Putting More Productive People In Demanding Roles

1. THE MCQUAIG REPORT
VOLUME 2
PUTTING MORE PRODUCTIVE PEOPLE
IN DEMANDING ROLES
HOW MUCH DOES A It was Coleman Mockler, the former Gillette CEO, who stated that every minute
HIGH PERFORMER
devoted to putting the right person in the right job is worth weeks of time later. This
is especially true in demanding roles - roles that have a significant bottom-line impact
GENERATE ANNUALLY
and have considerable, measurable fluctuations in productivity.
THAN AN AVERAGE
PERFORMER? AIRLINE PILOTS VS. SALES PEOPLE
So while no one disagrees that an airline pilot is a key role, would it fit our definition of
Operations Roles: 40%
a demanding role? How substantial are fluctuations in performance? It is rare that you would
General Management Roles: 49% elect to fly or not to fly with an airline based on the way that the pilot handles the plane.
Sales Roles: 67%
If you take a typical sales role on the other hand, there are dramatic differences in
Source: McKinsey’s War for Talent
performance. The top performers outperform the average by a significant margin (see
2000 Survey of 410 corporate officers
sidebar) and can make or break the company’s bottom-line. A superstar salesperson
can have a much greater impact on the company’s bottom-line than a superstar pilot.
THE COST OF MAKING A Behavioural assessments are commonly used in the hiring process for demanding roles,
POOR HIRE AS ESTIMATED roles like sales or leadership, where there is pressure on the individual to influence
SOCIETY FOR
BY THE
others to achieve a goal. Companies are hoping to spot superstars. In roles like pilots
or engineers, more cognitive or technical screening is required to ensure that people
HUMAN RESOURCES have the capacity to handle the complexity of the job.
MANAGEMENT:
Intermediate Roles $20,000
MEASURING PRODUCTIVITY IN KEY ROLES
Productivity in demanding roles can be more easily measured than others. Key metrics
Senior Management: $100,000 like sales revenue, profits and turnover rates are being tracked more than ever. These
Sales Roles: $300,000 key metrics are now being measured and compared to data captured on the an employee’s
behavioural assessment, leading to significant contributions to the bottom line.
Through years of research, The McQuaig Institute has found that success in demanding
roles can be predicted by measuring an individual’s core temperament, such as
competitiveness, drive, self-direction and a desire to be in control of one’s destiny.
While confirming that these qualities exist does not guarantee a superstar the
likelihood of someone’s becoming a superstar in a demanding role without the right
temperament is very unlikely. Assessments help screen out people who are not natural
sales people or leaders. And when the natural temperament does exist, assessments can
The McQuaig Institute® help interviewers better understand the extent to which candidates are applying these
talents productively.
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Toll Free: 1 800 387-5455 If you would like to receive a copy of the article on how to find the ‘sales natural’,
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