How you introduce an assessment into your organization can determine its success or failure
Sometimes, it is not what you say, it’s how you say it that can make all the difference. Companies nowadays are growing so quickly that they forget this important message and divert to not saying anything at all!
Communication is critical, especially when introducing something new to an organization. Take, for instance, rolling out a new assessment, an important yet nerve-racking change for any organization. This might be a big first step in your company’s history or it might be another tool in your well stocked tool kit, but either way, it is important you message things correctly. Before freaking your people out by introducing that new behavioral and/or cognitive assessment, look to these four tips to help you figure out what to say, and more importantly, how to say it.
Be upfront, be honest
Clients get so excited about implementing assessment tools like The Predictive Index (PI) and seeing the amazing results that they just start asking employees to take it but give them no context as to why. This is a big mistake! Make sure you are very clear about why your company is using PI and also be very clear about how the results will be used. Something as easy as “we’ve partnered with PI to help us better understand how our people work and what motivates them. I’m going to send you a link to take a quick behavioral assessment (takes about 6 minutes!) and once I get the results, I’ll be sure to share them with you.” Just letting them know upfront about the “why” can really go a long way.
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If you get questions, answer them
People may have some anxiety over taking an “assessment.” They may think of it as a “test” or something they can fail. With PI, we want to make sure everyone knows there is no good or bad result. Rather it is an instrument that can help your employer learn more about what gets you up in the morning (or what puts you back to bed!). If an employee has questions about how the results will be used, let them know first and foremost that you plan on sharing the results with them directly. This will most likely take some of the fear out of taking the assessment.
If you meet resistance, don’t try and try again
The last thing you ever want to do is force someone to take an assessment. If you meet resistance and an employee doesn’t want to take the assessment, let it go for a little bit. The best thing you can do is educate them on the “whys” and let them see it in action first. Typically, once someone sees how beneficial this information is to an organization, they too will want in on the action. But let them get there on their own.
Spread the love
The more you can incorporate the information you get from a PI Behavioral Assessment, the better. Creating a common language isn’t easy, but it will increase team function, individual performance, and put everyone on the same page. Getting people to realize that behavior and needs are at the center of what we do and that we should all be aware of each other’s needs is critical to creating that common speak. And here’s a quick tip (within a tip): using the PI Placards that are generated from the software can really help spread the PI love. Place them on the outside of each person’s cubicle or office. It will get people talking and working better together in no time.
Remember – it is all in the messaging. Think about what you want to say and how you’re going to say it before rolling anything out. Allow the data from PI to help guide you along the way!
