Key performance indicators (KPIs) are numerical or qualitative benchmarks measurements of how efficient a plan is. They give real data on not only what the goal is but what progress is being made toward that goal, showing everyone involved the impact they’re making day to day.
Their greatest value is that they turn vague goals like “improve customer satisfaction” into something you can actually measure. Doesn’t “decrease customer complaints by 50% this quarter” sound a lot more effective?
This makes KPIs central to an HR professional’s toolkit – and therefore a topic worth delving into at length.
Think about it. It only makes sense that high-performance organizations need to focus on measurable results. Without this, they lose both focus and engagement, two elements most employees crave.
Earlier in my HR career, I was blessed to be surrounded by many organizational development experts. One of the key pointers I learned from them was that if you measure a task, the majority of people will try to improve the results if given the chance.
So what do most organizations that operate within high-performance principles measure? That depends on the industry.
For instance, in manufacturing, quality, production, safety, and profitability are always shared front and center. This is true all the way from the boardroom down to the third-shift employee in a remote company facility.
Churches, meanwhile, might measure attendance, staff turnover, and volunteer participation. Or for a ministry, it could be conversions to Christ, project funding, website analytics, and country presence, to name a few.
I’ll admit I used to feel confused and overwhelmed by KPIs. It took me a while to get a meaningful understanding of them.
But that was many years ago. I now not only understand them, I appreciate how intensely useful they can be. I’ve even helped countless organizations develop meaningful KPIs.
And I’ve seen amazing results in the process.
So… What Exactly Are KPIs Again?
Simply put, a key performance indicator is a measurable value of how an organization is hitting its goals. You can think of KPIs as dashboards that give you at-a-glance views of how different parts of the organization are doing.
Revenue… Customer satisfaction… Production efficiency… Safety incident rates… These are all examples of what KPIs can track. Though really, they can monitor progress on any important metric, from sales targets to sustainability efforts.
Why Are KPIs Important?
Obviously, every organization wants to be more effective. So anything that can (ethically) make them more so is a bonus.
But there are a few key reasons why KPIs in particular are so useful:
They help everyone involved focus. With so many things going on every day, KPIs shine a light on what’s truly important so you and yours can prioritize activities that really move the needle.
They create accountability. Measurable targets make it easy to see where teams are underperforming early on. That way, you can take appropriate action to get things on track.
They provide clarity around expectations. It isn’t always easy to understand what management wants to see going forward. So metrics that can make them clear can go a long way in keeping employees focused and effective.
They drive motivation. When employers and employees can see concrete progress in what they’re doing, it proves their work is contributing to big-picture success. This boosts team engagement and morale.
They lead to better decisions. The data KPIs provide helps you understand what’s working well and what needs more attention. That way, you can make smarter choices.
What organization wouldn’t benefit from that list?
How to Use KPIs Effectively
KPIs have to be implemented thoughtfully to work. They are not a magic concept you can simply say out loud or write out on paper to make your desired results appear.
Knowing that, here are some tips to put them into practice:
Link KPI targets directly to organizational goals. Don’t just measure random things! You want KPIs that clearly map back to organizational objectives so you can see that progress is happening.
Focus on your 3-5 most critical KPIs. Tracking too few can devalue aspects and outcomes that are critical to your operations. Tracking too many can dilute their impact and makes prioritizing difficult. Therefore, identify the ones that offer the most value.
Set challenging but realistic targets. Impossible goals lead to frustration, but easy targets don’t push growth. Find the sweet spot that properly motivates your team.
Define how data will be collected upfront. Without a clear process, data quality really suffers. Make sure responsibilities and tools are set, evaluated, and maintained to capture reliable data.
Review KPIs frequently. Don’t just set them and forget them! Regular check-ins ensure that teams are on track or can course-correct early if needed.
Keep refining KPIs. As objectives evolve, so should your KPIs. Continually tweak them to link back to what matters most in the moment.
When you do, your key performance indicators can work for you in ways you have to see to believe.
KPIs in Action
To make this practical, let’s look at a few examples of common KPIs and how organizations use them…
Product Quality: KPIs can identify defects per thousand units produced. This helps organizations monitor how many units are failing quality checks that can then be improved on. When you decrease defects against a target, you drive better product consistency.
A defect goal is easily created. If the organization has 5/1000 (0.005) defects, the goal could be a defect rate of 0.0025 – which is a 50% reduction.
Naturally, product quality is important across every industry, including higher education and non-profits. But an exact organization’s defect goal can look different depending on what exactly is being measured.
Workplace Safety: The “lost-time incident rate” tells you how safe your workplace is. It compares injuries resulting in missed work time to total hours on the job. When this drops, it means you’re avoiding harm and keeping your crew productive.
