Tools for your toolbox
Products are tools that I have developed or acquired that I use to add value to my clients, or coaches and consultants that I work with. Some of these products are:
- VIEW Assessments
- The book Think like a leader by Doug Johnson
- The book LEMON Leadership by Brett Johnson
I have other tools that analyse teams, individuals and small businesses.
The VIEW Assessment
Style or Type? Strategic or Instinctive?
Why the VIEW assessment?
If a leader does not understand who they are then they will struggle to lead effectively. It is like tackling a job with tools missing from the toolbox. Before they can learn what to do and how to do it, they need to know who they are.
What makes an effective leader is their ability to think strategically.
If a leader does not understand what it means to think strategically, and does not think strategically, then their behaviour will be governed by other factors. These factors might be natural and valid, but they will impede their ability to lead. The VIEW assessment looks at these factors, which are:
- Values – The key drivers of their behaviour.
- If they are an Introvert or extrovert, and what that means.
- Their Emotional intelligence.
- How they are Wired.
- We also look at Their learned behaviour.
Each one of these five factors are analysed in the VIEW assessment, and have a significant impact on the following:
- Our relationships.
- How we communicate.
- How we behave under pressure, and the things that put us under pressure.
- What creates conflict for us, and how we handle conflict.
- How we learn, and how we should study.
- How we approach our job, our choice of career, and the type of work we are suited for.
- How we respond to change and manage change.
- How we would fit into a team, or group, or culture.
- How we manage our time.
- How we deal with stress.
- Our decision-making process, and the decisions that we make.
- Our ability to lead, how we lead, and our choice of leadership style.
Who is the VIEW Assessment for?
Because of the complexity of the assessment, it is not designed to be given to the person completing it. It is designed to be used by me because I understand all the data. I do make it available to coaches and consultants who specialise in different areas from me, but who could use the expertise that I provide.
It is always accompanied by a feedback session from myself.
Applications
Here are some of the ways I use the VIEW assessment:
1. Recruiting
The VIEW assessment is used to assess –
- How suitable they are for the job.
- How they would approach the job.
My motto: Anyone can do anything for 3 months
Anyone can doing anything for a short while, but we need to know if can they do the job consistently and competently. The VIEW assessment gives me a picture of how much energy it will require to do the different aspects of the job. If, because of the factors outlined in the assessment, too much energy is required, then the job becomes unsustainable.
2. Leading
You cannot lead effectively if you do not know who you are. You cannot lead others if you don’t understand them. The VIEW assessment is the foundation of the performance coaching that equips the leader to function effectively.
3. Entrepreneur start-ups
The brutal fact is that 95% of all businesses fail. Everyone thinks that they will beat the odds and succeed but the probability is extremely low. If the leader/owner of the business start-up does not understand themselves and what that means to their business, and how it will impact the growth of the business, they significantly increase the probability of failure. Helping the Entrepreneur understand themselves and the team they have around them, and who to add to the team, is vital for success.
4. Building a Team
We tend to build teams with people who are like us. That is fine when it comes to values, but not when it comes to wiring. The VIEW assessments helps look at the scope of work and who would be best suited to complete it.
5. Talent retention
All organisations, businesses, and teams have a life cycle. What is not as well understood is the employee life cycle. The information from the VIEW assessment will help you guide your employees through their own life cycle.
6. Correlating life cycles
A highly functional person in a team of 30 can become dysfunctional in a team of 50. As the business or team grows or matures, a person who was a good fit a year ago might not be the right fit for now. The VIEW Assessment helps correlate the business life cycle with the employee life cycle.
7. Performance Coaching
The VIEW Assessment provides insight into the person being coached. The focus of the coaching is –
- Learning to lead effectively.
- Managing values.
- Managing who you are, or how you are wired.
- Growing your emotional intelligence.
- Choosing and using the right Leadership Style.
8. Promoting
It is tempting to promote someone who is a good performer and is good at what they do. This is often a mistake. The VIEW Assessment information gives us an indication of how they would function if promoted, and how to develop them as leaders.
9. Conflict resolution
If there is conflict between a group of people or 2 people, an analysis of the people involved can help them understand, manage and resolve the conflict. Module 3 of the Training is focused on relationships and understanding, managing and resolving conflict.
10. Couples Counselling
I have used the VIEW Assessment with many couples to help them understand themselves and their significant other.
11. Career choice
Choosing the right study path is not a simple task. Having the information gleaned from the VIEW assessment can be very helpful in choosing your career.
Coaching
The VIEW Assessment is a tool that is used by me to coach, so the assessment is always used in conjunction with coaching.
The book: Think like a leader
Author: Doug Johnson
When you become a leader, whether you are ready for it or equipped for it, you have the position and the title. You are in a position of leadership and influence. You now have to function as a leader, so you will need to change the way you think. The skills you need to learn in order to lead your team are very different from the technical skills to do your job.
This book examines the change in thinking that needs to take place in order to lead effectively.
Leaders have to think differently.
Leadership is a role or a function. The moment you step into the role of being a leader you have to embrace the fact that the way you think, how you approach things, and how you make decisions, has changed.
The book is called “Think like a leader” because from the moment you step into the position of a leader you have to begin to think differently. You do not have an option!
The book: LEMON Leadership
Author: Brett Johnson
LEMON Leadership will help you to identify which type of leader you are and show you how to apply your specific characteristics within your organisation. Understanding these leadership types uncover keys to dealing with yourself and others in situations calling for different types of leaders.