Page 44 - BusinessWest November 14, 2022

Mike Zani says creating a community is important for workplace culture.
Daniels paved the way for the future of workforce development and built
a foundation for the new discipline
of talent optimization, the framework that aligns business and talent strategy, which has since grown into a discipline powered by assessment data.
Today, the Behavioral Assessment helps employers understand the per- sonality traits that make their employ- ees and candidates tick. Assessment takers get two lists of adjectives. Using the first list, they are asked to select the words that describe the way oth- ers expect them to act. Using the sec- ond list, they are asked to select the words that describe them in their own opinion.
Each adjective is associated with one of the four key factors that deter- mine workplace behavior: dominance, extraversion, patience, and formality. These four key factors — or key behav- ioral drives — provide a simple frame- work for understanding employees’ and candidates’ workplace behaviors; it lets employers see beneath the surface so they can predict how people will behave in given situations. Behavioral testing, combined with an understand- ing of cognitive ability, can dramati- cally improve the hiring process.
A good example of this is Maersk, the largest shipping company in the world. It has been using the PI assess- ment since 1972 and uses it for every single employee.
“They can tell the profile of the ship’s captain versus a navigator versus an engineer versus a deckhand,” Zani explained. “And, interestingly, this has
“Becoming self-aware
of your own strengths
and weaknesses not only benefits the individual, but it also helps you understand others better so you can be a better teacher, a better manager.”
changed over time. They have not only been using it for every position, but they’ve actually evolved over time as these positions have evolved with tech- nology and with changes and how they operate, so that they’re always trying
to make sure they have the right fit for the role.”
With the evolution of the workplace, especially after the COVID-19 pandem- ic, managers are having to change their hiring strategies, and Zani thinks the assessment will be a step in the right direction.
Benefits of Talent Optimization
Zani went on to say the biggest mistake leaders make is relying on their own conscious and unconscious biases.
“They manage people the way that they want to be managed, or they don’t hire the person that walks in with a neck tattoo or knuckle tattoos; they just can’t get their arms around that, even though they’re the right candidate,” he said. “This is a problem today.”
Most leaders have a one- to five- year financial plan to support that strategy, but few have a talent strategy. And if they do, it doesn’t say what kind
Dream Teams Continued on page 45
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