Helping People Become More Effective

If your people don’t continually improve, sooner or later others (perhaps your competitors!) will pass them by. However, most people (and their leaders) lack a clear idea of exactly what needs improvement and how to proceed.

Our PDA Process:

• pinpoints skill, attitude, personality and (if appropriate) leadership strengths and limitations;
• gives employees developmental action plans to help them “be all they can be”; and
• empowers Company management to “know what to do” to help them become more effective.
• Also, PDAs can be used to help turn around problem employees-otherwise valuable contributors who have a potentially “fatal flaw”.

There are three steps to the PDA process:

Step 1. Information-Gathering

This step occurs at Stark & Associates’ offices, in Blue Ash. During a 3-5 hour session, the target person’s skills and abilities, personality and leadership characteristics, work-related values, educational and work experiences, and professional interests, are assessed and discussed. The findings are documented in a written report, which highlights the areas mentioned above. (The report typically becomes part of a special executive team file, but may be shared with other employees on a need-to-know basis.)

Step 2. One-on-One Feedback

This session also occurs at Stark & Associates’ offices. During a 3-hour session, Dr. Stark provides the target person with the exact same report that the executive team gets, reviews each test and inventory the target person took, and explains the findings-and the implications of the findings-for the individual. Throughout this session, any questions or concerns the target person has can be addressed confidentially, one-on-one.

Step 3. Professional Development Planning

Next, the target person, Dr. Stark, and pertinent company associates (for example, a representative of the executive team, a representative from Human Resources, and/or the target person’s immediate supervisor), will meet at the company for the Professional Development Planning (PDP) Session. The PDP session is designed to maximize the target person’s chances of realizing his/her full potential. Specifically, those in attendance will provide direction, guidance, and insight from three developmental perspectives:

1. Personal Effectiveness. What books should the target person read, and/or what workshops, seminars, or training sessions should the target person attend, to increase the target person’s personal effectiveness at work?
2. Educational. What college or university courses, majors, and/or degrees might the target person pursue to increase his/her chances of getting to where he/she needs or wants to be?
3. Experiential Learning. What special projects or assignments can the target person’s supervisor offer, to give the target person more of the kinds of knowledge, skills, abilities, and/or experiences that he/she is looking for?

Result

At the end of the PDP session, both the target person and the company have a “roadmap for success” for the target person’s ongoing professional growth and development.