Fun at work is more than occasional games

A recent article in the Jacksonville Times Union was titled:
Having fun at work: Productive or pointless?

As one of the reader comments pointed out, there is more to a positive work environment than supplemental activities designed to make a people happier. In fact, countless studies show that the job starts with selecting people who are already a good fit for the job. The better the fit, the more the employees will 'naturally' enjoy the job.

Top performing Florida companies like LBA Group, Chico's, and LifeSouth use assessment tools like Predictive Index to identify candidates who are likely to enjoy and be productive in their work environment. By hiring smarter, they naturally get higher productivity and lower turnover. While these companies still offer 'fun events', employees who are right for the job tend to be happier all the time.

There are several case studies that managers might find helpful at http://www.predictiveresults.com/PredictiveIndex/PICaseStudies.asp

Steve Waterhouse
President
Predictive Results
904-269-2299 x102
steve@predictiveresults.com

PI Worldwide's Sales Training Solutions for Best in Class Organizations

Jacksonville, FL., Oct. 7 -- Jacksonville based Predictive Results announced that our parent company, PI Worldwide®, the premier global consulting company specializing in leadership and sales development, has been recognized as a leading solution provider for best in class performance in a new report from Aberdeen Group, the leading provider of fact-based research focused on the global technology-driven value chain. According to Aberdeen's research, best in class organizations select and deploy instructor-led training to create more meaningful sales conversations and enhance skills.

Based on a survey of over 500 companies in July and August 2009, the research findings indicate that companies are pursuing two primary strategies in reaction to the pressures that drive organizations to seek sales training: creating more meaningful sales conversations (53%); and enhancing skills in prospecting, nurturing and closing (49%). A summary of the research is available here.

Predictive Results offers two sales tools that address these challenges, the Selling Skills Assessment Tool (SSAT)(TM) and Customer Focused Selling (CFS)(TM). Over 7,000 companies in over 146 countries already benefit from PI Worldwide's leading Predictive Index® assessment tool, and the sales performance offerings answer the ever-increasing demand for proven solutions that can effectively and efficiently assess and develop sales skills.

"The economy is recovering and strong sales skills are increasingly critical for companies large and small," said Steve Waterhouse, President and CEO of Predictive Results. "Predictive Results and PI Worldwide have worked with some of the largest companies in the world. This report reinforces our experience that companies can find tremendous value in our unique and powerful combination of personalized assessments and sales training approaches to identify and address a sales team's strengths and weaknesses."

The Yankee Candle Company, the largest premium candle manufacturer in the United States and a longtime user of PI Worldwide's solutions, is featured in Aberdeen's report as an example of a best in class organization. Yankee Candle's Wholesale Division was formally trained in Customer Focused Selling methodologies. The Predictive Index and Selling Skills Assessment Tool provided coaching skills for managers and useful insight for leveraging each individual's natural behavior to sell. These same individuals could in turn use the newly acquired skills to build optimal relationships with their customers.

As quoted in the report, Michael Thorne, Yankee Candle's senior vice president of wholesale says, "We've absolutely seen the benefit of this. After the first month, the revenue performance differential between our test group and the general staff increased by 40%."

Developed in 2001, the SSAT is a proven diagnostic instrument that has helped hundreds of companies worldwide to take an objective look at the strength of their sales force. Using a series of scenario-based questions to measure the five core sales skills required for a customer-focused and consultative sales process, the SSAT provides detailed insights into individual employee sales skills and specific areas for improvement, thus empowering managers to focus sales training initiatives for maximum impact and maximum revenue growth.

Customer Focused Selling (CFS) is a highly customized training program designed to provide all the core competencies needed for effective consultative selling -- with special emphasis on the particular areas shown by the SSAT to need improvement. The tailored, interactive format of the program ensures that participants gain the specific knowledge they need to consistently achieve better sales results.

To learn more about PI Worldwide, Predictive Index, SSAT, CFS and other leading global management programs for managing all aspects of an employee's growth and development across an organization, visit www.predictiveresults.com.

About Predictive Results

Predictive Results is a member of the PI Worldwide family of companies. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Predictive Results serves companies throughout Florida and beyond with the PI Worldwide assessments and sales training tools. The company was founded by President Steve Waterhouse, an author and internationally recognized expert in sales development. For more information, visit Predictiveresults.com.


