Topgrading

Another title of this article could be:  How to Say No to a Boss Who Has Very Outrageous Expectations

Of the 6,500 executives I’ve interviewed, asking 16 basic questions about every full-time job, fully one-third have failed in a job because they couldn’t say no to a demanding boss.

Meet Hal, candidate for Division General Manager, 10 years ago.  I interviewed him, labeled him an A player with CEO potentials, and he was hired.  Three months later the CEO said Hal was doing a great job turning the division around, scrapping low-profit products, consolidating plants, and Topgrading.  Great – Hal is proving to be an A player!

A year later I had a scheduled follow-up coaching session to help him tweak his Individual Development Plan, to keep him on track to become CEO of this or another billion dollar company.  “Cancel your coaching session with Hal,” the CEO said, “because he’s failed; I gave him some additional responsibilities to keep him challenged and growing, but I’ll probably have to let him go!”

“Impossible,” I said, “I’ll keep the coaching session and find out what’s gone wrong, but there’s no way Hal can be failing unless there is some personal crisis or something.”

Long story short – the CEO had tripled Hal’s job, essentially giving him three divisions to run; Hal was working 15 hours per day and failing.  I suggested that the CEO narrow Hal’s job to the original Division GM job; he did, Hal succeeded, and today Hal is successfully running a $2.5 billion company, as CEO.

Bottom line, Hal’s CEO was outrageous in expecting Hal to do three jobs, but Hal was a chicken, fearful of saying no to the CEO.  Both are responsible for Hal’s failure.

“JUST SAY NO”

Picture yourself in the room with, say, Jack Welch, who says to you, “Pete, we have a problem.  We need to send Joe to China for six months and unfortunately he has no back-up.  It’s a lot to ask, but would you be a good soldier, a team player, and do your best to hold his fort together for a few months?”

Gulp – how the heck can you say no?  “Sorry, Jack, but there is no friggin way you’ll be satisfied with my just holding Joe’s fort together – you’ll expect those three product launches to be successful.  And I have a crisis that is already taking me 12 hours per day to address.  If I say no this means I’m not a good soldier, not a team player, not an A player, so of course I have to suck it up and say yes.”  That might be the truth, but of course you can’t utter those words!

Thousands of executives, mostly A players, have described the agony of taking on more than they could do, struggling, and then failing.  The blip in their resume is usually significant, resulting in the next job being smaller.  After all, it doesn’t sound A player-like to admit one could not “take on some additional responsibilities.”

HERE’S HOW TO SAY NO

Let’s put you back in the office with Jack Welch, and you instantly KNOW that you’ll either kill yourself or fail if you say yes to him.  The challenge is to refuse the overwhelming responsibilities while retaining the respect of the demanding boss.

The thousands of executives who have successfully said no followed this 1-2-3 step process:

1.  Be positive. “Jack, I’m honored that you have the confidence in me, and no doubt I’d learn a lot.”

2.  Ask for a couple days to analyze the situation.  “But, I’ve just reorganized and have complex plans for my job, and I don’t know how complex Joe’s job is.  How about my taking just two days to analyze both situations, to be sure I can develop a plan to succeed.  The last thing you or I want is for me, a pole vaulter, to promise I can learn the high hurdles enough to medal and then fail.  I’ll get back to you Wednesday with a decision and a plan, for your approval.  Okay?”

Would Jack want a decision without a brief but thorough analysis?  How can Jack discourage a plan to succeed? That metaphor – sports – makes it common sense to try to figure out if someone can do another sport, and do it well enough to medal (succeed).  Note that you stayed positive, not using words like “possible failure,” and your attitude was that of a team player.

3.  Show confidence. “Jack. I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that with my reorg and new strategy, I believe I will turn the division around and the shareholders will benefit.  But if I take on Joe’s division, I’ll fail at both.  After looking at Joe’s division, I have a suggestion:  put Sam, head of marketing, in an Acting GM role because Sam knows a lot about product launches and that’s got to be the focus this year.  I’d be happy to help Sam with the financial analysis and Topgrading parts of the job he lacks experience in.”

You’re confident because you did the analysis of both jobs, you looked Jack in the eye and said without embarrassment that you’d fail if you took on Joe’s job, and you offered a positive solution.

