Assessments are everywhere. Across all industries and companies, truly successful organizations utilize diagnostic assessment tools to continue growing and making an impact.
Assessments are tools that allow you to take a snapshot of your current position as an organization or individual. These tools give insight into what’s currently working, and what’s not. In other words, assessments are tools that will improve your ability to leave a legacy as an organization.
From making the best use of company time, personnel and resources to making smarter hiring decisions, assessments are a valuable source of information and a contributing factor in an organization’s overall success.
As a leader, you’ve probably seen and used a variety of assessments in your career. You’ve most likely been given assessments to fill out yourself, analyzing your own personal strengths and capacity. Perhaps you’ve been the one to administer assessments to others or implemented diagnostic tools that support your whole team.
But are you fully utilizing the assessment tools available to grow and strengthen your organization? Do you truly see and appreciate the value of strategically collected and analyzed data? Here are a few key assessment tools you should consider:
Pre-hire Assessments
The use of assessment tools begins in the pre-hiring phase. Human Resources departments frequently make use of diagnostic tools, such as personality inventories and aptitude tests to determine whether applicants have both the industry skills needed for the job and the personality traits and soft skills to work effectively with an existing team.
Research shows that organizations utilizing diagnostic assessment tools in the hiring process improve the overall quality of hired employees and reduce rates of employee turnover.
Employee Assessments
The day to day functioning of an organization requires an in-depth knowledge of your current position and goals for future growth. It’s not enough to hire a team of “all-star” applicants if you don’t take time to regularly assess how well that team is functioning as a unit and their effectiveness in achieving your organizational goals.
Assessments can be used to collect information regarding the individual strengths and competencies of your team members, areas of improvement within your team, and the strength of your company culture.
Utilizing assessment tools within your team will enable you as a leader to make the most of your current team by maximizing the individual strengths of each team member and building a cohesive and effective unit.
Organizational Assessments
Effective leaders monitor a variety of key metrics when measuring organizational success. These metrics may include the financial wellness and stability of your organization, the effectiveness of your community outreach or marketing campaigns.
Regular assessment of key metrics such as these equips leaders to:
- Identify and address current resource challenges/areas of growth.
- Communicate more effectively with their team.
- Adapt to changes in the external or internal environment.
- Strategically plan for the future.
If you are wondering how you can use assessments to take your organization to the next level, you’re in luck! In just one month, I’ll be hosting the Assess For Success: Grow and Retain Top Talent In Nonprofit Organizations Virtual Summit.
Through this free online workshop, experts will orient you to different assessments, what they measure, and how to use the results to cultivate and retain top talent in your organization. Mark your calendar for March 4-6, 2019 and click here to save your spot!
