When designing a leadership development program today’s training and development professionals have more content options than at any other time in history. This can be a tremendous benefit because there are a diverse number of solutions many of which are focused on specific training objectives or competencies. The lack of any consistent governing body to monitor the quality of psychometric assessments means that training and development professionals must use their own insight and experience and conduct thorough research to find an assessment that is safe to deploy to their organization or clients.  There are a lot of fly-by-night assessments and tools out there. At best these types of resources can be ineffectual and at worst can cripple any serious attempts at development. Any training and development content provider that is worth their salt should be able and happy to provide the research and development information to support their assessment. The best content providers will also support their assessments with frequently updated normative data. As your organization explores content and tools for your next development efforts here are some questions you should be asking to help ensure you are using safe and proven resources: Is the Assessment Valid? Is the assessment really measuring what it claims to measure?  Assessments that are not research based will never be able to definitely prove that they are valid. The goal of any development program is to improve competency in certain skills. If you choose an assessment that is invalid at measuring those skills your development efforts can be thwarted. Is the Assessment Reliable? Is the assessment dependable? Are you sure that it’s working the same way every time? You would never buy a new car that started on some days but not on others. In the same way, you want to make sure that the assessment you choose for your leadership development program works reliably, every time. If you need an instrument that measures a stable factor in an individual’s personality over time, you don’t want to work with an assessment that gives participants radically different results each time they take it. The only way to ensure an instrument’s reliability is by using a research-based assessment. Does the Assessment’s Support Materials Provide Context? Does the assessment you’re working with collect and analyze normative data from previous respondents? Normative data provides a crucial element that helps participants understand their results. Knowing that 1% of the population shares your personality style, or that 23% of people working in the financial industry have a similar response to change, for example, helps participants contextualize and better understand their results. Using a research-based assessment backed by normative data guarantees deeper insights for your participants. Selecting the right psychometric or leadership assessment can be challenging. That is why finding a partner that is transparent with their R&D is such a benefit for training and development professionals. There are a few high impact assessments in the marketplace that are backed by strong research and normative data but there is also a lot of snake oil. Hopefully these tips and your own good judgment will help you to pick the best assessment for your organization. The post Avoiding Leadership Development Snake Oil appeared first on Discovery Learning Inc..

 I spoke with Jay McNaught of Zoetis about their innovative leadership development program. Jay is an expert in developing organizational leaders to be more effective decision makers. He gives us a peak into the design, philosophy and content that Zoetis uses to develop better decision makers. Nash Musselwhite- Can you describe at a high level Zoetis’s overall development goals and objectives? Jay McNaught- "We have five core beliefs and all of our development aligns with strengthening colleagues to practice the core beliefs. We have identified leader behaviors associated with our core beliefs and the leadership development curriculum is mapped to these core behaviors." NM- "Why does Zoetis consider effective decision making to be a critical component for leadership development?" JM- "Effective decision making generally aligns with all five of our core beliefs and directly aligns with two of them:  Always Do the Right Thing; and Run It Like You Own It. The first belief reminds us that our values must underlie every decision.  The second reminds us that we must take initiative and that we are empowered to make decisions - to run the business as if we owned it!" NM- "How long has effective decision making been a component of your leadership development initiatives?" JM- "We have taught some form of decision making in our leadership development curriculum for the last six years.  This means that we were teaching it back when we were still a division of Pfizer.  Since we have become a stand-alone company, decision making has played a more prominent role in the curriculum." Nash Musselwhite- "Were there specific leadership gaps?"  JM- "Our curriculum does not focus on gaps.  Rather, we believe in building on our strengths.  I believe that we have been good at decision-making for as long as I’ve been with the organization.  My desire is to improve on this fundamental competency that is already a strength." NM- "At what level of organizational leadership does Zoetis invest in decision making as a key competency for development?"  JM- "The simple answer it at all levels.  We offer a course titled "Dynamic Decision Making: Helping Leaders Decide How to Decide."  This course is repeated three times during the year.  The course is promoted and offered to all leaders in the organization.  