ANOTHER WAY TO SAY NO

Looking through my extensive files, I was reminded of an alternative way managers have said no without sounding weak, wimpy.  Those managers create a spreadsheet to show their responsibilities and the amount of time they spend in each, monthly, and their “no” sounds like this:  “Jack, I have four major projects that are taking 60 hours per week, not just for me but for my team.  If I take on this additional project, my team will fail, so let’s prioritize and see which are the most important projects to keep.”

NO GUARANTEES

Obviously the above solutions fail to address the possibility that the boss is truly outrageous in making demands.  But if that is your situation, blame yourself for taking a job reporting to someone impossible to please.

All of the executives who experienced such a career failure swore they would a) perform due diligence on bosses in the future, by asking others what they like and dislike about the boss, and b) not accept a job offer reporting to someone with a pattern of having unrealistic expectations.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Wow, do we have a recommended resource for you today! It truly is the best product ever to teach the Topgrading methods that are the world’s best practices not just for hiring, but for auditing your talent and promoting with terrific success. It’s 7 1/2 hours of high definition DVDs with all the latest Topgrading methods explained by me, with great graphics. But also there is a real life case study so you learn the job scorecard for a real job, study the career history form of a real candidate named Erik, see me and Erik in split screen as I conduct a telephone screening interview with him, observe a tandem Topgrading Interview with him, watch and listen to a real reference call with Erik’s boss, and watch me coach him in a real life setting.

So, whether you are an individual manager wanting to master Topgrading, or you have a team needing thorough training, or you are interested in train-the-trainer, this is the total, total package with the DVDs, Topgrading Workbook, other books and guides, a 3-month license, on-line resources, and quarterly conference calls with Topgraders and me.

Click here to see the basic material, but you’ll want to click on where it says to learn more.

Does Topgrading “translate” well into other cultures?  You bet!  During the past 6 months I’ve spent most of my professional time working with global rollouts of companies such as Barclays, DTZ (global commercial real estate management), Argo (insurance), and several other companies in Russia, Europe, South America, and Asia.  Following are key conclusions, insights, and advice:

1.  USE TOPGRADING METHODS NOT JUST FOR HIRING BUT FOR PROMOTING PEOPLE AND FOR AUDITING YOUR PEOPLE TO SEE WHO REALLY ARE THE A, B, AND C PLAYERS.

Companies usually begin using Topgrading methods to hire the best people, but soon realize that those same methods, with a simple tweak, can dramatically improve their success promoting people.

A survey of Global 100 heads of HR showed only 25% of the people they promote into management turn out to be high performers, except for the Topgraders in the room who reported 75%+ success.  My first project with GE was improving their promoting methods and GE soon achieved 90%+ promoting success.

How?  Simple – trained Topgrading interviewers do the same chronological interview they use for hiring, but instead of conducting external reference checks they interview internal people – bosses, peers, and subordinates.

Global companies struggle to understand who are their A, B, and C players in other locations.  A terrific use of Topgrading methods is to parachute in trained Topgrading interviewers who conduct the interview and just as in promoting, interview internal bosses, peers, and subordinates.

Bottom line:  use all 3 applications of Topgrading globally – hiring, promoting, and auditing talent.

2.  ROLLING OUT TOPGRADING IS NO MORE DIFFICULT THAN ANY OTHER GLOBAL CHANGE.

The good news is that global companies find it quite easy to make tweaks to accommodate Topgrading other cultures.

Recently I was in Shanghai, training managers from several parts of China, Singapore, Australia, and Europe, and did not even need a translator.  English truly is the global language of business.

If translations are necessary, the key ones are PowerPoint (slides for workshops), the Topgrading Workbook (with all 12 Topgrading hiring steps plus the latest Topgrading forms and guides), and the 50-page eBook, Avoid Costly Mis-Hires. (My permission for translations and edits is required, but I almost always give it.)

Cautions: Do a double translation – into the language, and from the language back into English.  There will be some weird translations, but this step surfaces them.  For example, there is no Russian word for the most important of 50 management competencies – resourcefulness – so we had to create a paragraph translation, and that took some, uh, resourcefulness.

