The PXT Select assessment is a lifecycle assessment tool that starts with the Comprehensive Selection Report. Once a new hire meets your “probationary period” and you’re certain he or she is a “keeper,” then you can utilize the Coaching and Individual report to have a dialogue around how to work most effectively together. When you’re ready to discuss career development moves with an employee, there are other reports to support you in this endeavor.
But, the PXT Select doesn’t always enter into a company as a hiring/life-cycle tool for an employee. At others times, the tool has been used to support a Succession Planning process. Let me share one example of how this occurred at one of our client sites. To protect the client’s privacy, we’ll call the company XYZ.
Getting Started
XYZ was getting pressure from the board, and rightfully so, to create a formalized Succession Plan. There are two types of succession plans, one is a contingency plan that would be executed under an emergency situation and the other a developmental plan for possible incumbents. I’ll be discussing the developmental process succession plan.
So, we started by working with the executive team to identify the key competencies for each c-suite position related to business acumen, managerial responsibilities, and culture-fit. We created a rating tool, similar to a performance review format, which could assist each executive in assessing the employees the executive had identified as potential successors. Each successor’s competency rating tool was also vetted among the executive team until agreement was reached on where each potential successor stood in relation to proficiency.
To cross-validate the managerial responsibilities and culture-fit components of the competency rating document, we selected the Leadership EQ-i and PXT Select which aligned well with the managerial and cultural competencies. First the executive team took the Leadership EQ-I and the PXT Select. Each executive’s results became the “benchmark” for that executive position (after the CEO added his expectations.)
Comparing Results with the PXT Select Assessment
Next, potential successors took the Leadership EQ-i and the PXT Select assessment. With each successor’s assessment results, the executive could compare the EQ-i and PXT Select results against the executive’s assessment results and also the competency rating sheet to identify alignment and misalignment of competency ratings. Where there were misalignments, the executive had to revisit the validity of the executive team’s analysis during the vetting of the competency rating of the successor and decide whether to remain with the initial analysis or the results of the two assessments.
Creating a Development Plan
Last, a development plan based on the urgency of the executive incumbent’s potential to progress was written. The executive then met with each successor to discuss the results of the assessments (the PXT Select Coaching and Individual reports and the Leadership EQ-I) and the competency ratings to solidify the developmental plan.
Be Proactive and Prepare Potential Successors
The client has found the succession process to be a very proactive approach in helping potential successors to prepare for an executive seat with the indirect results being that they have raised the level of professionalism and expertise of the managerial level directly below them. Though some companies might fear, no false expectations of being promised the position occurred. All potential successors were made to understand the multitude of factors that would have to occur to become a member of the future c-suite team.
