Martin Adams
Co-Founder & Managing Director |
Uncertain. Ambiguous. Transformational.
These were the words business and HR leaders used to describe their expectations for 2020 at the most recent Propel Breakfast Club event. None of us could have imagined how prophetic those words would be, just a matter of weeks later. In the time since, we have been thrown headfirst into a different world and almost overnight we have been forced to adapt. Presented with unimaginable economic uncertainty and deep concerns for employee and customer wellbeing, most businesses are forced to revisit strategic priorities, suspend or discard financial forecasts and, for some of the worst-hit industries, reset and reinvent to ensure business continuity. Focus on employee well-being, adaptive leadership, agile working and mindsets of frugal innovation have emerged, accompanied by a strong sense of purpose to minimise disruption on critical HR, L&D and Talent Management practices. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention. The current situation has hastened the adoption of online alternatives to traditionally in-person talent practices. Over the last month, we’re delighted to have helped many of our global clients maintain continuity in their:
Many of the choices we took for granted have been taken away, yet we can still choose to focus on the wellbeing of our people, our customers and ourselves, we can still choose to make informed and objectives decisions, and we can still choose to grow from this experience. The Future of Work is here and it is important to take a moment to reflect, appreciate and recognise that we were more prepared for it than we may have guessed. |
Propel Article
Transforming In-Person to Virtual Assessment & Development Centres
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More than ever before, we’ve been partnering with our clients to help prepare for ‘future work readiness’ which has arguably arrived sooner than expected. With technology’s ever-increasing integration into our work-life, organisations are seeing the importance of evaluating and developing the digital fluency of their current and future leaders. Evaluating their ability to leverage technology and seek opportunities to optimise their organisation is no longer just a desirable success criterion but rather a mandatory one.
Similarly, we have noted an increased receptivity from many clients to explore virtual Assessment and Development Centre (AC/DC) options. This makes sense; the way we work has changed and is continuing to change, so assessments need to reflect, mirror and simulate this new reality as much as possible. For example, it is now part of the job spec and essential skill sets of a senior leader to be able to connect and engage with people virtually, exhibiting their agility in adopting new technology. Managers and leaders are faced with a new task of inspiring engagement, enhancing resilience and providing emotional support with team members who are geographically dispersed and physically distant. Custom Virtual ACDCs – Our Approach When setting up, designing or running world class Virtual AC/DCs there are three design principles that should be taken into account: 1. People The People aspect always lies at the heart of our solutions. We know for example that participants’ receptiveness to technology is contingent on a) ease of use, b) perceived usefulness, and c) desired outcomes. In addition, it is paramount that the what, why and how of projects are clearly, transparently and continuously communicated, to ensure participants are briefed, comfortable and engaged with the process. |
2. Process
All Virtual AC/DCs need to be crafted in a way to ensure realism, fairness and objectivity, exactly like conventional AC/DCs. Further, the design needs to allow for scalability, efficiency and consistency, yet ensuring the necessary document control and confidentiality measures are in place. The efficiency and speedy nature of the virtual AC/DCs enhance the individuals’ experience. An added benefit of virtual AC/DCs is supporting the organisation’s corporate sustainability initiatives through the reduction of carbon footprint, by going paperless and reducing travel requirements. 3. Technology In a way, technology is like the weather. The best type is when you don’t have to think about it and one can simply enjoy it without having to adjust to it. We design our off-the-shelf and custom Virtual AC/DC solutions with the aim to provide not only participants but also assessors and administrators with an intuitive and simple user-experience where technology supports the overall objective, to measure potential and target capability, character and commitment of assessed participants. Our Virtual AC/DCs are powered by the Propel Talent Portal, which offers the world’s largest selection of online, virtual and remote assessments. We recognise that for many of our clients, running virtual AC/DCs will be a first, and we keep this in mind when setting up and run projects in partnership. Contact us to learn more about our Virtual AC/DCs and experience a demo.