One common calculation is the “days-away severity rate.” This records the average number of days injuries kept employees from work. To calculate it, you simply divide the number of lost workdays by the number of recordable safety incidents.
Admittedly, you could find that you could have a high injury rate and low severity rate this way – meaning that people are getting hurt but not severely. That’s preferable to a high injury with high severity, obviously. But most organizations should have zero accidents as their goal across the board.
Customer Satisfaction: Tracking things like customer satisfaction (CSAT) or the Net Promoter Score shows how your clients actually feel about what you provide. High marks mean they approve and will likely stick around to grow with you.
In short, make your customers happy and success will follow!
Your calculation for this KPI could simply be customer complaints per thousand sales. And similar to the product quality explanation, you can replace the input to suit your specific organization.
You probably already know what your customer satisfaction goal is, but make it as specific as possible. Say your organization is at 20/1000 (0.02) complaints. In that case, you could determine to cut that by half down to 0.01.
Production Efficiency: The Overall Equipment Effectiveness assessment rolls up how available, quick, and quality-oriented your machines are into one simple metric. Optimize OEE, and you can churn out more goods without incurring extra costs.
And, of course, efficient operations increase your revenue… bless your employees… and improve the communities in which you do operate.
Create the base line or profitability for the organization, then translate it into employee terms. So if you’re measuring your breakeven point for a production line, come up with a breakeven number per shift.
This calculation could be made by your engineering and production teams. But say they project 20,000 units per hour as your production rate goal. The KPI calculation would measure any deviation from the goal number, either above or below.
So if production is cut short by 19,000 units per hour, the calculation would be 19,000/20,000 = 95% of goal attainment. Or if they exceed the goal, the calculation could be 20,000,000/21,000 = 5% over goal attainment.
KPIs for Nonprofits
There are plenty of other ways KPIs can work for you depending on the type of organization you run, and the different types of goals and objectives you have. Here are three for non-profits specifically…
Member-Engagement KPI
This one tracks what percentage of your members are really engaged: how many are talking the talk and walking the walk.
Are they showing up for programs, volunteering, giving back financially, and otherwise helping to really make your organization grow? Maybe only 30% of your base is actively involved right now.
Maybe lower still.
Set a goal to bump that engagement up to 40% over the next year. You can get more members off the sidelines and in the game by doubling down on the programs that are already working. Likewise, rethink ones that aren’t connecting.
If more people are invested, your whole community will feel that love.
New Members Added KPI
Growth matters, so tracking new members is huge. Set a target to add 50 new members to your non-profit every month.
If you see you aren’t hitting that target, get introspective about your outreach.
How can you connect better with more folks in the community? Get creative! New ideas should be welcome (though properly vetted, of course).
When more people join your mission, it builds serious momentum. So get out there and share the word!
Donation Revenue KPI
Money matters, even for non-profits. That’s why we advise looking at total monthly donations and aiming for 10% growth year-over-year.
Consistent giving means your programs stay solid. If you spot any dips in donations, tackle that ASAP. And try asking members directly how your non-profit entity can earn their support.
Keep the faith that donations will rise, and act accordingly!
KPIs for a Variety of Industries and Organizations
If you run neither a non-profit nor traditional moneymaking business, don’t worry. There are almost certainly KPIs for your organization too.
We’ve included three particularly useful ones below, though there are plenty of others out there to research and review.
Lead Conversion Rate KPI
Isn’t it high time to turn those leads you have into actual deals? Ask yourself: What percentage of leads become customers for your business right now?
Ideally, you want to set your sights on 25% conversion.
This is not an impossible goal. To get there, follow-up faster with leads, nurture them along, and coach your team on closing skills.
Every lead is precious. Treat them that way, and you’ll see more of them stick around.
Higher conversions will pump up your revenue big time, making the effort more than worth your while.
Asset Utilization KPI
You’ve got trucks, planes, and/or other heavy equipment just sitting there collecting dust. What a waste!
An idle asset isn’t earning your organization any revenue. But a fully utilized one drives your organization forward.
So use what you’ve got to the maximum!
Let’s get that utilization percentage up by scheduling everything tighter and routing them smarter. An 85% utilization rate would be a great target to shoot for.
Customer Retention KPI
Look at what percentage of customers stay loyal to you each year.
Is it 80%? Awesome! That’s a solid start.
But there’s no reason not to aim even higher still…
Reduce your customer churn by improving satisfaction through better services and products. Make them feel the love!
Keep your people happy, and they will keep you happy by returning to your organization in ways that keep the revenue and relevance flowing.
Final Thoughts
Here’s the bottom line about KPIs…
They make goals clear and provide valuable insights to help teams work smarter. When used right, they drive better decisions, accountability, and results!
