In today's work environment, it is a given that we all must take personal responsibility for maintaining and improving our abilities and potential at work -- so that we are prepared to maintain our current value in the workplace and improve our value over time.

Most organizations define what they need from people in terms of competency -- What competencies does a person need to regularly display to be effective in a current position or develop to be effective in a future position?

How do you improve or develop competency? The first step is to understand what competencies are required in your job or the job to which you aspire. This ASSESS report provides the competency model for a specific job (current or future position) as defined by your organization.

The second step is to target and develop some of the building blocks of these competencies. Competency in an area is the result of many factors working together, which include innate characteristics (natural ability, personality) and learned characteristics (knowledge, experience and skills) as is presented in the following chart.

I N N A T E L E A R N E D Natural Ability / Potential Personal Characteristics Knowledge / Experience Skills / Learned Abilities C O M P E T E N C I E S B E H A V I O R S E F F E C T I V E   O U T C O M E S

The ASSESS system evaluates your work personality and (in some cases) abilities and helps you to consider how these innate characteristics impact competency.

Overview of Your Development Report

The first section of this report presents your Competency Model and feedback on your ASSESS results. These results will be interpreted in terms of how your personality and abilities may help or hinder the development or display of each competency.

Next, specific development suggestions are provided to help you develop in the areas highlighted by ASSESS.

Finally, the last section of the report provides you with a framework for setting goals and creating a development action plan.

Who Should See This Report

This report has been written for your personal use. We hope it will help you to think about and plan for your career development. You may want to share all or parts of this report with others, especially if you trust their judgment and wisdom, and if they can assist you with career and development resources or advice. People to consider might include a family member, a current or past manager, a trusted mentor, a Human Resources representative or a career counselor.

Interpretation Assistance

This report is written using a computerized expert system that interprets your results and writes your report in the same manner that a Bigby, Havis & Associates psychologist would. It is designed to be read by you, the person evaluated, without special interpretation by a professional. However, additional assistance from a professional can be provided through your sponsoring organization. See your ASSESS coordinator to make arrangements.

In Reviewing Your Report, Keep The Following In Mind:

The results are based on your self-perceptions and may be influenced by a favorable or unfavorable self-image. Others may see you differently than you see yourself.

We have compared your raw scores on the ability tests and the personality survey to a professional norm group (people who work in jobs which, for the most part, require education or training beyond the high school level) to make the statements and suggestions you will find in this report. It may be useful to think "compared to most professionals" as you read each.

The report does not take into account your background, training, technical skills or experience. Therefore, the results do not measure your personal effectiveness or the quality of your job performance; rather, they describe abilities and characteristics that (along with these other factors) may influence your job performance.

Many of the characteristics described in this report could be assets in some circumstances and liabilities in others. You will notice that a characteristic may appear as a strength in relation to one competency, but a weakness when considered in relation to another competency.

Be careful not to overemphasize specific statements. Instead consider the overall picture and how your assessment results fit with your job, career and personal expectations (how you would like to be).

Take the time to read and consider the ASSESS Report information:

1. Take an open, non-defensive attitude when reviewing the material. Review each section carefully and, as you consider the feedback statements, try to think of specific examples that can confirm which assets and liabilities do or do not apply to you.

2. If you are not sure that a statement in the report describes you, ask someone you feel will give you honest feedback for their opinion.

3. After reviewing your results, use the Goal Setting section of this report and the additional resources provided at https://www.bigby.com/systems/ASSESSv2/resources/employee/ to help you set goals for your development and to construct an action plan for achieving your goals.

Over time, people change. If several years have passed since the date of this report, the results may no longer fit you. Remember, when you completed the assessment instruments you were at a particular age, stage of development, level of experience, etc. With the passage of time, the characteristics measured by ASSESS may have changed.

Since abilities can impact most competencies, they are reported separately here.

The following results are based on your performance on standardized ability tests. They are presented as percentile comparisons to professional norms (people who, for the most part, have an education at or beyond the college undergraduate level) and to general population norms (people who, for the most part, have a high school education).

