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CONSULTING

What your customers, employees, and local communities expect of you is radically changing. We can help you change too.

ADAPTIVE CONSULTING

Our process is as follows:

1. Organic Project Assessment – We work with you, face-to-face, to identify issues of concern and to clearly identify your objectives.

2. Approach-Building – We work with you to develop a consensus as to the best way to approach the project, and we come to an agreement as to the steps that should be included in the process.

 

3. Presentation of Detailed Proposal and Acceptance – We present a detailed proposal for your acceptance that incorporates our joint understanding of what you wish to accomplish and how we plan to accomplish it.

 

4. Service Delivery – We deliver any agreed-upon consulting deliverables, administer any necessary personality testing or group conflict assessments, do any necessary process design work, facilitate any necessary group discussions or mediate any specific disputes, and/or conduct any formal training.

 

5. Evaluation of Results - We provide summary reports, and we measure effectiveness through customizable client survey materials.

Top Five Reasons That You Should Consult With Us:

1. We specialize in the complex and messy people problems that are difficult to unravel or quantify, and that are sometimes even difficult to identify.

 

2. We have an experienced organizational psychologist on staff to help. 

 

3. We can help you articulate the business case for intervention to senior leaders and/or corporate boards of directors.

 

4. We can help you improve productivity and morale by helping you understand your employees' needs, and by helping you figure out how to meet those needs.

 

5. We can show you how to make our results sustainable.

ASSESSMENT TOOLS AND ANALYSES

We offer the following four choices:

  • A. The Emotional Competence Inventory
    The ECI is a 360° emotional intelligence feedback tool. It describes 18 emotional competencies that differentiate outstanding performers from average performers. It also offers a way to assess the strengths and weaknesses of individuals, giving them precise, focused information on exactly which emotional competencies they will want to improve on in order to meet their career goals. An emotional competence is a learned capacity based on emotional intelligence that results in outstanding performance at work. For superior performance in jobs of all kinds, emotional competence matters twice as much as IQ plus technical skill combined. The Emotional Competence Inventory is: The only Emotional Intelligence assessment tool that is designed to assess the 18 emotional competencies from Daniel Goleman’s four quadrant model of Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship Skills. Designed to be used to coach individuals or to help teams improve their effectiveness. The ECI is a development tool, not a selection tool for hiring or making compensation decisions. Developed by Richard Boyatzis and Daniel Goleman and distributed worldwide by The Hay Group. Administered and scored through a web-based process, and delivered by an accredited EI coach who will give personalized, accurate and comprehensive feedback to those who complete the inventory. Fully validated with research and statistical norming. Research supports the idea that accurate self-awareness is foundational to the development and growth of all emotional intelligence. Furthermore, self-awareness is only possible when one’s self-perception is aligned with the perceptions of others. This means that organizations need to use assessment instruments that allow participants to not only rate themselves, but also to ask others who know them well to provide feedback. The Emotional Competence Inventory allows participants to plot how they think they are doing against how others perceive them. The 360 degree element of the tool means data is collected from self, manager, peers, direct reports, and others. This data is then compared to a target group of successful leaders and managers who were used to research the emotional competency model. The result is that each participant is provided with a fully rounded picture of how he or she compares to the target group. Participants then have the opportunity to determine which of the competencies measured are the most relevant to their development at work. The ECI measures the following emotional competencies: Self-Awareness: Emotional Self-Awareness Accurate Self-Assessment Self-Confidence Self-Management: Emotional Self-Control Transparency Adaptability Achievement Initiative Optimism Social Awareness: Empathy Organizational Awareness Service Orientation Relationship Management: Developing Others Inspirational Leadership Change Catalyst Influence Conflict Management Teamwork & Collaboration Each participant is provided with a comprehensive feedback report: Once the surveys are completed, The Hay Group will analyze the results and produce a comprehensive feedback report. If a team or a group completes the surveys, then The Hay Group can also produce a team composite report that shows the averaged scores for the group (without showing names, of course). All feedback reports are kept confidential. The reports also include a section of verbatim comments. This is a free text section in the survey where respondents are asked to comment on the participant’s key strengths and areas for development. For many, this is the first real, confidential feedback they have received.
  • B. Introduction to Myers-Briggs Personality Type & the MBTI
    The MBTI or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ® assesses personality type based on the model of personality development created by Isabel Briggs Myers, the author of the world’s most widely used personality inventory. Myers and her mother, Katharine Briggs, developed their model and inventory around the ideas and theories of psychologist Carl Jung, a contemporary of Sigmund Freud and a leading exponent of Gestalt personality theory. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is: The best known and most trusted personality tool available today. Designed to improve individual and team performance. Designed to reduce workplace conflict by promoting understanding and appreciation of individual personality types. A tool that can be used to develop leadership at every level of an organization. A tool that can be used to facilitate change and transition in organizations. Fully compliant with all commonly accepted psychometric standards for reliability and validity. After more than 50 years, the MBTI instrument continues to be the most trusted and widely used assessment in the world for understanding individual differences and uncovering new ways to work and interact with others. More than 2 million assessments are administered to individuals annually –including employees of many Fortune 500 companies. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator measures personality based on the following four preference scales: Extraversion to Introversion – Your Energy Orientation Those who prefer Extraversion are drawn to the outside world as their elemental source of energy. Rarely, if ever, do extraverted preference people feel their energy batteries are “drained” by excessive amounts of interaction with the outside world. They must engage the things, people, places and activities going on in the outside world for their life force. Those who prefer Introversion draw their primary energy from the inner world of information, thoughts, ideas, and other reflections. When circumstances require an excessive amount of attention spent in the “outside” world, those preferring Introversion find the need to retreat to a more private setting as if to recharge their drained batteries. Sensing to Intuition – How You Take in Information Those who prefer Sensing Perception favor clear, tangible data and information that fits in well with their direct here-and-now experience. Those who prefer Intuition Perception are drawn to information that is more abstract, conceptual, big-picture, and represents imaginative possibilities for the future. Thinking to Feeling – How You Make Decisions Those who prefer Thinking Judgment have a natural preference for making decisions in an objective, logical, and analytical manner with an emphasis on tasks and results to be accomplished. Those whose preference is for Feeling Judgment make their decisions in a somewhat global, visceral, harmony and value-oriented way, paying particular attention to the impact of decisions and actions on other people. Judging to Perceiving – How You Manage Your Outer Life Those who prefer Judging rely upon either their thinking or feeling preference to manage their outer life. This typically leads to a style oriented toward closure, organization, planning, or in some fashion managing the things and or people found in the external environment. The drive is to order the outside world. While some people employ an assertive manner, others’ “ordering touch” – with respect to people – may be light. Those who prefer Perceiving rely upon either their sensing or intuition preference to run their outer life. This typically results in an open, adaptable, flexible style of relating to the things and people found in the outside world. The drive is to experience the outside world rather than order it; in general lack of closure is easily tolerated. Each participant is provided with a personality profile report: A detailed personality profile report will be provided to each participant. Reports will include written explanations of each of the 16 personality types, as well as a comprehensive write-up of the individual participant’s four-letter personality preference. The report will also include helpful tools, tips, and strategies for appreciating other personality profiles, and learning how to work effectively in a diverse personality culture. Activities include: Understanding your own personality type. Understanding the personality type of others. Personality talk – discovering effective ways to communicate with different personality types.
  • C. The DISC Personal Profile System
    The foundation of personal and professional success lies in understanding yourself, understanding others, and realizing the impact of personal behavior on others. For nearly 30 years, the DISC Personal Profile System has unlocked the door to productive communication and interpersonal relationships for over 50 million people through its DISC Dimensions of Behavior learning approach. DISC Dimensions of Behavior provides a nonjudgmental language for exploring behavioral issues. The DISC Personal Profile System is: A tool that helps people to improve interpersonal relationships across four primary dimensions of behavior: dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness. A multipurpose learning instrument that helps people assess to what degree they utilize each dimension of behavior in a situation. A behavioral map that helps people deal with conflict effectively by learning adaptive behaviors. A feedback tool that helps people to discover behavioral strengths, areas for augmenting, blending, and capitalizing. An instrument that helps people to value, appreciate and respect the strengths of others. Fully validated with research and statistical norming The DISC Personal Profile System is an excellent tool for conflict resolution, team building, and communication. It is designed to grow with organizations and adapt to their rapidly changing needs. It has been used by many Fortune 500 Companies, HR professionals, consultants, coaches, trainers, clergy, government agencies, sales firms and educational institutions. The DISC Personal Profile System measures four dimensions of behaviors: Dominance: Results-oriented, decisive, forceful, driven, determined, direct, take action. Influence: People-oriented, expressive, visionary, engaging, convincing, optimistic. Steadiness: Deliberate, stable, predictable, consistent, cooperative, submissive. Conscientiousness: Analytical, concerned, accurate, correct, quality conscious, detail oriented. The DISC Personal Profile System can be used to: Build productive teams. Minimize team conflict. Develop strategies to meet the diverse needs of others. Improve communication skills by determining communication styles. Increase people reading skills for effective understanding of the prospect, client, or customer. Manage conflict and stress in both interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships. Develop effective supervisors, managers and leaders. Improve diversity awareness and recognition. Effectively manage change. Enhance quality and avoid group think problems. Increase coaching effectiveness. Improve the bottom line: productivity. Each participant is provided with a DISC Profile booklet: Respondents receive a complete report specific to their results. The report includes topics like: “Value to the Organization,” “Possible Areas for Development” and “How to Motivate, Communicate with and Manage the Participant.” The interpretive booklet provides in-depth information about the measured behaviors, and easy-to-follow guidelines for applying and achieving practical results. The DISC Workshop Activities are designed to: Understand behavioral style and underlying motivators. Learn the differences in style and value that create harmony, conflict and productivity. Adapt your style to optimize working relationships, satisfaction and productivity. Learn how best to communicate with, influence and motivate others. Evaluate your team’s behavioral strengths and limitations. Develop a behavioral map that helps you to understand your whole team at a glance.
  • D. INSIGHT Inventory
    The INSIGHT Inventory is an easy-to-use, self-scoring personality profile test that helps people gain in-depth knowledge about their personality strengths, understand others better, and improve communication skills. The INSIGHT Inventory is: Easy to use, understand and apply Simple to administer and score Strengths-based, uses positive language Practical and behavioral based – presents behaviors at work and at home Descriptive rather than labeling – no boxes, codes or colors Effortless to integrate with other assessments – expands on what others may have learned using DISC, MBTI, and Big 5 Fully validated with research and statistical norming Unlike many other style instruments, the INSIGHT Inventory recognizes that people’s behavior may change from one place to another based on role expectations, stress, and job demands. So, to give participants a more accurate, well-rounded assessment of their behavioral styles, it provides two profiles – one of their work style (behavior at work) and another of their personal style (behavior at home). Participants will see – perhaps for the first time – how their behavior may change from one setting to another. This helps them learn how to “flex” their style to adapt to different situations and communicate with others in a way which solves problems and avoids conflict. The INSIGHT Inventory measures behavioral preferences on four traits: Getting Your Way (Indirect or Direct) How you express your thoughts and opinions. Responding to Others (Reserved or Outgoing) How you approach and respond to others. Pacing Activity (Urgent or Steady) The speed at which you make decisions and take action. Dealing with Details (Unstructured or Precise) How you structure time and organize tasks. Each participant is provided an interpretive booklet: The interpretive booklet provides in-depth information about the traits and easy-to-follow guidelines for applying and achieving practical results. By working through the step-by-step instructions in the booklet participants move smoothly through a process of checking items that apply to them, writing responses and answering questions about their profiles. This gets participants involved with the material immediately and allows them to personalize it so that it’s relevant to them and the training goals. Activities include: Identifying the positive characteristics of their personalities Understanding their reactions to stress Learning to flex (temporarily change) their behavior to communicate better with others HR Policy and Administration Drafting of The Employee Handbook Minnesota is an “employment-at-will” state; thus, private employers can essentially terminate employees at any time and for any reason (except for an illegal reason such as discrimination), and with no notice. As a general rule, only senior-level employees have individual contracts drafted to set forth the terms and conditions of their employment. For most employees, the employee handbook serves as the “contract” between the employer and the employee. For this reason, it is certainly advisable that all companies have employee handbooks, and that they are well-drafted. An employee handbook serves many crucial purposes: It makes consistent management and administration possible by informing all managers of company policies; It provides a clear written outline of policies and procedures which, if written properly, will defeat claims that conflicting statements or policies were comunicated orally; It communicates information necessary for the legal protection of the organization (such as the harassment policy, discrimination policy, and drug-testing policy); and It can act as a unifying force within the organization, and bolster a sense of community.