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Propel Webinar
Our recent webinar on Senior recruitment focused on two aspects that are more important than ever in the current new world of the work environment. The first one is around how important it is to have data to make effective decisions and the second one is about the right kind of people data to have when wanting to hire the best, based on the latest research.
Without wanting to repeat the webinar content, which is available for you here, a couple of similar questions at the end of the webinar from our listeners caught my attention. People wanted to know how to engage experienced senior professionals in ‘lengthy’ assessment processes. |
I’d start by saying that the current thinking is that people erroneously believe that experience is the most important factor in hiring, when research shows that it is not the case. Secondly, like it or not, us humans are hugely biased, so data helps to give our decisions a lens of objectivity. Lastly, you can advertise the assessment process to your advantage as something you are using to create a fair and equal process amongst candidates. Unfortunately, candidates at this level haven’t often been asked to be tested, and so pushback can be expected by candidates.
If people are truly confident in their skills and abilities, both now and for future roles and challenges, they should want to invest the time demonstrating their capability and commitment. After all, they are not applying for their previous or current role, they are applying for a new role, in a new context, with new challenges and they ought to prove they have what it takes to be successful. The most successful senior recruitment processes I’ve run always had similar characteristics in that they were holistic and looked to gather data about candidates to make a truly informed decision. You can watch the entire webinar here: https://www.hrgrapevine.com/events/ondemand/2020-03-24-how-risky-is-your-senior-recruitment-process-why-we-should-always-take-a-data-driven-approach
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Propel Events
Propel Social Club & Breakfast Club
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Jiten Puri leads the Human Capital function at Arab Media group, the media and entertainment arm of Dubai Holding Company. With 22 years’ experience across different industries and well-known companies such as RBS, Aujan and Damac, Jiten is an experienced HR expert across the entire talent management lifecycle.
Propel had the pleasure of welcoming Jiten as a guest speaker for our last Breakfast Club event which focused on the importance of AQ and preparing for the disruptive future in HR. Below you can read his reflections: I feel truly blessed to have gathered some fantastic experiences over my life – both at a personal as well as on a professional level. It is fortunate to be a part of a community such as created by Propel through the breakfast events, where we get to hear as well as share a lot of insights and learnings from these experiences. "Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first and the lesson afterwards." |
I regard myself as a lifelong student and try always to consider how I can improve and learn from the past, following the credo ‘If I knew then what I know now’. From my observations, leaders who succeed have some of the following characteristics and abilities:
• Understanding people and being able to empathise with them while also being skilled at bringing their own values to life. Value-driven and empathetic leaders inspire true followership. • Understanding the power of diversity and knowing how to best use the different strengths and skillset of people within teams. • Understanding that communication is complex and that it must be tailored to the right audience. So before launching any initiative, we must have a good grasp of our organisation’s talent landscape and put in motion a plan to get the support of the GREENS (HiPos) so that they can help mobilise the AMBERS and influence the REDs.
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Propel Partner
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We started our Adaptability journey at AQai nearly four years ago, back then, we knew change was accelerating; the pace of exponential growth in technology, huge shifts in Government and the business landscape, the shape and scope of careers shifting. We knew that what got us here was not going to get us to where we needed to go.
Not many would have predicted where we are today, never before have we been so disrupted from our “normal” lives and our work, universally, and never before have we needed to adapt so much faster to a new “normal”, universally. We are all in new situations, we are all, every one of us, needing to adapt and transform, to our work and home lives. Business models are changing, fast, companies are re-modelling their workforces, we are going to see huge programs of digital and reskilling transformations. We need to accelerate our adaptive leadership, and our mindsets of adaptability and hope. Our mission is to unlock the secrets of adaptability, leaving no one behind in the fastest period of change in history, never before, and perhaps never again, will this be more relevant. We hope the years of extensive research and development of our AQ Assessment, now being used by some of the world’s top Organizations, can shift them, their leaders, and every employee into an abundant future, and help them navigate this unexpected tsunami of change. |
Alongside valued partners such as Propel, we can reach more people and companies in this time of change, as never before have we all faced the same challenge, Universally. Together, we can co-elevate, and go further on our missions to unite and accelerate the best of humanity. Our AQ Assessment, powered by AI, with instant results in a dynamic dashboard, is now being made available complimentary to individuals and small teams (in English Language) for a limited time, now, when we need it most.