Leaders are encouraged to attend the course based on their own individual development plan needs.  We get excellent participation from all levels of leadership.  Additionally, I have been certified through Columbia University, as an executive coach.  As I coach leaders in the organization, I find decision-making as an excellent focus area with great opportunities." NM- "How are you measuring improvement in your organization’s ability to make decisions?" JM- "For all of our leadership courses, we use Knowledge Advisors assessment tools to measure impact.  We currently use a post course assessment of the learner to determine their impressions of the effectiveness.  In 2015 we begin a 60-day follow-up of the learner and the learner’s manager to measure job impact.  Additionally, we follow-up with learners and ask them to provide evidence and examples of how they are making decisions better than they did before taking the course." NM- "Do you think that effective decision making will continue to be a relevant leadership competency in 5 years?" JM- "Always… as long as leaders need to make decisions." NM "What changes in the business climate (generally or specific to Zoetis) have you observed that lead you to draw that conclusion?" JM- "I do believe that leaders at lower levels in the organization are being empowered to make more important decisions.  As such, it is important to provide training and skill development in this mission critical area." NM- "How did you reach the decision to include individual assessment as a component of your leadership development program?" JM- "Based on my doctoral dissertation research, I identified decision making as an area were leaders could greatly benefit from training.  Using the research findings and a survey of the literature, I devised a simple decision-making framework.  The model identifies five dimensions that are integral to the decision-making process.  In each dimension, it is important for a leader to know how they are "pre-wired."  Leaders differ dramatically on where they fall in each of the dimensions.  Assessment tools are very useful for helping the leaders learn this about themselves." NM- "How did you decide to include Decision Style Profile in your leadership development program?" JM- "One of the five dimensions in the Dynamic Decision Making Framework is "inclusiveness."  When I discover the Decision Style Profile, I realize that it was a perfect tool for helping leaders understand this dimension of decision making." NM- "In what capacity are you using the Decision Style Profile?" JM- "I have every leader who attends the Dynamic Decision Making course take the assessment." NM- "How would you describe its effectiveness at helping your organization’s leaders to develop effective decision making skills?" JM- "This dimension has proven to be very valuable in helping leaders gain new insights concerning their decision-making process.  I particularly like how the individual results are compared to normative data so the leader can quickly see if he/she is more or less inclusive than other leaders." NM- "In your experience with Decision Style Profile have you found overall that Zoetis’s leadership culture is more inclusive or exclusive when making decisions? What impact did that have on the organization?" JM- "My sense is that various parts of the organization are different on this.  When I teach a course, I get participants from all levels of leadership, and all parts of the company.  What I see is a continuum with a few being over-inclusive, a few being over-exclusive, and many falling somewhere in between.  I have recently activated the feature in the DSP system that will all me to start tracking data just for our company." NM- "Of the five decision factors were there any that Zoetis was consistently not considering when making decisions? How did you address this?" JM- "In my estimation (entirely based on anecdotal data) the Level of Commitment factor plays a big part in many decisions.  Most of the decisions our leaders make require a high level of support from others to implement.  I believe that after going through the Dynamic Decision Making course, the participants are more aware of the importance of this factor." NM- "What advice would you provide to leadership development professionals who are considering or are currently developing LD programs that include effective decision making as a competency?" JM- "I would caution them to not overlook this important function of leadership.  Leaders are only as good as the decisions that they make.  Unfortunately, most leaders have never had formal training or coaching on their decision-making process.  Most make all of their decisions using a very narrow or homogenous process.  Most think they are already very good at decision making (after all, they have been successful in the past) so they are blind to any flaws or areas where their decision making could be improved." Start improving your organization’s Decision Making Today by clicking the icon below! Jay McNaught works for Zoetis (formerly Pfizer Animal Health) based in Florham Park, New Jersey.  He holds the position of Senior Manager, Leadership Education and Development. In this position, he works with all levels of leaders in the organization to help them develop their leadership capabilities. Jay has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in education from Indiana University.  He has a Master of Business Administration degree and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University. His dissertation research focused on how leaders use intuition in their decision-making process.  The post Designing Content to Develop Better Decision Makers appeared first on Discovery Learning Inc..