Also, when using a translator in workshops, slow down 30% and simplify content at least that amount.

3.  TOPGRADING IS LEGAL EVERYWHERE WE KNOW OF.

Chapter 12 (Legalities of Topgrading) of my big book, Topgrading, was written by the largest employment law firm in the US, Seyfarth Shaw, and they vetted all Topgrading methods not only in the US but a lot of other countries (through their partners).

4.  “TWEAK” THE TOPGRADING CAREER HISTORY FORM FOR EACH COUNTRY.

Even if a translation is not required, a few sections – different education systems, currencies, and military requirements – require different terms for each country.  Our British friends will say that indeed a translation is required so the form uses English, not American.

We believe the Topgrading Career History Form is the best pre-selection instrument on the planet.  The TORC Technique is now in the Instructions (”At an appropriate time, near a job offer, you will be asked to arrange personal reference calls with supervisors and others you have worked with in the past decade”).  The form now has supervisor ratings, true reasons for leaving, and ratings on key competencies - all of which are quite accurate because of the TORC Technique.

Companies that do not use the Topgrading Career History Form have a problem – they screen from deceptive resumes, so they waste a lot of time in phone screens, and worst of all, they end up interviewing too many C players.  The Topgrading Career History Form saves a lot of time and, more importantly, assures that only the best candidates will come in for interviews, so it’s important to make those few modifications for each country.

5.  THE WORDING IN THE TOPGRADING INTERVIEW GUIDE SHOULD BE MODIFIED FOR DIFFERENT CULTURES.

In some cultures the wording of some questions is too direct.  For example, asking, “We all make mistakes – what mistakes did you make in that job?” might be changed to, “What are some ways you might have achieved even more?”  Or, in cultures that favor teamwork and downplay individual contributions, instead of asking, “What were your successes, your accomplishments,” you might ask, “In what ways might your efforts have contributed to the team successes?”

6.  TOPGRADING INTERVIEWS SHOULD BE CONDUCTED WITH A TANDEM PARTNER, A LOCAL A PLAYER TRAINED IN TOPGRADING METHODS.

Locals can “read between the lines” with respect to words used and body language.   For example, Americans expect interviewees to look them in the eye but not stare, and can leap to the wrong conclusion when interviewing someone from a culture in which eye contact is considered hostile.

Caution: Become a student of the culture – ask lots and lots of questions about body language, values, history, attire, etc.

7.  BEST PRACTICES IN COACHING ARE UNIVERSAL.

Coaching is part of Topgrading and best practices that are routine in the US, such as using email 360 surveys to track a manager’s progress changing his leadership style, are not commonplace in other cultures.  No problem – just introduce these tools.  Ditto for asking individuals to compose their Individual Development Plan with What they are going to do, Why, When, and How the results will be measured.

“But we’ve never done anything like this” can be true, but when the methods and benefits are stated, and the people in authority express confidence in those methods, people in all cultures comply.  At the risk of being redundant – be sure to modify language for the culture!

As CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch was the first CEO to rollout Topgrading methods globally. The first version was for assessing and coaching candidates for promotion. So, overnight managers around the world learned to create job scorecards with measurable accountabilities; hundreds of managers were trained in the tandem Topgrading Interview, and used the Topgrading Interview Guide.

8.  THE CEO MUST DRIVE GLOBALIZATION OF TOPGRADING.

As with any meaningful change, Topgrading must be driven by the CEO.  Sure, Human Resources is key, but managers can “game” Topgrading if the CEO is not a Topgrader.

9.  IMPLEMENT TOPGRADING FIRST IN THE HOME COUNTRY, TO WORK OUT THE DETAILS.

Then roll it out globally.  There is an exception:  A CEO who has previously Topgraded an organization can implement it globally all at once, confident that the tweaks will be minor and that the company will have a lot more A players, faster, with the global rollout all at once.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Wow, do we have a recommended resource for you today! It truly is the best product ever to teach the Topgrading methods that are the world’s best practices not just for hiring, but for auditing your talent and promoting with terrific success. It’s 7 1/2 hours of high definition DVDs with all the latest Topgrading methods explained by me, with great graphics. But also there is a real life case study so you learn the job scorecard for a real job, study the career history form of a real candidate named Erik, see me and Erik in split screen as I conduct a telephone screening interview with him, observe a tandem Topgrading Interview with him, watch and listen to a real reference call with Erik’s boss, and watch me coach him in a real life setting.

