It may be time to start using assessments for your organization’s employees. No company is too big or small to take advantage of the expert level assessments made possible by XQ Innovation. By utilizing our tools and coaching strategies, you’ll get a great sense of how you can maximize the potential of your employees as well as the leadership team.
Every member of the XQ team has led a business of their own, so we’ve found ways to make launching a new assessment program easy and effective. We can act as a trusted advisor and administrator for your employee assessments. Our mission is to help every employee on your team become a star in their role, and we’ve mastered using a combination of experience and cutting-edge tools to make that a reality. XQ assessments will help you recognize employees that deserve promotions and help you find out which employees could use some coaching.
Below are 4 simple yet transformational ways to implement an assessment program:
1. Introduction Of Assessments
Much to our delight, employees almost unanimously love the introduction of a new assessment program. For one thing, it really helps everyone understand each other, especially the value everyone brings to the team. In many cases, people say, “why haven’t we done this sooner?”
In some cases, there is skepticism (as can sometimes happen with something new), but that usually changes the moment they’ve had a debrief with one of our certified trainers. It’s important to remind the team that our surveys are all 100% EEOC and HR compliant, are unbiased, and scientifically validated. People are often in awe of the accuracy of the report.
Equally as important, our tools help create a bridge of communication between all levels of the organization. Therefore, when employees realize our purpose of using these tools is to serve everyone in the organization and to empower the team, people welcome this program with open arms.
There are countless psychometric assessments out there – but the artistry comes in how you interpret the data and how actionable it is. This is what sets XQ Innovation apart – our mastery of how to use these tools and to create immediate benefit has been our unique differentiator. In most cases, a person who receives an XQ assessment and debriefing has immediate positive changes they can make in both life and work that very same day. In the right hands, using assessments can be life-changing.
For these reasons, it is very important to convey the power of XQ assessments when introducing them to employees. We think of it as a secret weapon. Once you are aware of yourself and then aware of your team, true synergy and productivity can occur. But more importantly, people take this knowledge with them throughout their lives, and it is a gift that keeps on giving.
2. Create Shared Language
Employee assessments will add new vocabulary at the workplace. For example, certain statistics will become common conversational topics with employees as they work together to improve their scores. One particular Clear Glass concept is used to explain emotional intelligence, commonly shortened as EQ. EQ will give your employees a new vocabulary to use when they wish to express certain business aspects. It will allow your employees to communicate directly without things sounding rude or disrespectful.
Another example is to demystify behavior. At so many levels, our daily misunderstandings and potential time-wasters come when there is a misinterpretation of behavior. After even just a single session with XQ, teams will have many eye-opening moments. They will be more self-aware of their own behavior, and also that of the people around them, and have so much more understanding about what is going on – there is far less judgment and blame. This heightened awareness also serves to avoid conflict, lack of productivity, and frankly, people enjoy spending time with their colleagues when they know where they’re coming from.
3. Regular Coaching Sessions
With XQ’s assessments, you have successfully identified all the most valuable traits of your employees, as well as areas of growth and opportunity. In some cases, you will also identify and pinpoint why some of the team haven’t been as successful. In fact, not maximizing our employee relationships is a bigger problem than most people realize. According to Gallup, only 31% of the American workforce is engaged:
“Historic Drop in Employee Engagement Follows Record Rise”
Once we identify if someone is a star performer, engaged, disengaged, or worse yet – actively disengaged… what comes next? We believe everyone has gifts and abilities they can bring to the workplace. Therefore, with some coaching and training, we aim to unlock those gifts and allow people to be more engaged with their work. Because we take a scientific approach, we ensure that progress can be measured, and performance usually goes up as a result. While it’s certainly true that not everyone will thrive at a particular job, we want to give you the best possible odds of success.
Lack of growth and development is one of the biggest contributors to disengagement, so by providing guided and measurable coaching, you provide a win-win- scenario for you and your team.
4. Involve Everyone
Over time and through deliberate strategic planning, assessments should include the entire company. There is always room for improvement, and it shows that you want to invest in your employees to become the best versions of themselves. This level of care permeates throughout the organization, and creates a positive workplace environment and culture.
Oftentimes, our front-line comprises the vast majority of our company – most employees occupy these types of roles. By ensuring that all levels are involved, we create a positive corporate feedback loop where great ideas always make it to the top, and everyone feels their purpose and passion is appreciated. Some of the best ideas for strategic changes have come from the front line, so it’s extremely vital not to neglect this key element of your success.
Many famous CEO’s have gone as far as calling employees, “internal customers,” such as Richard Branson: Richard Branson: Why Customers Come Second at Virgin
Most of our clients have assessment programs that go from the top-down, covering all business units and levels of the organization. The unity, productive capacity, and higher retention levels that come about from this practice give our clients competitive advantages in their market.
Say Hello to Success
By successfully implementing XQ Innovation’s assessment program, you will ensure success in your future. As our CEO, Joe Keshmiri puts it, “success is predictable.” When you know the unique strengths of your team, align them to your corporate strategy, and have ways to measure improvement and growth, you’ve created a model that provides sustainable success.
In a way, assessments provide “people inventory” – you will always know the power of the people within your team, how it can be maximized, and where you might not be currently utilizing a person or team’s strengths.
With this knowledge, there is no limit to what you can achieve. Just think of how much you can impact change within your organization armed with this information. Most CEOs and business leaders we talk to will say, “I wish I had known this sooner,” or “I had no idea I had such a gem on my team.” The power of XQ assessments will allow you to maximize precious human capital and create winning teams.
Contact XQ Innovation today to learn more about implementing employee assessments.