Unlike what I used to think – and you might currently think – KPIs are not meant to complicate your life. Implemented effectively, they give you the information you need to guide your team forward into bigger, better, and more effective phases for your organization.
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For further actionable insights, reach out to In HIS Name HR right here. We help organizations build high-performance human resource programs designed to build your workplace into the engaging, effective, integrity-filled space you want it to be.
Contact us today! You and your employees will be grateful you did.
Introducing Arturo Del Rio Jr., a seasoned leader renowned for revolutionizing sales dynamics and cultivating thriving team cultures. Unlike the conventional belief that internal competition drives sales excellence, Arturo champions a different approach—one that nurtures collaboration over cutthroat competition.
With a remarkable track record steering sales teams at industry giants like Mass360 and Sungard Availability Services, Arturo’s expertise transcends traditional boundaries. His entrepreneurial ventures, including successful exits from application development and AI tech firms, underscore his innate knack for fostering innovation and driving tangible results.
In a recent triumph, Arturo helped launch Set-Aside Queen, catapulting it to a staggering $700k ARR within a mere six months. Now, as Partner and Chief Mission Outreach Officer at Pro-Life Payments, he continues his legacy of transformative leadership.
Tune in as Arturo shares his visionary insights with host Mark Griffin, unraveling the secrets to instilling motivation and unity within sales programming. Moreover, delve into the world of Pro-Life Payments—a trailblazing enterprise offering cutting-edge merchant services with a humanitarian twist.
Pro-Life Payments isn’t just about transactional excellence; it’s a beacon of purpose-driven commerce. From seamless payment processing to revolutionary Dual Discounting features, they empower merchants while championing life-saving initiatives. Their commitment to donating 15% of revenue to Preborn.org is a testament to their unwavering dedication to making a meaningful difference.
Join us in embracing a new era of business—one where profitability harmonizes with philanthropy. Experience the power of commerce to bless lives and transform communities. Learn More Here about Pro-Life Payments and embark on a journey where every transaction fuels hope and saves lives.
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Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner to guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable. Contact us today. You—and your employees—will be glad you did.
Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people! E-mail us here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter
Just a couple of decades ago, the term “Generative AI” may have sounded like a Star Wars concept or character. Today though, you’d be hard-pressed to find any large (or small) organization that doesn’t have its finger on the pulse of artificial intelligence innovation.
As Matt White wrote in his 2023 Medium article, “A Brief History of Generative AI”:
“ Generative AI will be the most disruptive technological innovation since the advent of the personal computer and the inception of the internet, with the potential to create tens of millions of new jobs, permanently alter the way we work, fuel the creator economy, and displace or augment hundreds of millions of workers in roles from computer programmers to computer graphics artists, photographers, video editors, digital marketers, and yes, even journalists. Even with all the hype around generative AI this year, its true power has not yet been seen or felt.”
And there has been plenty of hype. Yet, believe it or not, generative AI is not a brand-new concept.
It’s been researched and even primitively implemented since the 1960s, when Joseph Weizenbaum developed the first chatbot named ELIZA. A natural language processing (NLP) program, it was designed to simulate conversations with a human user by generating responses based on the text it received.
This technology and research only increased over the next few decades. In 2012, for instance, Geoffrey Hinton and his team used convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in the field of speech recognition. And then in 2022, a variety of diffusion-based image services were released – including OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
A recent Salesforce survey showed that 45% of the U.S. population is now using generative AI. It also found that:
65% of these users are Millennials or Gen Z.
75% are looking to automate tasks at work, particularly for communications.
68% say it will help them better serve their customers.
The full group of people exploring this technology include college students, independent contractors, and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. And as generative AI stands now, it appears there’s no going back.
This might sound intimidating, but think about it this way… With 65% of employees experiencing burnout in 2023, this may just be the innovative solution we’ve been looking for.
One of the many organizational operations that’s seeing a major shift via generative AI-based question-answering capability is HR service delivery. And as deployments bring productivity and fresh insights to the staff function, this engagement will likely rise.
The Role of Generative AI in 3 Key HR Processes
Executive teams already expect HR to be an insightful partner across their organizations, and GenAI brings this future to life. Moreover, this technological partnership can act as a model for other departments on using this vital, still-evolving technology in innovative ways.
Knowing that, let’s look at the role of generative AI in HR development and how it can affect the future of the workplace.
“Strive to use this evolving technology to drive the entire organization forward through your HR processes while keeping people productive, satisfied, and engaged.” – Mark A. Griffin
Efficient and Targeted Recruitment
Recruiting requires assessing applications, shortlisting prospects, and arranging interviews – all of which take time. Often lots of it.
