Is there a dynamic or behaviors in the organization, teams, or individuals that are not supporting high performance? Are there other behaviors that, if leveraged, could produce quantum leap results? How do we identify these and create opening for the awareness, development, and growth necessary. To these ends, business leaders, human resources, or individual associates often use tools to help identify focal areas for behavioral change. Commonly, assessments are utilized because intervening without specific knowledge of the root cause or an individual/group's frame of reference very often results in ineffective and non-binding behavioral change.

There are a myriad of assessment tools such as 360° Feedback, Climate Surveys, Myer's Briggs, DiSC, and many others which can be used to generate specific information and openings for meaningful dialogue and shifts. In recent years, many organizations have administered assessments to gain information, but this knowledge has not been tied to a specifically defined outcomes. While the information is interesting and potentially actionable, the missing link is the translation of the information to real, sustainable behavioral shifts. What's missing?

To be able to translate assessment data into actionable and sustainable results, a bridge must be built. Recognition of a developmental lever, such as 'the need for improved communication', does not directly translate into one's ability to alter behavior as required. It's unfortunately not that simple. Behaviors are hard-wired and have been reinforced over years of experience. If knowing that we needed to diet or giving us a great diet plan was enough to get us to diet and stay slim, would there be so many of us struggling with it? Therefore, to augment or shift a set of actions or behaviors, the focus must be on the individual's beliefs and frameworks as well as on the insights, skills, and practice necessary to create and sustain a behavioral shift. The process by which this is undertaken is coaching or a coaching-based dialogue.

Coaching is an approach or process which focuses on creating an "and" in the individual's, group's or leadership's frame of reference; adding a new behavior to their repertoire. Instead of reacting based on an imprinted, historical framework, the individual or team would act intentionally based on the outcome desired. Coaching provides a new framework in which a situation can be viewed, thus allowing an additional set of behaviors to become relevant. Through coaching conversations and practices (to ground the new insights and behaviors), behavioral shifts can occur and be regenerated.

Cain-Stanley & Company supports organizations in the application of assessments, assessment debrief, and subsequent group or individual coaching in support of the specified outcomes. If desired, we will work with the organization to integrate and leverage the information gained to further develop organizational goals; hence, a win-win at multiple levels is achieved.