I enjoy all things "Hobbit" and Middle Earth, even Smaug’s hoarding of the Arkenstone and Gollum’s devastation at losing the ring. The story is about friendship, adventure, courage, and treasure. Finding, stealing, retrieving treasure, at all costs. We all love the notion of finding treasure. Who hasn’t fantasized about what they’d do if they won the lottery. But treasures can be tricky.Joseph Campbell wrote that the hero’s journey is not complete once he finds the treasure - whether it is a chest of jewels or a powerful epiphany. It is not heroic to hoard the prize, my precious.The hero’s journey is completed when he has returned to civilization and found a way to share the treasure he fought so hard to gain. Or she.I am not a hero but in the fall of 2002, I offered what for me was and remains a treasure of inestimable value, one that I had fought to gain and have the scars to prove it - the insights within my first book, Fierce Conversations, Achieving Success at Work & in Life - One Conversation at a Time.The insight that our careers, our companies, our relationships and our very lives succeed or fail, gradually then suddenly, one conversation at a time. That the conversation is the relationship, which is our most valuable currency. That, while no single conversation is guaranteed to change the trajectory of a career, a company, a relationship, or a life, any single conversation can. That if you want to become a great leader, a great human being, you must gain the capacity to connect with the people who are central to your success and happiness - at a deep level - or lower your aim.Fierce Conversations provides the principles and practices that help us do exactly that and much more, for there is something deep within us that responds to those who level with us, who don’t suggest our compromises for us.When you think of a fierce conversation, think authenticity, integrity, collaboration. Think execution muscle, innovation. Think partnership - with your customers and your employees.Today, thirteen years since the book was first published, our former CEO, Halley Bock, has left and I have stepped back into Fierce, Inc. as CEO. To say that I am pleased doesn’t begin to do this justice. Fantastic team, marvelous clients, redesigned web site (if you haven’t seen it lately, take a look: fierceinc.com.) Picture me doing a happy dance.I hope to talk with you, work with you. In the meantime, take it one conversation at a time. Make them fierce.With fierce affection - Susan ScottThe post Any Conversation Can: My Fierce Journey appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

We go to our usual suspects. As humans, we are wired to put people and things into logical buckets. It is easier. It helps us stay organized and make sense of a very complex world.In the workplace, we usually classify authority into two buckets: tenure or expertise. Oftentimes, we correlate the two. In other words, we like to go to people who have solved the problems before that we now need to solve.For example, if we have a marketing problem, we go to the marketing team. A problem with a presentation, we go to our learning team. A problem with a client we have had forever, go to the most tenured client solutions person. And so on.The consequence is that many times we are not getting the value of new and different perspectives.Last month, I heard Liz Wiseman speak about her new research and book Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work. She argues that for knowledge workers today, constant learning is more valuable than mastery. "Being new, naïve, and even clueless can be an asset," she states.This week’s tip is to get perspective from someone who you normally wouldn’t go to - maybe a rookie - when you run into a challenge or opportunity.  Be genuine and open to hearing from someone that you may not deem to be an "expert" or your usual "go to".The post Fierce Tip of the Week: Ask Someone New appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

A few years ago we surveyed over 1,400 executives and employees, and 86% cited lack of collaboration for workplace failures. Does this surprise you?Many of us can cite epic failures and point fingers at people who did not ask us what our perspectives were around an opportunity, challenge, or decision. Then heads were shaking when the "inevitable" outcome became reality. Conversely, many of us have been on the other side of the equation, kicking ourselves for not asking the people that were central to the success of the project or challenge for their opinions, guidance, and help. It could have been an intentional choice or complete oversight.Collaboration is much easier said than done. Many people understand the importance of getting diverse perspectives and including the team, yet it can be difficult to ensure that it actually happens.At fierce, we encourage you to take it one conversation at a time. And for collaboration, focus on team meetings. As a leader (either by title or choice), it is your duty to understand all of the perspectives that need to be heard before making decisions. Team meetings are a powerful way to work together where everyone can roll up their sleeves and really collaborate.Team meetings can be authentic and energizing… or fake and life-sucking.Here are three collaboration traps to avoid and indicators that can occur and ways to detect if it is happening to you:   1. Non-inclusionNon-inclusion happens when you don’t even bother to ask people for their opinions. There are many legitimate reasons for why this occurs. Some may include: many things on people’s plates, decisions need to be made fast, people not understanding the issue, etc.  