But AI algorithms can quickly review applications, determine relevant skills and expertise, and present comprehensive lists of qualified individuals. So HR managers can use them to save valuable energy, time, and resources.
One such platform already implementing this is Eightfold’s Talent Intelligence Platform. The company states on its website:
“Our deep-learning AI Talent Intelligence Platform uses the world’s largest talent data set to provide unmatched clarity into internal and external talent so you can make confident decisions and drive real change across your organization.”
With technology rapidly increasing each year, more platforms like Talent Intelligence are bound to appear.
Data-Driven Decision Making
Generative AI can also assist HR managers in making decisions by evaluating tremendous amounts of employee data. From there, it can take that information and generate useful insights.
By exploring historical behaviors and trends, for instance, AI algorithms can identify elements that impact staff satisfaction, current skill gaps, and future workforce needs. This data-driven strategy enables HR departments to:
Helping leaders and employees set goals aligned to organizational KPI’s
Make enlightened workforce planning decisions
Come up with effective talent management plans.
It’s hard to overstate the value capability here. Just think how much more productive an organization would be with those areas properly assessed and sorted out!
Retention, Wellbeing, and Engagement Analysis
Finally, AI-powered insights can have a significant, positive impact on staff engagement, retention, and satisfaction.
Organizations dealing with staff exhaustion and motivation issues could utilize this tool to analyze data more efficiently and reach viable conclusions more quickly. To say nothing about how they can uncover hidden threads and patterns that traditional surveys might otherwise overlook.
Overworked and/or understaffed HR departments will somehow, someway fall short of properly addressing their companies’ goals. It’s inevitable. But AI can step in to lower their burdens, giving them the capability to act on information in much more productive ways.
There’s Plenty More Where Generative AI Came From
In summary, AI is transforming HR processes in sectors such as:
Talent management
Employee experience
Training
Career growth
Performance management
Retention
And who knows how many more areas it can positively affect from here!
By integrating AI technologies, HR managers can streamline operations, improve customization, and make data-driven decisions that benefit everyone – their larger organizations, individual employees, and customers alike. This “new” universe we’re experiencing might seem intimidating at first glance.
But it doesn’t have to be.
You just have to know how to put it to good use. Once you do, you might be surprised at how much more you and your organization can accomplish.
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Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner to guide you and your team are invaluable.
That’s what In HIS Name HR is here for – to guide you and your employees to the bigger and better places you envision.
When you contact us, make sure to ask about our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people! Email us here today.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Meet Denise Lawrence. In a recent mastermind session she facilitated, she focused on leadership development and had a candid discussion about Big Egos and what this form of leadership character can do for teams.
The reality is that, no matter how smart or skilled we are as leaders, we cannot know everything. When the ego is so profound that it prevents employees from using their own places of strength—intellect, skillsets, and workplace gifting—then the entire organization is in jeopardy of failure.
Join Mark and Denise as they discuss how to tone down the ego or turn a hot and heavy ego on simmer for the benefit of those we lead.
Denise has been a business owner since 1987 and has experienced failure many times while building great teams. Denise finally checked her ego and learned to lead from a position of service, which is the best biblical instruction for leadership that can be applied. Denise has served over 300 mastermind groups across the country, and through focus groups, she has learned what needs to change to make these truly effective for the leaders who participate and the employees and teams who benefit from their participation.
Today, Denise is a serial business owner with a mission to establish programs and services that close the wealth equity gap for faith-based businesses in America. She calls herself the business disrupter because she believes the whole small business industry needs a transformational shift toward serving others, lifting others up, and erasing a hierarchy where only the top thrive.
When the goal is for everyone in the business to succeed, be happy, and build wealth, they all rise together. Denise is a former journalist turned entrepreneur, pastor, wife, mother, grandmother, and Ph.D. candidate at Liberty University.
Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable. Contact us today. You—and your employees—will be glad you did.
Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people! E-mailus here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter
We spend a quarter of our lives in retirement, yet plan very little for this important and, potentially, most impactful season of our lives. This is especially true for employees of churches, Christian schools, and other para-church ministries. Why not plan for how God will use us as our physical abilities diminish, yet our spirits are at the highest level of maturity. Their is much to give to the Kingdom of our time and resources in our retirement years. Why not plan for it?
Meet Jim O’Bold. As a former banker who has worked with those with means and without, Jim has experienced the impact of proper financial planning (and the lack thereof) on life trajectories. After a call to FT ministry in 2009, Jim decided to apply his experience to God’s design for finances in the life of servants of the church. Jim briefly served as an Executive Pastor before landing as Dir. of Financial Planning at Servant Solutions, where their mission is Improving Financial Security for Servants of the Church.