With few exceptions, if you are in or are considering a position requiring a college degree, you should pay most attention to the professional norm group comparisons. However, if you have limited formal education, the general population comparisons may be more appropriate.

Remember, your results on the intellectual ability tests are only a partial indication of your potential to be successful at a job. Other factors such as education, technical training, job-related experience, personal accomplishments and character are different, but equally important, indicators of potential future success.

Scores were available for the following ability tests:

• The EAS7 (Verbal Reasoning) is a measure of your ability to quickly analyze verbal information and deduce logical conclusions from that information.

• The Thurstone Test of Mental Alertness is a measure of your language skills and your quantitative skills. It also provides an indication of your ability to shift quickly back and forth from one problem type to another.

• The Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (Abstract Reasoning) is a measure of your ability to reason through complex, abstract, nonverbal information and to grasp new ideas. This capacity includes the ability to solve problems in new situations where one has little experience upon which to draw.

General Population Norms:   0%   100% Verbal Reasoning       Mental Alertness       Abstract Reasoning        Professional Norms:         Verbal Reasoning       Mental Alertness       Abstract Reasoning

 

You should have no difficulty reasoning through most verbal and quantitative information to quickly solve problems.

You should have no difficulty solving problems that involve complex, abstract information. You should also be quick to grasp new ideas and solve problems that are outside your usual experience.

Visioning Identifying long-term goals and championing the implementation of different or alternative ideas. In-Depth Problem Solving And Analysis Solving difficult problems through careful and systematic evaluation of information, possible alternatives and consequences. Championing Change Taking action to support and implement change initiatives effectively. Driving For Results Challenging, pushing the organization and themselves to excel and achieve. Influencing And Persuading Convincing others to adopt a course of action. Managing Others Directing and leading others to accomplish organizational goals and objectives. Organizational Savvy Recognizing and understanding organizational politics and working within organizational dynamics to accomplish objectives. Business Acumen* Understanding general business and financial concepts, understanding the company's business, and using both general and specific knowledge to be effective. Integrity* Upholding a high standard of fairness and ethics in everyday words and actions. Courage Of Convictions* Having the personal courage to address difficult issues in the face of potential opposition. Presentation Skills* Having the skills to effectively communicate to an audience in a formal setting. Continuous Learning* Striving to expand knowledge and refine skills through education and training. Inspiring others to develop and refine knowledge and skills relevant to their work.

Reading The Competency Graphs:

• For each personality characteristic, a distribution of possible scores (from less to more) is displayed in deciles (1-10% = 1st decile, 11-20% = 2nd decile, etc.) using ten graph blocks.

• This distribution is based on a professional norm group of approximately 40,000 respondents.

• Your score on each personality characteristic is represented by the graphic character .

• Overlaid on the normative distribution, the colors and shading on the graph represent desirable ranges on each characteristic for a particular competency.

• Ranges in which a characteristic may help are marked with most shading ( ).

• Ranges in which a characteristic may be a potential concern have no shading ( ).

• You will notice from the pattern of shadings that low scores are not necessarily bad and high scores are not necessarily good.

• Also notice that the Helps and Potential Concerns ranges for a characteristic may differ by competency. For example, a higher level of assertiveness may be more desirable for one competency than another.

Identifying long-term goals and championing the implementation of different or alternative ideas.

• You should be capable of asserting yourself when needed to champion new ideas or a change in direction.

• Self-reliant, you are likely to be capable of taking the initiative to champion ideas or a vision in your organization.

Potential Concerns 

• Less reflective in your thinking than most, you may not always consider the issues as thoughtfully and broadly as you should. You may miss important subtleties or not always consider the long-term effects of your decisions. When setting goals and the direction of your group, be careful that your focus is not too narrow.

• While your pragmatism can certainly be an asset, you may have a tendency to overemphasize the practical at the expense of innovation and creativity. Make an effort to consider the merits of new approaches that may, at first, seem idealistic or impractical.

• Cautious in your thinking, you may miss opportunities to pursue new ideas or direction. You may hesitate too long or avoid taking necessary risks.

