Leveraging Assessments to Accelerate your Business

A uniquely integrated assessment approach that blends over 30+ global assessments into
practical and usable hiring, leadership, and team insights.

CANDIDATE INSIGHT PROFILE

When recruiting for critical roles in which failure is not an option and rapid integration is key, we help clients take the guesswork out of hiring right the first time. By incorporating a suite of 30+ global assessments, we provide deep insight into how well a candidate fits the described role. Our Candidate profiles highlight the towering strengths as well as potential limitations of a candidate; and provide accurate measurements of emotional intelligence, cognitive ability, financial acumen, sales ability, and stress tolerance.

CANDIDATE INSIGHT PROFILE

When recruiting for critical roles in which failure is not an option and rapid integration is key, we help clients take the guesswork out of hiring right the first time. By incorporating a suite of 30+ global assessments, we provide deep insight into how well a candidate fits the described role. Our Candidate profiles highlight the towering strengths as well as potential limitations of a candidate; and provide accurate measurements of emotional intelligence, cognitive ability, financial acumen, sales ability, and stress tolerance.

COMPREHENSIVE LEADERSHIP ASSESSMENT

Are you interested in a data-driven approach to leadership acceleration? We support mid-level and emerging leaders through a rapid advancement process, where we critically utilize assessment tools and individual coaching to expand leadership thinking, abilities, and scale. The result is a propitiatory leadership profile personalized to the individual leader.

COMPREHENSIVE LEADERSHIP ASSESSMENT

Are you interested in a data-driven approach to leadership acceleration? We support mid-level and emerging leaders through a rapid advancement process, where we critically utilize assessment tools and individual coaching to expand leadership thinking, abilities, and scale. The result is a propitiatory leadership profile personalized to the individual leader.

VERBAL 360s & GROWTH PLANS

We have found that the best way to accelerate leadership development is through a combination of individualized, one-on-one coaching and insights gained from a confidential 360 process, called a Verbal 360 Review. Participants are guided through a series of reflective and change conversations, where they not only receive candid feedback from their peers but also reflect on the feedback and create a personal action plan for change.

The process begins with the identification of 8-10 people who will be contacted for a 20- minute phone interview, in partnership with the coach and the sponsoring organization. The conversations are entirely confidential and we recommend including participants from a variety of reporting relationships including peers, direct reports and leaders. The deliverable is a personalized individual growth plan.

VERBAL 360s & GROWTH PLANS

We have found that the best way to accelerate leadership development is through a combination of individualized, one-on-one coaching and insights gained from a confidential 360 process, called a Verbal 360 Review. Participants are guided through a series of reflective and change conversations, where they not only receive candid feedback from their peers but also reflect on the feedback and create a personal action plan for change.

The process begins with the identification of 8-10 people who will be contacted for a 20- minute phone interview, in partnership with the coach and the sponsoring organization. The conversations are entirely confidential and we recommend including participants from a variety of reporting relationships including peers, direct reports and leaders. The deliverable is a personalized individual growth plan.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE COACHING

Emotional intelligence is defined as “a set of emotional and social skills that influence the way we perceive and express ourselves, develop and maintain social relationships, cope with challenges, and use emotional information in an effective and meaningful way.” While emotional intelligence isn’t the sole predictor of human performance and development potential, it is proven to be a key indicator in these areas. Emotional intelligence is also not a static factor. On the contrary, one’s emotional intelligence can change over time and can be developed in targeted areas. Using the EQ-i.2.0, we assist leaders in developing their emotional capacity to lead and motivate others.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE COACHING

Emotional intelligence is defined as “a set of emotional and social skills that influence the way we perceive and express ourselves, develop and maintain social relationships, cope with challenges, and use emotional information in an effective and meaningful way.” While emotional intelligence isn’t the sole predictor of human performance and development potential, it is proven to be a key indicator in these areas. Emotional intelligence is also not a static factor. On the contrary, one’s emotional intelligence can change over time and can be developed in targeted areas. Using the EQ-i.2.0, we assist leaders in developing their emotional capacity to lead and motivate others.

