Blog | Success Performance Solutions

Why the Golden Rule is Bad for Good Customer Service!

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Ira S Wolfe

Many of you have lived your lives according to the Golden Rule – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Translation: Treat others as YOU like to be treated.” But as Dr. Phil often asks his guests, “how’s that working for you?” Probably not as good … More »

Posted in Customer Service, DISC | Tagged customer service, DISC | Leave a comment

A Personality Test for Retirement Success?

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Ira S Wolfe

Can your personality affect how you prepare for retirement? Personality traits are often linked to job performance and used in identifying candidates who are the best fit for a job. But a recent research papers seems to have correlated specific personality traits to retirement success. According to … More »

Posted in Employment Tests | Tagged personality tests, retirement plan | Leave a comment

Case Study: How Assessments Can Predict the Rise and Fall of a High-Potential Superstar

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Ira S Wolfe

Bob Smith (name changed) had been the darling of senior management and board of directors (BOD). Bob is the CFO of an up and coming professional services firm. The firm has done exceptionally well and he had in part been credited for its success to date. The firm is primed … More »

Posted in Employment Tests, Leadership Skills | Tagged employee assessments, employee selection, hiring decisions, leadership effectiveness, pre-employment tests | Leave a comment

Is It Possible to Accurately Test Candidates for Accuracy?

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Ira S Wolfe

Do a quick search through job classified ads and it is very likely that accuracy (often veiled as “detail orientation”) will show up as a required skill or trait in at least half of the jobs. The subsequent question then becomes: how can hiring managers accurately assess if the candidate … More »

Posted in DISC, Employment Tests | Tagged DISC, employee selection, personality tests, pre-employment tests | Leave a comment

What Differences Make a Difference When Sizing Up Sales Talent?

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Ira S Wolfe

Every business is different. Even companies selling the same products or services differ in strategy, culture and even geography. Who can argue that selling to customers in New York City is different than selling the very same product in Manhattan, Kansas. The “right” sales person selling the same product or … More »

Posted in Hiring Decisions, Sales Skills | Tagged employee selection, personality tests, sales skills | Leave a comment

Are Your Managers Ready and Capable of Innovation?

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Ira S Wolfe

Innovation is not something you do at will. Innovation is often associated with the light bulb that is switched on suddenly to energize a business and jump start growth. To the contrary, innovation describes a company culture, a philosophy. Innovation is not something you turn on when profits are dropping, … More »

Posted in Innovation, Leadership Skills | Tagged innovation, leadership effectiveness, managerial skills | Leave a comment

How Capable Are Your Employees? 4 Indicators to Get the PICK of the Litter

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Ira S Wolfe

Have you ever been stuck using a painfully slow and inefficient computer because it still worked? Just a few weeks ago, I emptied my garage and office of over a dozen CPUs, printers, monitors. The cargo area, back seat, passenger seat, floors of my SUV were filled with equipment … More »

Posted in Hiring Decisions, Job Fit | Tagged employee assessment, employee selection, hiring decisions, job fit | Leave a comment

4 Criticial Dimensions of Job Fit

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Ira S Wolfe

How do you hire a top performer? Just click a few keys and hundreds if not thousands of tips, techniques, and theories pop up in a quick search of the Internet. But when all is said and done, you can boil the most effective systems down to one of two … More »

Posted in Employment Tests, Hiring Decisions, Job Fit | Tagged DISC, employee screening, employee selection, hiring decisions, job fit, pre-employment tests | Leave a comment

The Definition of Work Is Changing – Many Workers Lack the Mojo!

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Ira S Wolfe

Employers, workers, and politicians need to come to grip with reality. The theme of denial about joblessness is no longer effective. In fact, it’s destructive. Creating new jobs that match the skills levels of the unemployed is politically sound short term but economic cacophony in the long run. Sustainable long … More »

Posted in Human Resources Trends, Job Fit | Tagged job fit, jobs, skilled workers, work | Leave a comment

3 Things You Need to Know About Conflict Before Building Effective Teams

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Ira S Wolfe

I am called frequently by managers about building effective teams. When I ask what is prompting this investment in “team building,” the manager usually responds with something like “we’d like to improve communication and work together better.” Despite my love for working with clients in this area, I’ve learned to … More »

Posted in DISC, Management | Tagged conflict, DISC, team building | Leave a comment