• Your tendency to work at a slower, unhurried work pace may hinder your ability to generate and champion ideas. You should make a concerted effort to ensure that your actions demonstrate and support your verbal commitments.
   

Solving difficult problems through careful and systematic evaluation of information, possible alternatives and consequences.

(There are no areas that were identified as Helps for this competency.)

Potential Concerns 

• Because you are not naturally inclined to reflect deeply on issues, you may fail to consider underlying causes or miss important subtleties when analyzing problems. Make an effort to think broadly about the issues and consciously consider underlying reasons before beginning your analysis and problem solving processes.

• Your pragmatism may sometimes cause you to overrely on past solutions rather than consider new possibilities. Try to discipline yourself to occasionally look for a new or different approach that is more effective than what has worked before.

• While your fact-based approach will help you to objectively evaluate information and, ultimately, judge the merit of a solution to a problem, remember that many of the best solutions spring initially from hunches or intuition.

• Very serious-minded and careful, you may sometimes be so cautious that you do not come to a conclusion or decide upon a solution in a timely manner.
   

Taking action to support and implement change initiatives effectively.

• You should be assertive enough to persuade people to adopt new courses of action.

• Your positive and resilient personality should be an asset to a change initiative. You are likely to be less affected than most by frustrations and irritations. You should remain positive and resilient even under difficult circumstances.

Potential Concerns 

• Because of your preference for a slower than average work pace, it may be difficult for you to bring enough energy to a change initiative to be effective. To the degree that your Work Pace score is a true indicator of your nature, you may have to discipline yourself to be more energetic than normal to instigate real change in your organization.

• Your pragmatism may lead to an overreliance on how things have been done in the past. Because of this, you may not be flexible and open-minded to championing new approaches or ideas.

• Very cautious and careful by nature, you may hesitate to commit to change efforts.
   

Challenging, pushing the organization and themselves to excel and achieve.

• Capable of being assertive, you should be able to influence others to achieve results.

• Highly self-reliant, you should be comfortable establishing goals and taking personal responsibility for their achievement with little support or direction from others.

• Practical and pragmatic by nature, you should emphasize tangible results and immediate outcomes.

• Your strong desire to follow through on commitments should help you to carry projects through to completion. Others are likely to view you as persistent.

• Resilient in the face of frustration, you should be able to remain positive in difficult and challenging situations.

Potential Concerns 

• Your slow work pace may interfere with your ability to achieve high levels of personal work output and may also inhibit your ability to inspire high effort levels in others. You should make a special effort to increase your work pace and energy level to be effective at this competency.
   

Convincing others to adopt a course of action.

• As assertive as most people, you should be comfortable persuading and influencing others when you believe in the issue.

Potential Concerns 

• Less socially outgoing than is desired for this competency, you may not invest the time needed to build rapport with those you are trying to persuade.

• Your slow and unhurried work pace may hinder your ability to actively generate the enthusiasm that is needed to persuade others.
   

Directing and leading others to accomplish organizational goals and objectives.

• You should be comfortable in a leadership role and be capable of being forceful and directive when necessary.

• Not overly concerned about being well liked, you should be able to take an unpopular position or make tough decisions when necessary.

• Self-reliant, but not excessively so, you should be willing to do the work yourself or allow subordinates to participate, as appropriate for the situation.

• Your optimistic outlook should have a positive impact on the morale of your group. Others should appreciate your positive attitude.

Potential Concerns 

• Sometimes your tendency to be skeptical about people in general may lead you to be too critical of subordinates. Try to make a special effort to consider the assets and contributions of the people you manage and, when giving feedback, focus on being positive and constructive.

• Your somewhat low interest or comfort in casual social interactions could sometimes inhibit your effectiveness with subordinates. You may feel ill-at-ease in some situations and may avoid situations that require you to interact with subordinates on a personal level. Thus, some may perceive you as unapproachable. Consider the developmental suggestions that follow later in this report to help you develop your social skills and increase your social comfort.