Building Out a New Executive Team

We met an 8-month-old publicly-traded company with a brand new CEO and they needed to build out a new executive team from scratch. We helped them successfully source, select and onboard 5 c-suite leaders within 12 weeks.

Best Places to Work

We worked with a COVID-born, virtual company. They needed to build a remote culture where everyone was connected and thriving. Allen Leigh operated as their HR team and achieved “Best Places to Work” certification in 6-months.

Fast Growth Start-up

We were approached by a start-up business with triple-digit top line growth that was feeling the pain of scaling fast while building out a management structure. Allen Leigh helped onboard 5-7 new team members per month while integrating core people processes to help accelerate team integration and successfully built out a management layer within the business.

Integrating Home Grown Talent with Industry Experts

A scaling business that was adding a new leadership level under the Founder/CEO needed help integrating industry experts with homegrown talent. To assist, Allen Leigh implemented a robust new leader integration process within the business and advised on a new business structure which accelerated team norming, gave clarity over functional ownership and readied the organization for deep transformation.

CEO Assessment for Inaugural Role

A Financial Services Association was hiring a new CEO for an inaugural division. They needed an assessment of the current team’s readiness for change and of the CEO’s capabilities for successful integration. Allen Leigh facilitated a team readiness assessment and assisted the board in selecting the top CEO candidate by providing relevant and data backed insights to objectively compare candidates and evaluate for best fit given the current and future context of the organization.

Business purchased Bamboo HR platform but was only using 10% of it's capacity

A transitioning 150-person business was looking to evolve its People and Culture division. They needed to facilitate a change in HR leadership and were looking for interim HR leadership and support. Allen Leigh provided full interim leadership and HR support and successfully facilitated the search for a new HR leader.

Interim HR Leadership

A transiting  150-person business was looking to evolve its People and Culture division. They needed to facilitate a change in HR leadership and provide interim leadership while finding a new HR Leader. Allen Leigh navigated a mutual agreement and took over full HR leadership while negotiating a new Union contract, hiring key roles, and advancing key talent acquisition processes.

Assessment Resources

It’s Kind of Like Beachball Coaching; Bouncing Back Ideas & Resisting Advice Giving

It’s Kind of Like Beachball Coaching; Bouncing Back Ideas & Resisting Advice Giving

I once coached a CEO when one of their VPs interrupted to ask what colour the boss wanted the office painted.

The CEO offered their opinion and then refocused on our conversation. I responded, “Do you really feel that picking out paint colours is a wise use of your mental energy as CEO?” Their counter was, “I don’t stop to think about it much. If someone asks me for my opinion, then I give it to them.”

Oh, the double-edged sword of leadership. Senior leaders must become exceptionally good at making decisions with limited data and be comfortable just making the call. Overusing this style can create a check-in culture where the team becomes overly reliant on the boss’s opinion and hesitates to move without consultation.

It’s Kind of Like Coaching Poolside or Chairside; Coaching In The Moment or Another Time

It’s Kind of Like Coaching Poolside or Chairside; Coaching In The Moment or Another Time

Coaching can be intimidating to both novice and experienced leaders.

For the recently trained manager, there is pressure to provide good coaching to their team, but uncertainty and fear about how to do it correctly.

The truth is that bad coaching is better than no coaching, and the only way to improve is to keep experimenting with different tactics. I encourage leaders not to put a lot of pressure on themselves and to rarely, if ever, say, “Let me provide you some coaching on this.”

You don’t need to announce that you are coaching for it to be effective; it is better if you don’t.

Coaching can be done in the moment, like during a meeting, while observing a task, or in a more planned setting, like a one-on-one. Both approaches have benefits.

It’s Kind of Like Elastic Band Coaching;  Stretch, Aim, Release

It’s Kind of Like Elastic Band Coaching; Stretch, Aim, Release

The goal of coaching is to motivate others and expand their thinking and skills. While feedback is a corrective exercise, coaching is a tool focused on growth and development.

I liken the act of coaching to stretching and shooting an elastic band. The psychological process that coaching involves is exactly this. The objective is to create tension between the current and future desired state and clarity as to where to go next in your direct report’s mind.