About PI Worldwide

PI Worldwide® is a premier global consulting organization specializing in leadership and sales development, focused on helping organizations uncover data-driven insights to create and sustain a high performance culture. Working with global organizations on critical business challenges from succession planning and employee development to selection, retention and salesforce optimization, PI Worldwide provides unlimited access to proven tools and learning programs, allowing business leaders to continuously uncover new levels of talent and value across the organization. Since 1955, PI Worldwide has extended a passion for understanding talent into the boardroom, providing the data, expertise and global support to build world class teams in over 146 countries, 61 languages and more than 7,000 companies - including many of the world's largest corporations.

Build Your Recovery Now!

You are invited to join authors Steve Waterhouse and Jarik Conrad on October 14 for a complimentary, Senior Executive only session entitled: Build Your Recovery Now Talent acquisition and management will be the key to success in the recovery ahead. Leading companies are already positioning themselves by building the most effective teams. In this presentation, we will discuss three keys to making the most of the next 18 months, including: • How to find and maximize your existing talent pool. • How to identify talent gaps in your organization. • How to attract, hire and retain the best people to fill your gaps. In this program you will learn practical techniques and concepts that are being applied by the world’s leading companies. You will learn: 1. The secret the best companies use to predict winners with certainty. 2. How having the right people in the right job can multiply your profits. 3. How you can find and tap hidden talent within your current team. 4. Why managers fail at motivating their people and what to do about it. 5. The Top 10 Reasons Diversity Efforts Fail and why it hurts your bottom line. 6. What your PI and your EI say about your future success. 7. How to dramatically increase employee productivity without bribes or threats. Dr. Conrad and Mr. Waterhouse are more than experts and authors, they have applied the concepts you will learn at companies around the world. You will hear case studies from a wide range of business models and industries, all aimed at helping you build your business right now. Don’t wait for the economy to recover. Get ready now and make your own recovery. Your presenters: Mr. Stephen Waterhouse Mr. Waterhouse helps companies grow through the development of their people. His diverse career has taken him from design engineer on the successful Patriot Missile project to founder of his own chain of newspapers. When Steve took on the challenge of the struggling Vortech Corporation, he increased sales by 300% in just 24 months. Some of Steve’s clients include AT&T, Monsanto, IBM, Xerox, Fidelity Investments, United Airlines, and Chico’s FAS. Steve has appeared in Fortune, Sales and Marketing Magazine, Selling Power, PC Week, Investors Business Daily, B2B, Entrepreneur Magazine, Washington Technology, Smart Partner Magazine, and numerous local publications and business journals. Mr. Waterhouse is the author of The Team Selling Solution: Creating and Managing Teams that Win the Complex Sale (McGraw-Hill) Dr. Jarik Conrad Dr. Conrad is a speaker, trainer, coach, consultant, and award-winning author of The Fragile Mind. An expert on human behavior, he delivers a rare blend of humor, passion, and uncommon insight to audiences all over the world. He is a Certified Emotional Intelligence Analyst, a Certified Diversity Consultant and a SPHR, SHRM's senior designation. Dr. Conrad helps people better understand themselves and others, which enables them to conquer their personal and professional challenges such as: • Leading people • Working in teams • Embracing diversity and inclusion • Managing stress • Adapting to change Date: October 14 Location: Jacksonville University Club Time: 6:30pm – 8pm There is no charge for this event. Hors d'oeuvres will be served. Space is limited, so please RSVP today to: gina@predictiveresults.com

PI Offers Solution for Nursing Home Rating System

The Solution To Achieving a CMS 5 Star Rating

The new system, instituted by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, has become the focus for nursing homes around the country. As the public’s familiarity with this system increases, they will increasingly rely on these ratings when choosing a facility. Since the final rating is based on a state-wide ranking, being the best is the only way to score well.

Every administrator knows that you can’t inspect quality into a facility. Consistent quality is the result of well defined policies, procedures and systems that are faithfully executed by the entire staff. While developing these is difficult enough, getting your staff to faithfully execute them is the ultimate challenge.

Our solution addresses this key issue.

The CMS rating system has three key sections that come together to form the overall rating: Health Inspections, Quality Measures, and Staffing. While it might appear to an outsider that staffing is the only area where the people issues come in, they would be wrong. Performance in each of the three areas is directly affected by the behavior of your staff. Since the Quality Measures section is backward looking, it is not even sufficient to have good performance on the day of the inspection. They must be maintained consistently.

The problem: How do you get people to consistently behave as needed?

The answer: You hire people who already have the behavioral characteristics

you need and train managers to lead them effectively.

