Understanding the person

The in-depth interview process seeks to really understand the individual’s psychology – what has brought them success in the past, what blockers have held them back and what nurturing and growth is needed for their future career journey. Deep insight into areas such as how people learn, how they assess and manage risk and navigate change will help predict their future trajectory. Likewise, having an understanding of how they interact with others, what skills they use in developing relationships and how they sustain contact with others will help give a sense of their working style and interpersonal skills. We seek to understand, given the psychology of the individual and their work experience, their strengths and weaknesses with respect to leadership capability, as well as key areas of functional skill.

Due to the collaborative nature of the profiling session, people feel supported, guided and find the experience insightful and developmental, irrespective of if it is for selection decisions or as part of a coaching programme. The profiling session is typically 4 hours long, with a follow up session of 2 hours.

The first session is a detailed interview along with a selected number of questionnaires. The interview traces the developmental stages of the individual, their key transitions and their key learnings. It then moves to a more career focus discussion looking at key success and key turning points. The questionnaires are used as part and parcel of the discussion and provide the person with immediate feedback and insight.

The follow-up session is based around a leadership report and seeks to frame the individual’s leadership journey and their trajectory in a developmental manner. Suggestions around how to grow and sustain growth all form part of this session which is typically a month after the first session.