The problem with not including is that it makes everyone involved feel like they are undervalued. 40% of our survey respondents felt that leaders and decision makers consistently failed to seek out other opinions before making a final decision.Non-inclusion indicators: Are your employees just doing what is asked of them, nothing more? Are they resentful with decisions that you make? Are your employees just giving you the "corporate nod".2. Illusion of InclusionThis is when a leader loves the idea of including others in the decision making process, yet doesn’t really want to. People can spot this from a mile away. They know when you are doing "what you should be doing" as opposed to being genuinely interested in new ideas and processes. It reminds me of the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, "What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say." In other words, you may say you want to know my perspective, yet you act very differently.Illusion of Inclusion indicators: Do you go into a meeting just to sell your brilliant idea? Are your employees withholding juicy, robust pushback and instead just agreeing? Do you glaze over when people bring up different viewpoints?3. Loudest Get HeardThis happens in meetings when a leader asks a question and the external processors raise their hands, start sharing, and slowly become the only ones to give input. That’s a problem when you want diverse perspectives. It is your job as the leader to create space for the internal processors to share their ideas and have the time they need to think about it. In Susan Cain’s book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, she shares research and insights on what we lose when we do not give the space and value for internal processors and introverts.Loudest Get Heard indicators: Are the same few people always the ones contributing at your meetings? Are your internal processors accustomed to talking with you more one-on-one instead of having the floor at meetings? Do you keep the meeting moving fast even if people may not have had time to truly think about the topic?Given the three collaboration traps, which one are you most guilty of? What do you need to watch for?The post Leaders, Watch for These 3 Collaboration Failures appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

This week’s Fierce resource was originally published on Harvard Business Review and shares a different way to look at helping team performance.Differing Work Styles Can Help Team Performance urges leaders to look at work style diversity as a way to boost their team. Work style is the way one orients with tasks. The first suggestion is to observe your team members to learn more about their work style. Next, it is important to leverage each person’s strength and coach according to their different styles.Have you paid attention to your team members’ work styles? What is the mix in your team?"When members of a team, or leaders of an organization, all have the same style, you’ll quickly run into trouble. For example, if everyone in your group has a big-picture, strategic, intuitive approach to work and chafes against the structure of project plans, you might frequently be over budget and behind schedule. Or, if everyone has a linear, analytical, and planned approach to work and dislikes disruption, innovative new product development would be impossible."Read the full article.The post fierce resources: differing work styles can help team performance appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Alethophobia is an intense, abnormal or illogical fear of the truth.In Fierce Leadership, Susan Scott asks, "How many times have you told someone - your boss, a colleague, a customer, your spouse - what you thought he or she wanted to hear, rather than what you were really thinking? Painted a false, rosy version of reality, glossing over problems or pretending they simply didn’t exist?"This happens often. The thing is…we have legitimate reasons for why we don’t want to fully disclose. Perhaps it has destroyed a relationship in your past, and you don’t want to do that again. Perhaps you have seen someone lose their job over disclosing more, and you happen to like your job. Maybe you truly don’t believe it is your place to say what you notice or feel (this is a popular one).The kicker is that not sharing the whole truth is more costly in the end. If you are out of integrity with yourself or others, research shows that it damages your health and wellbeing. Organizations and families, not sharing the truth can lead to loss of time, money, and/or complete failure to thrive.Fierce leaders want to know the truth…and in turn, also have to share the truth. This week’s tip is to share what you really think and feel. It takes courage and guts. Don’t make excuses.What areas in your life are you strongest and weakest at fully being real?The post Fierce Tip of the Week: Say What You Really Think appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

