing goals/KPIs with progress. If there are gap areas, is it resources that are lacking, talent or skills that are missing, lack of accountability practices, equipping or training that is needed? You cannot prepare for what is ahead effectively without assessing current reality.
• Integrate pre-hire assessments to gain insight into candidates you cannot get anywhere else. This also increases the ability to predict the success of the candidate in the position, team, and organization. It is highly recommended you consult with a certified assessment professional who can bring you the right package of assessment for your unique needs (Talent Matching).
• Individual or team performance can be assessed in many ways. Performance management programs (we recommend a forward looking process with quarterly goals and weekly touch points). There are excellent assessments for leadership, teams, and organizations that provide actionable data in real time (Vital Signs).
• Revenue generation is the life blood of most organizations, as is customer satisfaction. A two phase assessment process is where competitive advantage can be achieved. First, assess performance to goals and identify what is working and what is not. Then equip the revenue generation team with cutting edge science for sales success by using an assessment and approach that is a success accelerator (Elevate Sales).

Assessing is testing. Testing can take many forms. Back to your daily decisions...think of the different ways you test what you know. What happens if you do not have enough good data to make a decision? Most people use that as motivation to find out more so they can make their best decision. HOW you find out more is the key.

Copyright © 2022 EQFIT® - Author: Steven Goodner All rights reserved. No portion of this material may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact: [email protected]