Jim has now been with Servant Solutions for thirteen years, spending the last four as President. Although the organization is primarily a church retirement plan provider, it believes it is impossible to do proper retirement planning in a vacuum. Therefore, it leans heavily on providing free financial planning for its members as a wholistic approach to meet the goals and dreams God has placed on their hearts and ministries. This is Jim’s heart as an ordained minister, to Serve Those Who Serve.
Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner to guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable. Contact us today. You—and your employees—will be glad you did.
Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people! E-mail us here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter
Artificial Intelligence Unveiled: Navigating AI From a Kingdom Perspective
AI tools have exploded since ChatGPT’s launch in November of 2022. And lots of people and organizations are still trying to wrap their heads around Generative AI’s potential, for better or worse. AI tools are here to stay and they offer an incredible opportunity to leverage your resources. In this episode, we delve into the intersection of AI technology and the Kingdom. Join us as Bart Caylor helps unravel the mysteries of algorithms and machine learning, while considering the ethical and moral dimensions through the lens of a Kingdom framework.
With over 35 years of experience in design and marketing, Bart has worked with top global brands and nonprofits like Motorola, RCA, Iams Pet Food, Lumina Foundation, Western Governors University, and the American Bible Society. Bart is the founder of Caylor Solutions and The Higher Ed Marketer. His writings and podcasts on AI have formed a broad perspective on AI applications use in Christian higher education. Most recently, Bart hosted a virtual conference on using artificial intelligence in higher education. Caylor, a first generation college-student, is passionate about education due to his own transformative experiences. This passion drives him to stay ahead of the curve for the future of marketing to consult and deliver solutions in both print and digital for his clients.
Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner to guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable. Contact us today. You—and your employees—will be glad you did.
Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people! E-mail us here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter
If you’re like most leaders, you are constantly weighing the business needs of a decision (layoffs, cuts in pay, increases in pay for certain key performers, but not everybody) and the ethical needs of treating people well, as well as kindly, as you make these decisions.
For many Christians, this leads us to wonder if we need to be different people on Tuesday afternoon than we are on Sunday mornings.
Meet Chris Grainger. Chris started a ministry to help Christian leaders step into the call they have to lead, no matter the environment. It is time to bridge the gap and lean into our faith, as we are all on mission, no matter the role or company we find ourselves in.
Chris strives to be obedient to what the Holy Spirit has called him to do. Part of that was launching the Lion Within Us two years ago and last year beginning the Summit Leadership Development solution.
The journey of creating The Lion Within Us has been fueled by Chris’s desire to help others and glorify God. Chris is blessed to have served in several leadership positions in a professional and spiritual capacity. First and foremost, Chris is a devoted husband to a loving wife, a true “Proverbs 31” woman, and the strongest person he knows. Together, they lead a family of three beautiful girls and one amazing son. Chris is currently a deacon at his church and a certified financial coach. Professionally, he works as an engineering and services manager in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner to guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable. Contact us today. You—and your employees—will be glad you did.
Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people! E-mail us here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter
Many organizations find themselves spinning their wheels in work cultures filled with toxicity, dysfunction, conflict, and fear. Unengaged employees drag down productivity, and ineffective management undermines morale. How can we create workplaces where people don’t just struggle to get through the day but instead thrive and love what they do and where they work?
Al Lopus, cofounder and Board Chair of Best Christian Workplaces, has studied hundreds of organizations to discover eight key drivers in companies with healthy cultures and engaged employees. He gathers best practices from across a range of companies and ministries to demonstrate how people at all levels can work together to accomplish work that matters. Principles and real-life examples provide concrete ways that organizations can flourish by building fantastic teams, cultivating life-giving work, attracting, and retaining outstanding talent, and much more.
Road To Flourishing: Eight Keys to Boost Employee Engagement and Well-Being. “This is a book for leaders of every kind of Christian-run organization, and even Christian leaders in secular organizations can benefit greatly from these principles. They have been proven in churches, parachurch ministries, mission organizations, publishers, media organizations, schools, city missions, conference centers, and a host of Christian-owned for-profit businesses in all sorts of industries. You’ll hear hard-earned lessons and penetrating insights from leaders in many of these sectors that the Best Christian Workplaces Institute has been privileged to work with and learn from.
Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner to guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable. Contact us today. You—and your employees—will be glad you did.
Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people! E-mail us here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter
Career development should always be aligned with one’s potential.
Human potential is vast, but too many people unfortunately don’t know themselves well enough to tap into it. In fact, many of us navigate life without ever realizing our possibilities. To correct that, the first thing you need to do is understand your strengths.