• Your work pace may be slower than desired for a management role. You may not consistently exert the level of personal effort (energy and work pace) needed to effectively manage people. As a result, you may sometimes need to push yourself, and others, to achieve objectives in a timely manner.
   

Recognizing and understanding organizational politics and working within organizational dynamics to accomplish objectives.

• You appear to be assertive and self-confident enough to build relationships with powerful and influential people.

• Your reserved demeanor will be an asset for this competency. You are likely to exercise care over the expression of your words and actions and attempt to manage their potential effects in the broader organization. This should help you to make and maintain a positive impression with important and influential people.

• Objective and thick-skinned, you should be able to interact with powerful and difficult people without becoming defensive or overly sensitive.

Potential Concerns 

• Your moderately low concern for how you are perceived by people will occasionally interfere with your ability to build alliances across organizational boundaries. When this happens, you may not be as collaborative as might be optimal.

• You do not seem as naturally interested in trying to understand organizational or interpersonal issues as is needed for this competency. Unless you consciously manage this characteristic, you may misunderstand or ignore the motives of others and fail to adapt your approach accordingly. This may limit your ability to influence others.

• Your somewhat low social interests may hinder your ability to develop and maintain personal contacts across the organization. You probably should make more of an effort to seek opportunities to network and build strategic business relationships.
   

In this section of the ASSESS Development Report we provide Development suggestions for minimizing or compensating for potential weaknesses. We highlight these areas because we think, based on your results, you should consider them when you are setting goals and when you are writing an action plan. Some of these probably are areas you have already identified for improvement; others may be new.

For each suggestion, we highlight the competencies that it may impact and give you specific suggestions for action steps you may want to include in your Development Action Plan. These include: on-the-job activities, books to read, tapes to listen to, and/or seminars to attend. Think of these as a starting point and enlist the suggestions of others as you complete your plan in the next section of this report.

Low Reflective Thinking

Competency(ies) This May Impact

• Visioning
• In-Depth Problem Solving And Analysis

To increase your ability to be perceptive and thorough in your analysis, consider one or more of the following:

Activities

Rather than finding a quick fix when a problem arises, take a more broad view of the problem by looking at all the options available to you. Take a look around your organization and gather information about what others are doing. Try to find ways of including others in problem solving or in implementing solutions. Such actions will likely deepen your understanding of the problem and will also help solidify the support of others around you.

Develop your problem analysis skills by using the following types of questions to evaluate problems that could have been foreseen and prevented:

• What was the cause of the problem?

• Could the problem have been prevented?

• If so, what action could have been taken to prevent the problem, by whom?

• Who are the people primarily concerned or potentially involved in this problem?

• What information could these concerned individuals provide?

• Could this problem have been more easily resolved by a team of people rather than just one person?

• What could be done to prevent the recurrence of this problem?

Books

Consider reading one or more of the following books:

Brain Power: Learn to Improve Your Thinking Skills by Karl Albreckt, Prentice Hall Trade, 1992.

Choosing the Future: The Power of Strategic Thinking by Stuart Wells III, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1997.

Don't Jump to Solutions: Thirteen Delusions That Undermine Strategic Thinking by William Rouse, Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers, 1999.

The Mind of the Strategist: The Art of Japanese Business by Kenichi Ohmae, The McGraw-Hill Companies, 1996.

The 2,000 Percent Solution: Free Your Organization from "Stalled" Thinking to Achieve Exponential Success by Donald Mitchell, Carol Coles, & Robert Metz, AMACOM, 1999.

The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment by Robert Kaplan & David Norton, Harvard Business School Publishing, 2000.

High Serious-Minded Thinking

Competency(ies) This May Impact

• Visioning
• In-Depth Problem Solving And Analysis
• Championing Change

Activities

When faced with a decision, consider the time sensitivity of the situation. Give yourself a strict deadline by which you must have completed your necessary research, evaluated the alternatives and determined your course of action.

Remember that sometimes it is better to just decide and move on. Especially for less important decisions, balance your need to carefully consider the situation with the investment of your (and others') time and resources.