Visit www.aqai.io for more information and access.
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Meet a Propeller
Cedric Giblasio
Managing Director |
What do you believe is the biggest challenge in talent management today?At Propel, people are at the centre of everything we do. Our goal is to help our clients make better decisions in terms of Talent Acquisition and Talent Development. Hence, we combine a world-class Consultancy Team and state-of-the-art technology, the Propel Talent Portal, which offers the largest selection of assessment tools worldwide.
Given the current situation, wherein most people all over the world are under lockdown, the biggest challenge is to continue providing companies and individuals access to our wide range of services, as people need to constantly develop themselves. This is even more true in these difficult times, where people are facing difficult personal and professional situations. What pioneering projects are you working on currently?In order to respond to this challenge, we are currently strengthening our technology offerings and will very soon release an enhanced version of Propel Talent Portal with added functionalities, such as Virtual Assessment and Development Centres (providing the same high level of service and quality as our face-to-face) and Coaching On-Demand (providing the possibility of booking sessions with a wide range of coaches directly from our website). This will allow professionals and individuals to benefit and access our services remotely, from the comfort of their homes. We will also enable a direct access from our website to a number of online psychometrics tools and reports, from various vendors, and will assist companies in dealing with the current global situation by offering innovative outplacement and restructuring solutions.
Why are you passionate about Propel?I've been in Talent Management since 2003 and coming from an IT background, I have been working on technology-based projects in different parts of the world (Paris, Istanbul, London and Dubai). Nine years ago, I joined Propel to create the Talent Portal. It's been a long way but what I’m most proud of is our company culture. All of our employees have a good spirit, and this is a critical aspect when we recruit. We really value our people, all coming from various backgrounds, with no less than 16 different nationalities and more than 70% women!
In this spirit, Propel International is now a Signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, a program from the United Nations that defines 10 principles for a better business approach in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. |
coming soon...
Given the highly complex, uncertain and dynamic environment facing all businesses nowadays, it is more important than ever to prepare any organisation to tackle business challenges and difficult periods with an innovative mindset. That is exactly what we are continuously trying to do at Propel.
During the last couple of weeks, we tried to look at the current situation as a catalyst for positive transformation and change in the long-term. We asked ourselves how we can add true value and help the talent management industry as much as possible in a new world of work.
So far this path has led us to four new services that we would like to bring to life in the not so distant future:
During the last couple of weeks, we tried to look at the current situation as a catalyst for positive transformation and change in the long-term. We asked ourselves how we can add true value and help the talent management industry as much as possible in a new world of work.
So far this path has led us to four new services that we would like to bring to life in the not so distant future:
Coaching On-Demand.
We want to help individuals take control of their own development by allowing them to choose a personal coach and book sessions through our website. Any time. Any place. Any topic. |
Virtual AC+.
Given our expertise in running both virtual and in-person ACs, and also in transforming one to the other, our aim will be to find ways to share our knowledge and expertise as broadly and as easily as possible and create more off-the-shelf and packaged solutions for our clients. |
Psychometrics On-Demand. While our valued clients have access to the world’s largest selection of online assessments through our Talent Portal, we would like to make this as broadly accessible as possible by allowing interested and certified parties to purchase these on-demand, directly from our website.
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Career Advisory & Transition Services.
We want to play a larger part in helping our clients with career advisory and transition services. To that end, we are looking at providing retrenched employees with an objective diagnos tic of their key strengths and development needs and assisting individuals to find new fitting career opportunities more promptly. |
Propel Survey
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We would love to gain your view on what is important to you when selecting and engaging with a personal coach. For this purpose, please click on the picture above and answer 6 questions in a mini-survey that will help us shape our coaching service for you.
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