As a leader, ideally, you’ve built a relationship with each of your employees. You’ve swapped stories about your families, collaborated on successful work projects, and built the emotional capital necessary to have a successful team - most of the time.However, being a leader means that sometimes you are confronted with the challenge of how to best handle delicate situations, such as addressing the performance issues of your team.Even great teams at times, for one reason or another, don’t perform to the expected standard.You, as a leader, may have the urge to avoid the situation and hope it goes away. The reality, though, is there are problems and the longer they go on without being talked about - the worse they will get.Make sure to not call a team meeting if your issue is about one individual team member. Honor your team’s time by addressing issues that are relevant to the unit as a whole and save individual conversations for another time.Below are three tips to help your team to move past their performance issue and onward.Tip #1: Acknowledge the IssueLike flipping on a light switch in a dark room, gather your team together and acknowledge there is an issue. In the Fierce Team Model, we teach how to conduct a Beach Ball meeting. We call it a Beach Ball meeting, because we view each employee on a team as a stripe of color - like on a beach ball. Each stripe of color represents a different perspective.This type of meeting allows you, the leader, to create a setting where you come to the table with your team and address an issue collaboratively. This is a great way to tackle a subject like a team’s performance, because it removes the punitive feeling that is associated with this topic and encourages the team to come to a solution together.Tip #2: Get Curious and Open it Up for DialogueAfter you call out the issue, allow each employee’s perspectives to be heard. Your goal is to facilitate this conversation by listening and helping your team solve the current challenges.Don’t immediately dismiss an excuse, instead ask: Given our team’s goals, what can we do to achieve them? What will help us move forward?Tip #3: Create an Action PlanThe final step is to create an action plan. Ask the team: Knowing what the team knows now, what is everyone committing to do over the next week, month, and year? Get specific! Assign responsibilities and schedule a time for everyone to reconnect on progress.If one meeting isn’t enough to tackle the issue and you don’t have time to get to this critical step, schedule the next meeting right then. It’s also possible that some of your team members might have individual issues that don’t apply to the unit as a whole. Address their concerns by setting up a time to meet with them one-on-one and create specific next steps for them.Addressing an issue like performance can be a hard, yet necessary, component of leadership. In the end though, addressing an issue in an open and communicative matter strengthens the relationship with individuals as well as your team as whole.As a leader, how do you address performance issues?The post 3 tips for leaders to address a team performance issue appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

This week’s Fierce resource was originally published on Harvard Business Review and explores how to maintain the right balance of "authenticity" in the workplace.Be Yourself, but Carefully takes a deeper look into what it means to be authentic in the modern workplace. Despite its potential benefits, even the best communicator’s off-hand comments and self-disclosures can backfire at times.Are you misunderstood by your team? How do you balance giving feedback with relationship building?"Authenticity begins with self-awareness: knowing who you are—your values, emotions, and competencies—and how you’re perceived by others. Only then can you know what to reveal and when. Good communication skills are also key to effective self-disclosure; your stories are worthwhile only if you can express them well."Read the full article.The post Fierce Resources: Be Yourself, but Carefully appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Recognition is not a fluffy thing. It goes way past getting the gold star or a bunch of smiley faces on a feedback form.In fact, a HealthStream Research study discovered a 3x greater return on equity for companies that effectively recognize excellence. Researcher Karen Endresen said, "This study took recognition results from the soft side of business to a proven business essential." You can check out more here.We take recognition seriously at Fierce.In fact, we have a culture committee that focuses on how people want to be recognized. After surveys and conversations, the committee launched our program, Fierceling of the Month. The qualification for a Fierceling is someone who has exceptionally exhibited the fierce values and the 7 principles of our work. It comes with a sexy orange cape as well.This week’s tip is to recognize someone for how they show up or display your organization’s values. This can be formal or informal.Who do you think most deserves it?The post Fierce Tip of the Week: Recognize Someone appeared first on Fierce, Inc..