Peter Guber, CEO of Mandalay Entertainment Group, said the success of someone’s career – regardless of profession or field – depends on their ability to lead, manage, and build good relationships with colleagues. His experience leading an entertainment industry business taught him that so much of our potential must be excavated and then honed to reach true career success.
That’s why it’s so important to know yourself well – no matter how long it takes to achieve that understanding. Once you know who you really are, you can recognize what you’re really capable of.
And then you can put it into practice and truly thrive.
How to Identify Your Potential for Career Development
It’s a fact that many students struggle with choosing a career path to pursue. And many adults already in the workplace still don’t know if they followed the right field.
That’s a shame for both the individuals involved and the companies they do or will work for. Feeling like a misfit can lead to extreme unhappiness and underperformance all around.
This is why the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is such an incredible tool. It’s designed to help you discover your personality and where that personality best fits within your chosen career field.
Less well-known but equally helpful is Gallup’s CliftonStrengths assessment. To quote their website:
“The 34 CliftonStrengths Themes Explain Your Talent DNA. When you take the CliftonStrengths Assessment, you uncover your unique combination of 34 CliftonStrengths themes.
“The themes, which sort into four domains… are a culmination of decades of research led by Don Clifton to study and categorize the talents of the world’s most successful people.
“Together, the themes explain a simple but profound element of human behavior: what’s right with people.”
Moreover, they give “you a way to describe what you naturally do best or what you might need help from others to accomplish.” And who couldn’t benefit from that?
Once completed, I’m confident this assessment can make your career journey much more informed and fruitful.
Here are just some of the themes you might identify with…
Domain: Influencing
Theme: Activator
You enjoy jumping right in and trying out different roles and jobs.
You seek leadership opportunities and positions where you’ll be rewarded for getting things moving.
You sometimes (or all the time) think about starting your own business.
You realize some people might feel threatened by your drive to make decisions and get things going.
Theme: Command
You’re willing to take on several potential roles or jobs, and you seek out chances to assume positions of leadership.
You seek out positions that offer room for advancement.
You take into consideration situations where quick decisions are required.
You seek careers in fields like law, commerce, politics, or theater, where you can use your persuasive skills.
Theme: Communication
You speak with people who could fill the roles you’re interested in, knowing their experiences will educate you.
You enjoy settings that provide you with regular social connections. Cooperative, engaging, and instructional environments are your ideal.
You prefer professions involving comedy, acting, motivational speaking, teaching, public relations, ministry, or training, where you can share your experiences.
Theme: Competition
You seek out chances to assume leadership roles.
You work on projects that will allow you to measure and compare your results.
You think about business, sales, law, politics, and sports.
You seek out positions that offer room for advancement.
Theme: Maximizer
You interview the “best of the best” to find out what they enjoy doing for a living.
You prefer settings that support “best practices” and allow you to collaborate with others to make the organization better every time.
You could consider positions that allow you to assist people in realizing their potential.
Theme: Self-Assurance
You’re skilled in many different things and like to try out potential positions or jobs. In fact, it’s crucial for you to choose what you enjoy.
You seek out settings that will challenge you while offering freedom to figure things out on your own terms.
You might want to think about pursuing a job in training, entertainment, or sales.
Theme: Significance
You want to leave a strong legacy behind.
You seek out settings where you can be acknowledged for your achievements.
Consider a profession where you can truly and enduringly improve the world.
Theme: Woo
You make sure to meet a diverse range of individuals working in various professions.
You seek out settings that appreciate your capacity to convince or sell – and where you can meet new people on a daily basis.
You could consider a job as a public relations specialist, sales representative, trainer, comedian, or lawyer.
Domain: Executing
Theme: Achiever
You have a relentless desire to achieve. You are only satisfied when you’re reaching or exceeding the goals in front of you.
You approach everyday as a new opportunity to make an impact, but you need to be cautions. Your drive can convince you to work nights, weekends, and long hours.
You have a strong work ethic, are able to lead by example when properly coached, and are a great asset to any organization seeking to achieve high performance.
You should seek careers that give you a lot of room to achieve the results you desire.
Theme: Arranger
Your default when problem solving is to seek all the pieces at the same time and arrange them into a logical sequence. You see patterns that others do not.
You desire a workplace that isn’t routine, where the daily aspects ebb and flow allowing you to use your arranging capabilities.
Seek careers where you can bring order out of chaos.
Pursue careers in employee relations, or human resources management, urban development, and leadership.
Theme: Belief
You hold deeply held ideals regarding how things should be in life, at work, and in the community.
Your ethical approach sometimes frustrate you when the world’s actions don’t align with it.
You could consider careers where your core values align with the organization in question, especially in pastoral care, certain medical fields, teaching, and counseling.
Theme: Consistency
You look for settings where rules, guidelines, policies, and procedures are well-established.