Top Five Reasons that Assessment Tools and Analyses are Useful:

1. You can’t manage what you can’t measure.

2. Understanding the people who make up your teams or working groups allows you to take proactive steps in managing them.

3. Understanding the distribution of personalities and communication styles allows you to bolster communication and collaboration between and among departments.

4. Assessment tools and analyses form the bases of customized action plans.

5. Customized action plans lead to results.

ENGAGING DIVERSE COMMUNITIES

We can help you with any of the following:

1. Understanding Local Minority Communities – We can help you develop the understanding necessary to properly evaluate market opportunities.

2. Engaging Minority Communities – We can help you determine the best ways to commence a "conversation" with particular minority communities.

 

3. Selling to Minority Communities – We can help you understand what your value proposition will need to be in order to sell to minority communities.

 

4. Organizational Marketing and Messaging to Minority Communities – We can help you develop organizational marketing materials and messaging that are enlightened and don't inadvertently offend the sensibilities of minority communities.

 

5. Crisis Communications Regarding Diversity Matters - We can help you determine the best ways to respond (internally and externally) to crisis situations.

Three Good Reasons to Let Us Help You Engage Minority Communities:

1. Minority communities represent a colossal market opportunity as they now have $3.9 trillion of buying power.  In the case of African Americans, they make up just 14% of the population, but they are currently responsible for some $1.2 trillion in purchases annually.

2. Some studies have suggested that minority communities, especially African Americans, are more brand loyal than white consumers.  It is, therefore, less expensive to maintain them as customers over time.

3. Having good relations with minority communities is very good for your corporate image--especially as more and more consumers consider issues of corporate values and citizenship when choosing brands.

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

“We hired Stephen to help us navigate some complex organizational growing pains and structural changes.  As a consultant, he provided excellent insights and guidance that were sensible, strategic, and actionable.  He also skillfully facilitated three all-staff meetings to help us forge consensus around some very important issues.  Stephen brought tremendous value to the process, and we would both hire him again and recommend him to others.  I should also say that he is a joy to work with!”

Amy Elverum

Co-Director, Upper Mississippi Academy

Saint Paul, Minnesota

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