So, whether you are an individual manager wanting to master Topgrading, or you have a team needing thorough training, or you are interested in train-the-trainer, this is the total, total package with the DVDs, Topgrading Workbook, other books and guides, a 3-month license, on-line resources, and quarterly conference calls with Topgraders and me.

Click here to see the basic material, but you’ll want to click on where it says to learn more.

Can B players really be coached and become full-blown, certifiable A players?  You bet!  In a recent Topgrading Tips (Which Competencies Can Be Improved?) we presented a chart of competencies, color-coded by which competencies are easiest to change, most difficult, and in-between.  (To read it click here.)

This article is all about how to create a powerful Individual Development Plan (IDP), one that is sufficient in scope to convert a B player to an A player and embraced so totally by the B player that it works!  This article includes a MAGIC WEAPON that turbo-boosts the motivation of someone to improve.

If your B player needs improvement on the easiest to change competencies, ones like experience, education, organization/planning, writing skills, running effective meetings, or even Topgrading, the coaching approach is pretty obvious.  You sit down with B and arrange tutoring, decide on job experiences, and plan on what courses he should take.

But this article deals with how to coach managers to be much better leaders, and that involves improving some “in-between” competencies such as listening, inspiring followership, change leadership, likability, public speaking, conflict management, adaptability, and stress management.

It (almost) goes without saying that your B player, in order to be coached by you to become an A player, almost certainly is not very weak in the “difficult to change” competencies such as intelligence, energy, integrity, etc.  Otherwise your coaching challenge is probably hopeless.

Topgraders have developed a well-oriented method of coaching that has remarkable success.  You can copy it – give it a try!

Coaching Scenario

Suppose you have taken a new job and after a few weeks it’s obvious that you have a mixed bag of talent, including Pat Smith, a bright, energetic, ambitious manager with some clear rough edges.  She seems to be a “diamond in the rough,” bright, eager, and hard working, but she has fallen a bit short on her business objectives and her leadership style is immature.

For example, she made a presentation to the senior team, and it was sophomoric.  As she talks about her team, she seems to give third and fourth chances to underperformers.  And Pat seems to confuse her people with rapid changes in direction.  When they don’t “get it,” she loses her cool, leaving her team members licking their wounds.  So eager to please you, she seems to take credit for peers’ accomplishments, and clearly there is tension with those whose support she needs for her success.

Pat is willing to be coached, and you are hoping that if she embraces a thorough Individual Development Plan, she will perform in the A player category by exceeding her business objectives and demonstrating leadership and interpersonal skills that are Very Good or better.

However, just as Jack Welch required at GE, if she fails to achieve her agreed-upon business accountabilities or if she continues to exhibit mediocre interpersonal and leadership behaviors, she’ll be terminated (or more likely will quit, realizing she will not keep her job).

Coaching Steps

1.  CONDUCT A TOPGRADING INTERVIEW WITH PAT.
This is a good Topgrading practice for all your new team.  Why wait to learn their strengths and weaker points “the hard way,” by gradually getting to know them?  In a 3-hour Topgrading interview you’ll of course learn about Pat’s every success and accomplishment, her failures and mistakes, and this is crucial, you’ll get a clear picture of her capacity to recognize areas for improvement and actually improve.

Pat unfortunately has had bosses who left her alone and hardly coached her, but she does see the need to improve her leadership and she seems to respect you.  Good start!

2.  AGREE ON PAT’S JOB SCORECARD.
As you know, her job scorecard is not just a job description, but a complete summary of her measurable accountabilities. Pat agrees to achieve not only the business accountabilities objectives but also demonstrate Very Good leadership competencies.

Specifically Pat agrees that she must achieve her business accountabilities, but also to achieving an average score of 7 on a 10-point scale on the leadership accountabilities, as measured by an email survey of her team.

