Behavioural Profiling for People Selection … and Ponies
I recently had the unfortunate experience of having to sell my daughter’s beloved pony. They were very successful, achieving national status at dressage. An excellent reward for the time and effort my daughter put into his development.
Don’t get me wrong, he is not an easy pony to handle. Often very grumpy and difficult to manage. However, through perseverance, patience and skill, he delivered results way in excess of expectation when we first bought him.
We sold him twice in both cases to owners who didn’t have these skills. They most certainly did not carry out proper due diligence or go through a careful selection process. In both cases, they requested we take him back.
The management, development and selection of our employees are not too dissimilar.
When we start we must have a clear idea of what we are looking for. We need to be fully aware of any issues which exist so that we are not surprised by them. Then we can put into place process of management and development in line with the information we have about an individual.
There are several sources of information:
- Meeting and talking to the individual.
- Looking at their CV to gain knowledge of their background and training.
- Using personality profiling to get a detailed understanding of their character.
Behavioural Profiling.
A detailed personality profile as part of a robust management and recruitment process enables you to fully understand an individual and manage them to mutual benefit.
As for the pony he is still grumpy but is now at a good home with people who understand how to get the best out of him. He’s back winning trophies again.
About the Author: Richard Yelland is an Associate of the McQuaig Psychometric System (brought to you by Holst). To find out more or contact Richard, email him at richardyelland@mcquaig.co.uk or call 0203 111 9292.