Practice taking small risks to increase your general comfort with the unknown. Look for opportunities where you can be less cautious in your approach and take some calculated risks.

Try to maintain an open-minded attitude when considering new business ideas or opportunities.

Books

Consider reading one or more of the following books:

Risk Assessment and Decision Making in Business and Industry: A Practical Guide by Glenn Robert Koller, CRC Press, 1999.

Acceptable Risk by Baruch Fischhof, Stephen Derby, & Sarah Lichtenstein, Cambridge University Press, 1984.

High Fact-Based Thinking

Competency(ies) This May Impact

• In-Depth Problem Solving And Analysis

Activities

Challenge yourself to "read between the lines" rather than assuming things are black or white. Make a conscious effort to look for the subtleties of situations before coming to a conclusion or forming an opinion. Guard against being stubborn or overly opinionated in your views.

Before making a decision, ask for input from those who will be affected by the decision. Try to use (or at least consider) this input when making your decision.

Play devil's advocate for yourself. Look at the other point of view before defending your own.

Remember that intuition can be just as important as (and sometimes more important than) facts. When others feel strongly about something, take time to consider their perspective. Allow them the opportunity to build a case for their opinion.

Make a greater effort to remain open-minded to new ideas. Truly innovative concepts may not yet have had a chance to be proven or supported by data. Rather than discounting, try to conceive of a way to test the theory.

Books

Consider reading one or more of the following books:

Breakthrough Thinking: The Seven Principles of Creative Problem Solving by Gerald Nadler & Shozo Hibino, Prima Communications Inc., 1998.

Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step-by-Step by Edward De Bono, Harper and Row Publishers Inc., 1990.

Listening: The Forgotten Skill by Madelyn Burley-Allen, John Wiley & Sons Incorporated, 1995.

High Realistic Thinking

Competency(ies) This May Impact

• Visioning
• In-Depth Problem Solving And Analysis
• Championing Change

Activities

If you find yourself reluctant to tackle a situation in a new way, make an attempt to be aware of the reasons why you are resistant. Is the old way of doing things really the best way? Keep an open mind and look for alternative ideas rather than settling for the status quo.

When troubleshooting or making an important decision, ask for the input of others and be open to their ideas. Try to implement some of their changes.

Try to take some calculated risks by thinking outside the box. You may want to work with others who are known for their innovation or creativity.

Rather than handling the situation in the same way that has worked in the past, try to be flexible to suggestions of others. Ask a trusted co-worker to highlight times when you are being stubborn or unyielding.

When listening to the ideas of others, make an attempt not to immediately disregard ideas that sound impractical or even radical. Is there a component of the idea that has merit? Is there a way to work together to revise the idea to include a practical implementation and result?

Allow yourself to dream about possibilities. You may be so focused on what needs to happen today that you have not given yourself the opportunity to consider the future. Where would you like to see your job, your group, etc. go in the next two to three years? What would you like to see accomplished? Use these as a starting place to think about different ways of doing things.

Books

Consider reading one or more of the following books:

Innovation: Breakthrough Thinking at 3M, DuPont, GE, Pfizer, and Rubbermaid (Businessmasters Series) by Rosabeth Moss Kanter (Editor), Fred Wiersema (Contributor), John J. Kao, Tom Peters, HarperBusiness, 1997.

The Creative Priority: Putting Innovation to Work in Your Business by Jerry Hirshberg, HarperBusiness, 1997.

Why Didn't I Think of That? Think the Unthinkable and Achieve Creative Greatness by Charles W. McCoy Jr., Prentice Hall Press, 2002.

Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity by John Kao, Diane Publishing Co, 1996.

Five Star Mind: Games and Exercises to Stimulate Your Creativity and Imagination by Tom Wujec, Main Street Books, 1995.

75 Cage Rattling Questions to Change the Way You Work: Shake-Em-Up Questions to Open Meetings, Ignite Discussion, and Spark Creativity by Dick Whitney, Melissa Giovagnoli, McGraw-Hill Trade, 1997.