3.  CONDUCT AN EMAIL SURVEY OF HER TEAM AS WELL AS PEERS.
This will establish baselines for the areas for improvement.

Pat should send an email to subordinates and peers saying, “I’m working with (new boss – you!) to create an Individual Development Plan that I hope will strengthen my leadership skills.  We’re creating an anonymous survey I’d like you to complete, and (new boss) will also be scheduling one-on-one talks with many of my team and peers; these too are anonymous and confidential.  (New boss) will not disclose who said what to him, so please be candid with (new boss).  He will ask 4 basic questions – 1. What are my strengths, 2. What are my weaker points, 3. What are my career potentials, and 4. What is your best advice for how I can maximize my performance and growth?  Thank you!”

DESIGN OF THE EMAIL SURVEY
We like to use the item stem, “How frequently do you view Pat as?”  And the scale is Always, Frequently, Sometimes, and Never.

Mix in positive items so the survey does not focus too much on the negative, and include the items you and she think she needs to work on such as, An effective listener, Patient, Clear in the direction, Hiring high performers, Replacing chronic low performers, An effective team player with peers, A very effective public speaker, and Emotionally controlled.  Note that the items can be written in positive (“Emotionally controlled”) or negative (“Losing my temper”) language.

A typical email 360 survey will have about 12 items that are her clear strengths, and about 8 items that seem to be her weaker points.

4.  SUPPLEMENT THE EMAIL SURVEY WITH CONFIDENTIAL, HALF-HOUR DISCUSSIONS WITH EACH OF HER DIRECT REPORTS AND 3 OR 4 PEERS.
The purpose (stated in #3) is repeated, and the questions (stated in #3) are asked, with follow up questions so that you have an excellent feel for Pat’s leadership strengths and weaker points.

5.  MEET WITH PAT TO REVIEW THE SURVEY RESULTS AND YOUR IMPRESSIONS FROM THE ORAL INTERVIEWS.
Make this a dialog in which Pat is fully involved in analyzing the results for every item, with the purpose of creating a draft Individual Development Plan, a plan that will fortify her strengths and overcome her weaker points.  Remind Pat that the minimum acceptable average rating for all items is 7 on a 10-point scale (3 if the wording is reversed), though the minimum rating is typically a lot higher, like a 9, for Integrity and Topgrading.

Pat should read a sample Individual Development Plan so she understands that the final form should say What she intends to do, Why (this is crucial – she has to speak from her heart to show real commitment to change), When, and How the results will be measured.  (Attached is Pat’s final Individual Development Plan, which you could show your B player as a sample.)

Pat, in the next couple of weeks, will finalize her IDP, and it’s her plan, but you must agree with it.

6.  COACH PAT REGULARLY.
As her IDP states, you as the new boss will provide instant or daily feedback and coaching when the need is apparent, but also you have scheduled quarterly coaching sessions to thoroughly review everything Pat has done — her successes, any failures, and what if anything should be changed in her IDP.

If Pat is failing to achieve either business objectives or improvements in her leadership, you both will recognize it.  If someone has to pole vault 17 feet to make the Olympic team and is still at 15 feet AFTER getting a new pole, working with a sports psychologist, taking nutrition lessons, etc., well it’s pretty obvious that the measurable accountabilities aren’t going to be met.

In sports and business, an entirely friendly discussion should take place regarding the person’s departure.  With Topgrading, chronic low performers fire themselves!

THE MAGIC WEAPON THAT TURBO-BOOSTS DEVELOPMENTAL EFFORTS
If you read Pat’s IDP you might have figured out what the heck this “magic weapon” is – it’s a metaphorical camera that tapes Pat all day, every day on the job and when her accountabilities for improvement are measured, her worst behavior will be observed and if it’s really bad, it will cost Pat her job.  That “camera” is the promise of more email surveys and oral interviews by you, as often as every 6 months.  I phrase it like this:

