Dr. Zach Schaefer is a tenured professor who studies organizational communication. He started his own strategic management practice, Spark the Discussion, in 2010. Read on to learn more about how Zach’s business has flourished since becoming a PI Certified Partner.
Q: Why did you choose to partner with The Predictive Index®?
A: I’ve taken and been exposed to a lot of different assessments. I didn’t like most of them because they took too much time to complete, and I didn’t see how companies could apply the data from the assessments to solve business problems–until I found The Predictive Index.
A good friend introduced me to the PI Behavioral Assessment™, and the results impressed me tremendously. It only took me three minutes to complete and was at least 99% accurate. I asked how I could get more involved with this company and that led me to become a PI Certified Partner.
Q: What factors have contributed to your success as a PI Partner?
A: I consider my business with PI in two phases: one from 2016 to 2018, and one from June 2018 until now. When I first partnered with PI, I used it as an additional option and didn’t explore all of the different types of business problems beyond hiring that I can solve with my expertise and the PI platform.
In June 2018, I realized that I wasn’t capitalizing on all that PI can do. I started thinking about PI as my business, rather than just part of my business, and this is when my clientele and revenue really grew. PI gave me the opportunity to attend a workshop led by another PI practitioner called Dan Courser’s Boot Camp, which was instrumental in my understanding and application of the PI tools.
Q: Can you share metrics about your business growth?
Since June 2018, I’ve added 23 new clients. The consistency of the revenue is life-changing. Before PI, I didn’t have a regular source of income from my consultancy that I could count on. With PI renewals, referrals, and new business, I’m achieving more than 100% year-over-year growth.
Q: Can you share an example of how you have helped a client using the PI platform?
A: I recently worked with a client who was hiring for a Chief Operating Officer. There was a lot of tension at the executive and director levels as people became concerned and defensive about their roles and responsibilities.
I led a management workshop for them and used the PI Team Work Styles and Strategy Insights. These visual tools tell a straightforward story about how the employee behavioral patterns align with their team goals and where there may be areas of conflict. The discussion that followed this visual exercise reduced the tension and allowed people to explore how the new COO would fit into the rest of the team.
These tools are helpful for predicting and preventing conflict as well as resolving tension and conflict that already exists. I wouldn’t be able to solve these business problems in the short amount of time that the PI tools enable me to.
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