Seminars

The Brain Power Course: Learn to Develop Your Thinking Skills provided by American Management Association [http://www.amanet.org/seminars/cmd2/2538.htm]

Creativity and Innovation: Thinking Creatively provided by Padgett Thompson Seminars, [http://www.click2learn.com/ptseminarsonline/1,2912,catalog!itemdetails!c000000002226151,00.html]

Low Work Pace

Competency(ies) This May Impact

• Visioning
• Championing Change
• Driving For Results
• Influencing And Persuading
• Managing Others

Activities

Set ambitious, urgent time deadlines in your work. This applies to important decisions as well as projects.

Set intermediate or check point deadlines for lengthy projects to ensure that you complete required steps on schedule.

Take a look at your schedule of physical exercise and make sure that you are doing some type of exercise on a consistent basis. (Be sure to check with your physician before beginning any exercise program.)

If you suffer from "afternoon fatigue," you may want to watch what you eat for lunch. Dietitians often recommend a small, high protein meal at lunchtime while avoiding alcohol and sugary desserts. Also, try to spend a short amount of time doing light aerobic exercise (for example, walking) during your lunch break. Exercising and practicing relaxation techniques on a regular basis may also increase your energy level.

Be aware that there are many time wasting events that disrupt our productivity daily. Use the guidelines below to learn how to handle some common time wasters.

Personal Disorganization:

• Finish what you start, avoid jumping around between several unfinished projects.

• Designate a spot for the paperwork, books, etc. that you use most frequently and keep them there.

• Keep your desk clear of non-current projects and paperwork.

Lack of Objectives, Priorities and Deadlines:

• Make a list of your goals and objectives at the beginning of each day (a "to do" list).

• Break large jobs into smaller pieces. Be sure to get started on parts of the job that you dislike early. Reward yourself periodically by doing a part of the job you really enjoy.

• Attempt your highest priority items at your best time of the day. (Morning is usually best.)

• Set firm deadlines for having a job done.

Indecision or Procrastination:

• Make the decision to get started on a project and go public by announcing it to others.

• Reward yourself for persistent effort with short breaks.

• Set short-term goals that lead to project completion.

• Be willing to make decisions based on partial information.

Fatigue:

• When you find yourself wasting time through daydreaming or other non-productive behavior, take a short break. Get up, walk around, and then go back to work.

• When you are genuinely tired, call it a day. Plan on being productive after you have rested.

Books

Consider reading a book on Time Management:

First Things First Every Day: Because Where You're Headed Is More Important Than How Fast You're Going by Stephen Covey, A. Roger Merrill, & Rebecca R. Merrill, Fireside, 1997.

Managing Management Time by William Oncken, Jr., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice-Hall, 1989. (Out-of-print classic. Look for it in your local library.)

The Time Trap by Alex MacKenzie, AMACOM, 1997.

How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life by Alan Lakein, New American Library, 1996.

Books

Read a book on Procrastination or Indecisiveness such as:

The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play by Neil Fiore, JP Tarcher, 1989.

Overcoming Procrastination; Or How to Think and Act Rationally in Spite of Life's Inevitable Hassles by Albert Ellis, & William Knaus, New American Library, 1983.

The Procrastinator's Handbook: Mastering the Art of Doing It Now by Rita Emmett, Walker & Company, 2000.

Books

There are many good books on Health and Fitness. Some of these include:

The Aerobics Program for Total Well-Being by Kenneth Cooper, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1985.

14 Days to Wellness: The Easy, Effective, and Fun Way to Optimum Health by Donald Ardell Ph.D., New World Library, 1999

Tired of Being Tired: Overcoming Chronic Fatigue & Low Energy by Michael Schmidt, Frog Ltd, 1995.

The New Fit or Fat by Covert Bailey, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991.

Tapes

Listen to an audiotape while driving or exercising:

Working Smarter: How to Get More Done in Less Time by Michael Leboeuf, Simon & Schuster (Audio Cassette), 1995.

Low Sociability

Competency(ies) This May Impact

• Influencing And Persuading
• Managing Others
• Organizational Savvy