Are you scared?
In the world of business, assessment can be a scary word.
Companies use assessment to hire people, so inevitably also not-to-hire people, and to promote people, so inevitably also not-to-promote people. They use assessment to give feedback, which can be at times difficult to absorb, and to provide input for development planning, which can feel like a huge mountain to climb at first sight.
Should you fear assessment?
Do you fear your navigation when you drive your car?
You type where you want to go. Your navigation figures out your current location and charts a route for you to follow.
Simple. Not scary.
You still need to make some decisions, like choosing from the options it gives you with different ETA and route conditions, like how fast you go, like changing your choices based on updates, and where to get some gas and where to stop to take a break. You are in the driver’s seat.
Assessments are mere navigation tools for your leadership journey. They are built by science, and they operate on data. They are useful. They guide you. You are in the driver’s seat.
This reframing might help you to think of assessments differently and as a useful tool.
There are also things organizations should do to make assessments less scary and more useful. Based on many years of experience in talent management, succession and leadership development, we recommend a few golden rules.
- Align on the purpose of the assessment.
- Design a relevant, efficient and transparent process and governance.
- Communicate expectations and benefits to each stakeholder.
- Be clear about where the data is coming from and what it means.
- Connect science with the art of decision making.
- Be honest about the implications.
- Whatever the specific purpose is, keep feedback as a key deliverable.
- If there is change regarding any of the above, communicate with all constituents.
If you care for succession and developing leaders in your organization, remember that assessment is a tool for value creation.
If you are a leader, remember that assessment is a tool that helps you progress in the right direction.
And think about this. If you did not get that job, maybe that was not your destination. If you did not get that promotion then, maybe there was more for you to see along the route.
Keep your eyes on the road. Have a good ride!