You seek out settings that are predictable and structured.
Law enforcement, human resources, risk management, safety compliance, and quality assurance positions might be right for you.
Theme: Deliberative
You research as much information as you can regarding potential roles and employment.
You prefer workplace settings where you can work alone to perform in-depth analyses, and you stay away from those that require too much socializing or human contact.
You consider jobs as judge, finance officer, or risk analyst to be ideal.
Theme: Discipline
You establish goals and outlines for your career-planning procedures.
You prefer structured settings where you can uphold order for both yourself and other people, and make use of your organizational skills.
Depending on your education, you might consider a job as an executive assistant, brain surgeon, tax specialist, or air traffic controller.
Theme: Focus
You gather as much information as you can about possible jobs or roles.
You look for environments where you can focus and concentrate without interruptions or the need to multitask.
You do best in structured environments that are predictable and detail-oriented.
Theme: Responsibility
You prefer settings where you can operate autonomously and eventually be given more authority.
You seek out locations where you can establish relationships of trust with other people.
You would likely do well in professions that place more emphasis on results than procedures, such as executive assistant, librarian, or law clerk.
Theme: Restorative
You’re intrigued by individuals known for pulling people out of difficult situations or jumping in to fix issues.
You appreciate situations where you’re required to identify issues and provide solutions.
Since you depend on your education and aptitude, you might be well-suited for careers as a TV producer, surgeon, or customer service representative.
Domain: Strategic Thinking
Theme: Analytical
You are smart, logical, thorough, good at thinking through issues, and good at handling numbers, figures, and charts.
You are objective and use data to search for trends, patterns, and interconnectedness.
Be cautious. Your greatest weaknesses can offend people since you have the propensity to be tough, never satisfied, and full of questions.
Choose a career that requires you to analyze data. Accounting, finance, marketing, and certain engineering fields should be explored.
Theme: Context
You look back at your past decisions to get an idea of what you enjoy and are highly skilled at.
You seek out settings where you can investigate the origins of things and gain a solid understanding of an organization or asset’s past.
Professions such as archaeologist, historian, curator, professor of humanities, or appraiser of antiques could easily appeal to you.
Theme: Futuristic
You desire a career path that enables you to help others glimpse the future and inspire them to bring it to pass.
You look for environments that encourage creativity and imagination.
Jobs in commercial art, architecture, design, or city planning appeal to you.
Theme: Ideation
As much as you can, you brainstorm and daydream about potential careers or professions.
You seek out settings that encourage experimentation, originality, and unconventional thinking.
You could easily consider a profession in advertising, market research, design, consulting, or strategic planning.
Theme: Input
You try to obtain as much input as you can regarding potential roles and employment.
You seek out settings where you will be exposed to large amounts of information and data.
Occupations that allow you to stay up to date with the latest developments in science and enable you to become a knowledgeable researcher and consumer are right up your alley.
Theme: Intellection
You stay abreast of change related to careers and career development.
You seek out settings where you can ponder and mull things through before acting.
You should consider a profession that provides you with intellectual challenges, where you can ask questions and exchange ideas. But stay away from groups that uphold the status quo.
Theme: Learner
You examine career inventories, read up on careers, and do further research on what you read.
You enjoy settings that promote lifelong learning and personal growth.
You are well-suited to jobs such as business trainer, instructor, or college lecturer.
Theme: Strategic
You desire employment that enables you to create innovative initiatives and methods for addressing persistent issues.
You enjoy settings that are adaptable, foster creativity, and provide you with opportunities to view things holistically.
Professions in consulting, law, or psychology could be ideal for you.
Domain: Relationship Building
Theme: Adaptability
You have the ability to remain calm during stressful and ambiguous situations.
Routine roles that force you to plan and organize don’t appeal to you; you’re too action-oriented and independent-minded.
You enjoy constantly evolving demands and challenges. You could even say you thrive in chaos.
Careers that might suit you include human resources, emergency medical management, crisis management, manufacturing, and customer service.
You prefer settings where you can engage with people and assist them in discovering meaning and purpose.
You recognize your own values and make sure the company you work for upholds them.
You think about carrying out a career that will allow you to live out your religious convictions.
Theme: Developer
You appreciate employment opportunities where you can help people in some capacity.
You seek out settings that emphasize communication, cooperation, and teamwork.
You like the sound of careers where you can assist others in improving their abilities such as life coach, counselor, or teacher.
Theme: Empathy
You look for employment in places where feelings are respected, not suppressed.
You desire environments that are upbeat and encouraging with lots of communication and teamwork.
You can consider pursuing professions such as education, human resources, counseling, or ministry.