“Pat, every day think that a camera is on you – look up in the corner of the room and imagine it’s taping you now and every second you’re on the job.  Do you have that image?  Okay, now let’s take your weaker points, starting with your losing your temper.  It scares the hell out of your people when you yell at them, and as you now know from reading the Written Comments in the survey, your people retreat to their office, lick their wounds, and are much less productive for days and days.  And when you yell at them, they are more inclined to blame others, which hurts teamwork.  In your IDP you have agreed that you will achieve an 8+ on Emotional Control, and here’s how to motivate yourself to stay on your good behavior, think that the camera is on you, Pat, every moment of every day.  Blow up even once in the next 6 months and everyone in the department will hear about it, and you’ll be rated low in Emotional Control.  You can be on your best behavior 99% of the time and one loud screaming episode will be remembered and your survey results will suffer.  By the way, not only will your Emotional Control be rated low, but you can bet that just because of one time you ripped someone’s head off verbally, many other survey items such as Team Player, Inspiring Followership, and Clear Direction will be rated lower.”

Where did this idea come from?  While consulting with GE quite a few managers I coached improved using this coaching method – they not only improved their leadership style but with those improvements they achieved even better business results.  So Jack Welch took the extra step (how typical!) of saying, “You must make your numbers and exhibit the positive GE leadership values, or you get just one more chance and then you’re fired if you don’t achieve both.”

Thank you, Jack!

SUMMARY: By putting the threat of losing one’s job if someone fails either to achieve business results or demonstrate very good leadership competencies, managers become strongly motivated to follow through on their IDPs and a lot of B players move up to A player status.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE: Consider attending our June 23 - 24 Topgrading Workshop to learn the 12 Topgrading Steps and get personalized coaching from Brad Smart and other Topgrading professionals.  Click here for information.

 

Many people view Topgrading largely as a highly effective hiring process (which it is!), but are not quite sure how to Topgrade existing employees.  Can Topgrading be used for people who are currently on your team?  Absolutely!

 

The process to determine whether or not incumbents are A players is similar to the Topgrading hiring process, with some notable differences.  Here are the steps.

 

1. If you do not already have one, create a Job Scorecard.

A good Job Scorecard contains two sections, specific and measurable Accountabilities (the results you expect an A player in the position to deliver) and a list of Competencies that are key to delivering expected results.

 

If you already have a list of goals and objectives for the position, you already have a good start on the Accountabilities.  However, you have to be sure that the Accountabilities are measurable and sufficient.  Sufficient means that if a person were to deliver those results, and only those results, you would consider him or her an A player. 

 

People sometimes get hung up on describing Key Competencies.  Most companies have a list of values (integrity, teamwork, etc.), which is a good place to start.  Chances are, your organization’s values will be key competencies for most positions.  If you get stuck, use our list of 50 Topgrading Competencies to come up with additional areas that an A player must exhibit to deliver the expected results.

 

2. Conduct a Tandem Topgrading Interview with the individual.

If your organization is large enough, it is best if the individual is interviewed by two Topgrading-trained A players from another area of the company.  If the interviewers have a lot of interaction and history with the candidate, there is a tendency to not dig deeply enough to get at the important details of accomplishments and mistakes.

 

If your organization is not big enough to do that, recognize that interviewers may not probe enough into areas they have experience with to mitigate bias as much as possible.  At a minimum, the person’s current supervisor should not be one of the interview partners.  Their insights and opinions will be included in the assessment (verbal 360º interview)

 

3. Conduct 360º interviews with 5-10 coworkers.

These 360º interviews could also be described as “internal reference checks.”  You should speak with a person’s supervisor, several peers, several direct reports, and internal customers.  We recommend favoring A player coworkers for these interviews, mainly because their motives are less questionable than those of non-As.  A non-A player subordinate could paint a glowing picture of her boss because the supervisor does not hold people accountable and weak performers love that. Or, that non-A player subordinate could view the 360º interview as an opportunity to really “stick it to him” because he recently put her on a Performance Improvement Plan.  Favoring A players will not eliminate those types of situations, but will reduce the likelihood of occurrence.

 

Ask coworkers about the individual’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Recent Accomplishments, Recent Mistakes, their best Suggestions for the individual to perform and grow, and about any specific areas you are interested in.  For instance, if Communication is a key competency, you could ask, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the effectiveness of Jason’s communications, and why?”

 

4. Write a short summary report and rate the Job Scorecard.

After you and your interview partner complete the Topgrading Interview and 360º interviews, write a short summary report outlining the individual’s strengths (about 20), weaker areas (4-5) and any developmental recommendations you have for him or her. 

