As part of Staffing Power, I advise my clients to make sure that Personality Profiling be a part of the hiring process.
To be clear, I don’t like the term “Personality Profiling” because it feels, to me, manipulative. Profiling is just a very bad word unto itself. That’s why I prefer the term Motivational Mapping.
Motivational Mapping is seeking to know how the new hire interacts in the world or at least how they view things. That promotes better communication because if you know the words they want to hear they’re more likely to be more motivated.
This switch of terms to Motivational Mapping isn’t meant to be a game of semantics. It’s more about recognizing that the term fits better because it’s about the things that motivate us. That’s different because we’re all wired differently. All of which I think is a really a good thing as we don’t want to live in a world of clones.
That said, we all have tendencies. And recognizing those tendencies early on will help set up the potential new hires to better succeed at your company. It can also reveal if a new hire is a good fit for your company. That’s why you want to pay attention to what the Motivational Mapping is revealing.
Know that I’m a partner in Zoom Franchise Company, and we teach our franchisees to use the Motivational Mapping program called Flag Pages®. It’s online and easy to use and understand. And also know that I use this with my The 7-Power Contractor consulting clients. The reason I do so is because it not only shows how the potential hire sees the world… it also spots their tendencies, and it shares the words the new hire likes to hear. And knowing that helps you, the owner or manager, to better motivate them when they hear those words spoken to them by you.
Again, it’s not meant to manipulate so much as to better align the applicant to the box they’ll be occupying on the Org Chart at the company.
Something I really like about this particular program is it identifies a tendency called Task Talent. When they have a lot of Task Talent, they’re likely to be able to focus and get things to done which is critical in jobs like being a Technician or a Bookkeeper.
It also identifies a tendency called People Skills. And if you’re seeking to hire a Customer Service Rep or anyone who is in front of the customer, whether it be in person or over the phone, it’s good to know they have people skills.
Know that there are a load of really good Motivational Motivating programs out there. Most owners and managers have their favorite because it’s akin to having a favorite make and model car. If that car has earned your loyalty because it works the way you want it to, and you have a good understanding of how it “ticks,” you’ll be wise to stick with it moving forward.
The trick is to really understand whatever program you’re using so you can better spot trends and begin to build a better understanding about what tendencies and traits set new hires up for success in whatever job they’re being hired for.
The key thing is to understand about all these programs is they’re looking to spot tendencies vs. identifying absolute truths.
The example I like to share is about my best friend and industry giant, Ellen Rohr, who is also one of my partners in Zoom Franchise Company as well as a co-consultant for many of my The 7-Power Contractor clients.
Ellen and I come at things from a very different perspective, in part, because we have very different personalities. But we always have the deepest respect for what each of us does so well.
We both agree that Motivational Mapping is not just a good idea but should be viewed as a must-do. And whenever either of us recommend something, we always seek to test drive it first before we ever think to try it out first on our franchisees or our consulting clients. So, years ago we each did our own Flag Page®.
It showed us both a lot, and we share these with clients and franchisees as examples of how we tick and as an example of how to use it to good effect. Also, we use this opportunity to help franchisees and clients understand that what these results show are tendencies vs. absolute truths.
Here are two good examples of Motivational Mapping in action with Al and Ellen:
Example #1:
Ellen knows that I like taking control of things and getting things done. So, she’ll call me up and say something like, “This project is tough. I wish we could get a better handle on this and get it under control, but it’s not really my strength.”
And I’ll immediately reply, “Why don’t you let me tackle that. I’m sure I can get it handled.”
Here’s the thing… I know that Ellen loves building community and playing a game at work, so I’ll call Ellen up and say something like, “I have this program that I want to rollout, but it’s going to come across as complex and boring even though I know it will benefit everyone. If only there was a fun way to introduce it, or maybe even better, create a game or contest to get people to want to engage.”
Ellen will immediately reply, “Hey, that’s easy-peasy lemon-squeezy. I bet I can create a game or contest to build excitement for this. Why don’t you let me give it a whirl?”
We know what each of us is doing, and we don’t mind it at all. We know it’s really what we do best in the world, and it’s what we enjoy doing. The thing not to miss is that it’s a great way to interact if it’s not done to be manipulative.
Example #2:
As to absolute truths, my Motivational Map indicates that I’m not much for wanting to be in the spotlight or to be on stage as the center of attention. But what my profile is missing is that I’m so motivated by the end result that I’ll do pretty much anything to get those results. So, for me, I’ll seek the spotlight and even the stage if it’s of mutual benefit to contractors and me. Not to brag, but I’m pretty good when it comes to speaking engagements and podcasts, to name just a few things you’d never figure if you ONLY took my tendencies as an absolute truth.
Be smart and put this powerful tool to work. Then, use this tool the right way so everyone benefits.