For too long, we have hired based primarily on experience and certification. If you needed a CNA, you hired a CNA. Unfortunately, we know from 50 years of research that skill and knowledge are not sufficient qualifications for most positions. Most facilities really care about more than just what the person knows: they care how they will behave. While the certification and resume are certainly important, they tell you little about what that person will actually do in the work environment.

That is where we come in.

We help nursing homes implement a tool that has been proven to predict the behavior of individuals in the workplace. This tool allows administrators to identify the desired characteristics needed for a given position and then shows them how to attract and identify people who fit their need.

A nurse is not a nurse

Administrators have told me for years that the type of nurse who is best suited for their dementia wing is very different from the type of nurse who works best in the rehab wing. But how do you know which is which? We give administrators a tool that can easily and quickly show you.

But we can’t be selective.

I know there is a shortage of qualified staff in many areas. That is why another aspect of this program is so critical. Our studies have definitively proven that turnover drops by as much as 50% or more when people are properly matched to their jobs and managers understand how to motivate them. Since longer tenure is one of the key ingredients in increasing consistent quality care, reducing turnover not only eliminates the recruiting problem, it improves quality in measurable ways.

“Turnover in the senior housing industry is a very big deal. In fact, some people would say that the industry statistics are anywhere from 85% turnover to 112% is very common in senior housing. (With PI®) our turnover statistic is 42%, and I think we are in the top 3 companies within the industry nationally, for the lowest turnover.”

Jill Haselman

Vice President of Organizational Development

Benchmark Assisted Living

What is the solution?

The Predictive Index® (known as PI®) is a behavioral assessment tool that has proven itself effective at improving quality with bottom line results in nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living facilities and other care-related institutions. Our program combines the effective use of PI with management training and our support to give you all the tools you need to make a dramatic difference in the operation of your facilities and the treatment of your patients, residents and clients. On top of that, we are EEOC compliant for use in hiring.

Our clients say it best

“I have used behavioral assessments in various applications for almost thirty years and I have not found a more reliable, easier to use, workplace-friendly instrument with wider applications than the PI®.”

Jeff Jernigan

Vice President of Human Resources

St. Mary’s Medical Center

Try PI for yourself

I don’t believe you should make a decision on a program like this without knowing much more about it. Many of our clients have found it helpful to have a few of their senior management team experience the Predictive Index. I will be happy to arrange it and to meet with you to show you their results. At that point, you will have a clear understanding of what we do and how we do it. You will also know if it is a solution to your problems.

Let’s find a time to talk further and move you closer to your goals.

I can be reached at 904-269-2299 x102 or steve@predictiveresults.com.

Steve Waterhouse

President

Predictive Results

Good leaders know what motivates

What makes a good boss? One trait might be to take to heart the old adage “Know thyself.”

Though many managers think of themselves as effective and compassionate leaders, asking around the office might elicit a different evaluation.

Read this great article by Dolly Penland in the Business Journal http://twurl.nl/7y5lic

For more on Predictive Index, visit our website.

Predictive Index - The Key to Leadership Development

This is the time we need great leaders.

Whether it is a CEO building a high performing senior management team, a sales manager making quota by getting the most out of sales reps, or an operations manager satisfying every customer by motivating front-line employees, leadership is what we need today. Many define leadership as the ability to get people to do what they would not have done on their own. I define it simply as the ability to build an effective, satisfied and profitable group of people. 

Effective, because they are doing the right thing right.

Satisfied, because you have created a work environment that gives them what they need to keep going day after day.

Profitable because you have optimized your headcount, costs and the quality and quantity of their output.

While we have been teaching leaders what to do for years, we forgot a critical components: who to do what to! Leaders who apply their training broadly to their teams find that some follow, some stray and some resist. On the otherhand, leaders who understand the individuals on their teams and adjust to their needs find a much higher percentage of followers.

We know from over 50 years of studies that the insight required to understand the motivational needs and drives of individuals is not avaialble without the help of a tool. That tool is a validated behavioral assessment. We recommend the Predictive Index because it is a fast, accurate and cost affective tool that gives leaders everything they need to understand their people. Behavioral assessments dramatically accellerate any leader's ability to understand and get the best out of their team. 

Great leaders put the right people in the right jobs and communicate with them individually acording to their style. Behavioral assessments give any leader the insight required to function like the great leaders. What more could we want?

Make this a great year by giving your leaders the tools they need to become great!

If you need help, call me at 904-269-2299 x102 or email me at steve@predictiveresults.com. There is much more information on Predictive Index and behavioral assessments at our web site.

Steve Waterhouse