 

Then rate the Job Scorecard to determine whether or not the person is an A player.

 

5. Give the person feedback.

Be sure to “close the loop” on the process by giving the person feedback on your conclusions.  If you determined the person is an A player, the feedback will help that person remain at an A level and your developmental recommendations may help him or her reach their career goals more efficiently.

 

If the person has A potential, the feedback will help them get to the A player-level as quickly as possible.

 

If the person is a non-A player and does not have the potential to become an A, the feedback can help you convince the person that they are in the wrong position and open the conversation about what they could do in the organization or elsewhere to perform at an A level.

(Note:  In this article is a chart with 50 competencies color coded by Easy to Change, Hard to Change, and In-Between.)

Managers have told us that one of their most recurring frustrations, a daily challenge, is trying to figure out if an employee can improve in one or more competencies – if training or coaching will actually make a difference.  Or, if the person is “hard-wired” and simply not capable of changing, even if they are a super coach.

Ditto for hiring.  After conducting tandem Topgrading interviews, there is almost always a conversation that goes something like this:  “We agree, candidate X has a lot of strengths, but like all candidates, she has some weaker points.  She is no better than average in several competencies, such as political savvy, personal organization, and public speaking.  Do you suppose that training events and coaching can significantly improve her in these three competencies?”

We Topgraders have what should be a very clean, definitive answer.  I’ve interviewed over 6,000 executives, each with an average of 10 jobs, and I heard for each and every job their description of successes, failures, boss appraisals of their competencies and whether those competencies were strengths or weaker points.  That’s over 60,000 “case studies” that shed light on whether or not competencies can be improved upon.  Multiply that times 40 Topgrading professionals, and we really should know if competencies can be changed and if so, how managers can coach people to change.  (The “how” is a future Topgrading Tips.)

For now, let’s make some generalizations.  As Topgrading professionals, we’ll share our experience with you, categorizing 50 competencies according to whether those competencies are Easy to Change, Hard to Change, or In-Between.

Are there exceptions?  Of course.  Integrity, intelligence, and passion are hard-wired, but occasionally someone does “re-wire” their brain.  For example I worked with a man who truly authored his own “integrity transplant.”  He was fired from a brokerage firm for dishonesty, and prohibited from selling stocks and bonds, ever!  He characterized himself as a “slimeball,” and a few years later compared himself, or rather his FORMER self to the wheeler-dealer in the movie Wall Street (‘greed is good’).  He was so shattered at how he had disappointed his parents, wife, kids, and friends, that he did in fact transform himself.  Ten years later I interviewed him and he insisted that my client call all bosses he’d had since the debacle, for he said, “They will rate me a 10 on a 10-point scale of honesty, and describe my ethics as rock solid.”

Indeed the references were that positive.  Flash forward 20 years and the man retired as CEO of a famous company, and his reputation was (and is) stellar.

Another example:  I’ve seen many “obviously” C player managers, lacking in resourcefulness, drive, energy, passion, and initiative, “come alive” and perform at the A player level when something crucial happened:  the company Topgraded, fired C player bosses and replaced them with A players.  In most of those cases the Topgrading Interview showed that the “C players” had been As in the past, and when they again reported to A players who encouraged their ideas and inspired them, they returned to A player status.

But generally don’t expect dramatic improvements in people who are intellectually limited, lazy, dishonest, or uninspiring.  Or, to say it more accurately, only bet on people improving competencies when they have a history of improving competencies.

People who, in job after job, overcome weaker points are usually high potential people with accurate self-awareness, self-objectivity, and a high level of ambition and energy.  They show a pattern of soliciting feedback, welcoming coaching, and actually turning weaker points into strong points.  Aah – these are the A players you want, the high performers who will welcome your coaching and actually improve!

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE: The new Topgrading Workbook, the one used in all our workshops, is organized around the Topgrading Vision.  Each of the 12 steps is explained, the problem it solves is clarified, and then fun exercises teach the Topgrading skill.  You have to actually use it to get the favorable results!  For more information and to invest in the Topgrading Workbook, click here.