Category: Assessment

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[Land O’Spin] On the (Mini) Beach

Land O’Spin is an occasional set of writings focused on best practices in coaching and assessment: how do take what you observe, know what it means, and draw conclusions about what outcomes will occur in the future.

There is nothing quite like a plumbing tract infection to cause you to slow down and lay low. One minute you’re watching March Madness, and the next moment you’re piling on the blankets to ward off chills that alternate with hot flashes – still with the TV as “company”.… Read the rest

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[Land O’Spin] What’s YOUR Test Score?

Land O’Spin is an occasional set of writings focused on best practices in coaching and assessment: how do take what you observe, know what it means, and draw conclusions about what outcomes will occur in the future.

Employment testing is (back) in vogue, and with the recession in place it’s likely to continue: the news, similar to an old adage about dogs, is that some employers use employment personality testing for hiring purposes because they can.… Read the rest

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[Through the Glass Door] Genentech’s Future Looks Much Like Chiron’s Recent Past

From the headline of Tom Abate’s story in the San Francisco Chronicle “Roche-Genentech deal called close, with offer raised”, folks at 1 DNA Way in South San Francisco should take a look across the bay at Chiron’s former campus in Emeryville to see their likely future.

As noted elsewhere (see the “Land O’Spin series on best practices of assessment on this blog), one of the best predictors for future behavior is to look at past patterns of behavior.… Read the rest

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[Land O’Spin] Addition by Subtraction

Land O’Spin is an occasional set of writings focused on best practices in coaching and assessment: how do take what you observe, know what it means, and draw conclusions about what outcomes will occur in the future.

The news came in different ways about different people but the intersection was all mine: addition by subtraction was at play.

The sports news channels were filled with the predictable dispatches about Terrell Owens ‘ release from yet another National Football League team – this time the Dallas Cowboys.… Read the rest

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[Land O’Spin] I’ve got it, I’ve got it, what is it?

In the earlier two posts [Land O’Spin] two things were covered regarding assessment basics: 1) Watch and note behaviors (what did people or organizations do), and 2) when assessing something, what sort of behaviors, actions or characteristics are you looking to see demonstrated or evidenced?

In my coaching work, whether with individuals or teams, the first thing I start do is observe: what’s going, what do I see, what other actions or behaviors are triggered, etc.?… Read the rest

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[Land O’Spin] Paging Jane Higa

The previous post had some initial, basic how-to information on assessing people and teams more effectively. The beginning point was simple: track and note behaviors. This post continues that theme and adds a second element – if you’re assessing, be clear about what (and how) the skills you’re seeking to assess are demonstrated .

We all get asked to make assessments– a more polite word for judgments – and frankly most of us aren’t very good at it.… Read the rest