In today's fast-paced business world, CEO's are trying to
keep up with change and adapt to the global marketplace,
constantly searching the horizon for an edge over the
competition.
One thing they overlook is very close to home. In fact it
is just down the hall from them.
It's their very own employees.
By learning how to unlock the hidden potential of your
employees and executives you can create multiple leverage
points for your business that your competition cannot
duplicate because it's unique to you. Your employee mix is
yours and yours alone. You owe it to your company to get
the best from your employee's; their minds, their strengths
and their keen abilities.
Imagine if all employees utilized all their strengths and
could know and understand the roadblocks that hold them
back? Playing at the "top of their game" they would make
better decisions for the company, help reduce expenses and
contribute to higher profits.
So much can be achieved by simply knowing a person's
strengths. It can help build confidence in their ability to
make and carry out decisions. It's as critical to know the
areas in which they need help. Create an atmosphere where
people are not afraid to ask for help or guidance.
Employees become more willing to ask for help before a
situation becomes critical if they accept, that like
others, they are not perfect and nobody really "knows it
all". This fear of asking for help holds people back and
stunts the growth of companies. When nothing holds a person
back, he/she can surge forward with the power and
confidence of someone on a mission.
So the question to ask is, "How do we structure a program
for our people to discover their true strengths and their
roadblocks to achievement?"
The answer is a little known science called Axiology, the
study of values and judgments. The Value Profile is the
tool of Axiology that unlocks a person's hidden value. It
reveals how you can make better decisions based on how you
think and what you value.
Here is a scenario to give you an idea on how Axiology and
the Value Profile help CEO's obtain greater leverage from
an employee's strength.
The CEO, lets call him Richard, has to make a tough
decision. He needs to expand his company in order to keep
ahead of the competition. Richard decides to put someone in
charge of a Special Projects team to determine where the
company's best opportunities for the future are.
Using the Value Profile, Richard can accurately measure
and compare possible candidates for the position. There are
120 different critical areas with pinpoint and objective
information that can be obtained from each individual.
The first section of the report determines a person's
skill in Deciding What Needs to Be Done. This report
measures a candidate's ability to decide what issues are
relevant and what issues require attention. The findings
would provide insight on the candidate's ability to rely on
analytical as well as "gut" instincts, both critical allies
to executives making important decisions.
The profile also provides laser accuracy into how well a
candidate "sees the big picture" and how the pieces of the
picture fit together to make a whole.
Added insights include measuring ability to use practical
thinking and the ability to project a goal into the future
and develop a plan to attain it.
In the second section of the report, Developing a
Strategy, Richard gains insights on the candidate's ability
to plan and manage the project. This is the only tool that
provides you with specifics of how each candidate can plan
for consequences of actions and decisions, and how he
reacts to crises. As a CEO, it's more important than ever
for you to know which candidate best knows how to quickly
identify the source of a problem and the factors relating
to the problem.
You can know which candidate has the best combination of
skills to manage the project and move your company forward
if you know who has the ability to come up with alternative
solutions for problems and who can control the flow of
events.
But it doesn't stop there. You can take an even closer
look at your selection of candidates. In the third section
of the report you take out your magnifying glass and see
the management abilities of the candidates.
Utilizing this section of the report, Richard can
benchmark each candidate's ability to identify problems and
critical issues. You know how well they can determine what
needs to be done and whether or not they know how to do it
in the most effective manner.
Another component of the report tells you if they can
determine and understand what is needed to carry out your
objectives, whether they are clear about potential problems
and the abilities of their people to resolve those
situations.
The last part of this section provides Richard with a
clear picture of which candidates are best equipped to
create an efficient process or manage a system that others
can follow.
These are a few of the many insights Axiology and the
Value Profile can provide Richard and other CEO's who want
to fulfill the vision they have for the future of their
company.
There's more to come; this is the first part of a three
part article series. In the second article Richard, our
CEO, will discover how he can assess the candidates'
organizational abilities, inner drive to succeed, and how
much of a self-starter each candidate is.
(c) 2004, Team Results Inc. and Axelrod & Associates, All
rights in all media reserved. Reprint rights granted so
long as the article and the by-lines are reprinted intact.
Mitch Axelrod is the Author of the new book, "The NEW Game
of Business" and consults with Fortune 500 companies.
Contact win@thenewgame.com or call 800-7 AXELROD (800-729-
3576).
John Beaton has a driving passion to help Executives and
business become of higher service to others and his
favorite tool is the Value Profile. More information is
available at http://www.ceocoachingsolutions.com or send
your questions to questions@ceocoachingsolutions.com