Risk & Business Magazine CEO/CFO Business Today Magazine | Page 26

BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL WORKFORCE BUILDING A E SUCCESSFUL WORKFORCE? DON’T LEAVE OUT THE THIRD PIECE! rin was viewed as an excellent hire, with a degree from a well- respected school, experience in her field, a strong work ethic, and great references. However, after a few months on the job, it’s clear that Erin is struggling in her position. John formed a team of employees who are subject experts to work on a special project. Despite the fact the team members are all well-qualified and work well together, they blow through deadlines and can’t seem to finish the assignment. In selecting employees, Erin’s and John’s employers used personality tests to measure their interpersonal profiles and cognitive benchmarks to evaluate their skills and capacity for learning. But personality is situational and can change over time, and intellectual ability is not necessarily a predictor for success. WHAT WAS MISSING? THE THIRD PART OF THE MIND! Ancient philosophers and modern psychologists have recognized three parts of the mind—feeling, thinking, and doing. Whereas personality and cognitive ability are important to measure when evaluating potential hires and creating teams, they consider only two-thirds of the equation. Equally important is determining what someone will or won’t do—the conative 26