Theme: Harmony
You’re a mediator at heart and seek to find middle ground with practical solutions that can drive everyone into agreement.
Your willingness to hear all perspectives helps when all sides of the issues need to be considered.
Ideal careers for you include arbitrator, counselor, diplomat, and ambassador.
Theme: Includer
You consider working with groups that are often set aside by others, such as those who are intellectually or physically challenged.
You seek out settings where you can play a welcoming role.
You enjoy the idea of being something like a special education teacher, social worker, therapist, youth worker, or HR representative.
Theme: Individualization
You appreciate settings where you can coach, train, and otherwise give others feedback.
You seek professions that allow you to work one-on-one with individuals.
Jobs such as HR specialist, business trainer, life coach, teacher, or counselor suit your personality.
Theme: Positivity
You choose work you’re passionate about that supports your hopeful view of the future.
You look for environments that are fun, fast-paced, and people-oriented, and where you can use your sense of humor.
You like the idea of careers as a coach, sales rep, teacher, or manager.
Theme: Relator
You discuss your perceptions with people in your trusted social group.
You enjoy settings that promote friendships and allow you to continue expanding your knowledge about others.
You could consider the role of manager, HR director, teacher, counselor, or school administrative professional.
How Well Do You Know Yourself?
Here’s an important question after scanning the CliftonStrengths’ list of themes and what they entail…
How well do you know yourself?
Most interviewers ask this question or something like it. So it’s an important consideration if you’re thinking about a career change. It might also come up during your annual employee review.
Or maybe you wonder about it on your own without any external prompting.
Regardless, this is the most crucial question you could possibly answer. It speaks to how much you know about what you want in life. And once you know that, it becomes so much easier to set goals in your career and elsewhere.
Just like that, you’re equipped to properly choose not only a fulfilling career but a fulfilling life.
So from now on, strive to identify the potential within you based on your individual strengths. In life, there is no such thing as too late to know yourself.
Set Your Bar High.What Is the Highest Goal You Want to Achieve?
In terms of career development, you need to have top-level goals or target priorities you want to achieve every year. Consider having at least three measurable goals and no more than five. At the end of December, you can determine your achievements, starting from the smallest to the most significant.
Learn from your achievements. Revisit what worked and what didn’t, and make sure you focus on repeatable behaviors that contributed to the goals you did attain.
Your targets must, of course, be in proportion to the potential you have. The higher the level of success desired, the more potential must be explored, including intrapersonal and interpersonal skills.
They also need to be reasonable. For example, if your current position is that of a supervisor and you want to advance from there, you can target becoming a manager in two years and then set your sights on the next advancement from there. Set a deadline for yourself and decide what steps you’ll take to achieve it.
Your yearly goals don’t have to involve accomplishing every intense dream you’ve ever pictured for yourself. Sometimes it’s much more intelligent to have a five-year or 10-year plan you build up to.
Just make sure to capitalize on and exercise your strengths to get there.
Speaking of plans, you should also consider making one to determine how to achieve each goal you have, yearly or otherwise. Another important aspect is determining likely challenges and preparing solutions to work past them.
Indeed, some goals are only achievable after you’ve overcome already existent problems.
Make Sure to Accept Help Along the Way!
Human potential is always aligned with career development. But you hardly have to work alone in order to realize yours. If you’re looking for guidance, there are seminars, workshops, and webinars out there specifically designed to optimize your potential and achieve your goals.
Or if you’re looking for more personalized guidance, In HIS Name HR helps organizations and individuals build high-performance human resource programs designed to get you where you need to be.
Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner to guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable. Contact us today. You—and your employees—will be glad you did.
Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people! E-mail us here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter
Research shows that front-line leaders contribute as much as 60% to your employee engagement survey results. What are you doing to increase leadership capacity across your organization?
Come learn some strategies that NASA employed over the last 30 years to build better people leaders. Fortunately, these strategies are not rocket science! Any organization can take similar approaches. In fact, our guest, Brady Pyle, is bringing those approaches from NASA to his new role with a 350-employee non-profit organization. What have you done in the past?
Brady took an early retirement from NASA in February 2023 after a 30-year career in HR, culminating in his role as Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer, where he supervised 12 HR Executives. Brady was a two-time recipient of NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal and played a key role in NASA being named Best Place to Work in the Federal Government for 11 Consecutive Years.
Brady has blogged about leadership over the last 10 years at OutOfThisWorldLeadership.com, earning recognition in Feedspot’s Top 100 Leadership Blogs.
Brady currently serves as Vice President of Human Resources at Space Center Houston—a leading non-profit science and space exploration learning center that serves as Official Visitor Center for NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner to guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable. Contact us today. You—and your employees—will be glad you did.
Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people! E-mail us here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter
