We asked our Client Success and Events Lead, Maja, a few questions so you can get to know her better.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a business psychology graduate with a strong passion for leveraging science and psychology to help individuals reach their fullest potential and find happiness in the workplace. Now, I’m excited to gain more practical knowledge and dive deeper into empowering people at work with TalentPredix.
What’s your top talent, career driver, and core value?
If I had to pick, I’d say my top talent is definitely relationship building. I’m at my best when I’m connecting with new people and expanding my network. As for my career driver, it’s all about personal growth. I’m naturally curious and enjoy roles that challenge me to learn and evolve continually. And tying it all together is my core value: positivity. I believe in the power of good vibes, whether it’s at work or in life. Surrounding myself with positivity fuels my passion and drives me forward.
What does great talent management mean to you?
I believe that great talent management boils down to enabling individuals to grow and develop skills that align with their natural talents. It can be measured by how energized people feel at work. Additionally, it means that people feel listened to, supported, and have a high level of trust towards their managers/employers as well as their colleagues.
How do you relax outside work?
I’m quite a sociable person, so unwinding for me usually involves hanging out with friends. I have a strong passion for coffee and food, which means my typical Sunday revolves around exploring new cafes and enjoying brunch outings. I love staying active which also helps me relax so I always try to always fit a run, a yoga class or a gym session into my schedule.
What do you like most about working at TalentPredix Ltd?
I’m grateful for the chance to explore my passion and expand my expertise in business psychology at TalentPredix. Working here, I feel supported in my development and growth, with my contributions valued by the team. Finding an organisation whose values align with my own has been a dream come true, and I’ve found that alignment here at TalentPredix. Additionally, I cherish the positive relationships I’ve formed with my colleagues and directors.
If you could teleport to any place in the word right now, which one would you choose and why?
I’d definitely go to Italy. I’ve always wanted to visit Florence but never had the chance. I love Italian cuisine and culture. Though I studied the language for a few years (although I can’t remember much now), I adore the slow pace of life there. I’d enjoy a delicious coffee with a pistachio cornetto, soak in the sun, and indulge in amazing pizza, pasta, and gelato for dessert.
We asked our Marketing and Support Lead, Zuzanna, a few questions so you can get to know her better.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I recently graduated from the University of Greenwich with a degree in Business Psychology. During my time there, I became really interested in understanding human behaviour and its impact on various aspects of our lives. I found my passion in making a positive impact on people’s lives, particularly in the realm of mental health and well-being. Now, I’m excited about my journey here at TalentPredix, where I want to contribute to our shared goal of empowering others with the help of business psychology.
What’s your top talent, career driver, and core value?
I would say my top talent is Understanding Others; I can easily pick up on people’s emotions and perspectives. This aligns closely with my biggest career driver, which is Service. I enjoy work where I can improve the lives of others by helping or supporting them in some way. It’s not surprising that my biggest value is Kindness. It’s interesting to see how all of these aspects integrate with each other.
What does great talent management mean to you?
In my opinion, great talent management is all about seeing and fostering the special strengths and potential each person brings to the table in an organization. It’s about making sure everyone feels valued, supported, and ready to give their all. That means giving everyone a chance to grow, keeping communication crystal clear, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and development.
How do you relax outside work?
The best way for me to relax is through staying physically active. I mainly achieve this through weightlifting at the gym, as it’s a form of meditation for me where I don’t think about anything else. I also relax by spending time outside, in nature. It helps me feel present in the moment, and I find it really calming.
What do you like most about working at TalentPredix Ltd?
What I find most fulfilling about being part of the TalentPredix team is our fantastic culture. Collaborating with experienced professionals who are dedicated to achieving our company’s goals is incredibly inspiring. Plus, I feel lucky to be in a workplace that fits perfectly with my values and career goals. I genuinely believe I can make the most of my talents in this role and keep growing, both personally and professionally.
If you could have any superpower for a day, what would it be and how would you use it?
If I could have any superpower for a day, I would definitely choose teleportation. I would start the day with a cup of tea with my grandma in Poland, then I’d have a sushi breakfast in Tokyo. I’d do some sightseeing in Cape Town and grab a bagel for lunch in New York. Next, I’d spend some time at the beach in Rio before I go see the Great Wall of China. Lastly, I’d quickly grab a pad thai in Thailand before watching a sunset from an Australian beach.
London (November 2023) — TalentPredix™ is delighted to announce that it is launching in Scandinavia through a partnership with Gudman Leadership. TalentPredix, an innovative next generation strengths assessment system, provides a comprehensive measure of people’s unique talents, career motivations and values. It transforms the way clients hire, develop, and engage talent, enabling businesses to improve talent outcomes and unleash the full strengths and potential of their people.
“As a coach and a seasoned International Talent and Leadership Professional, I firmly believe in building diverse, inclusive and high performing cultures. I help people play to their strengths, unlock their greatest potential, and drive growth by creating caring and sustainable teams” says Marlene Gudman, founder of Gudman Leadership and continues, “The future of leadership is all about building relationships and creating a place, where people belong. In this process, it is essential to have an assessment tool that covers the employee life cycle, identify people’s strengths, motivations and values and is based on substantial research. I am very excited to introduce TalentPredix to Scandinavia and I have already had some amazing feedback from new and existing clients, especially when working with diversity.”
James Brook, founder and CEO of TalentPredix™, comments: “The way we work is changing faster than ever, yet most workplace assessment tools haven’t kept pace with these changes. It is the ability to uncover a candidate’s unique talents, career motivations and values that sets TalentPredix™ apart and suits modern thinking around amplifying individuality and strengths in the workplace. When organizations understand and optimize people’s unique talents and strengths, their results and capacity to transform the success of the organization are significantly multiplied and sustainable. Having spent several happy years living in Denmark when working for Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals in a corporate Talent and Leadership role earlier in my career, I am excited to be partnering with Marlene and her team to grow our business in Scandinavia.”
TalentPredix™ can be used in different stages of the employee life cycle, from recruitment and team building to career development and preparing people for future roles. Spotlighting strengths and bringing out the best in people enables them to thrive, accelerates performance and delivers better business results. Applied organization-wide, the assessment and strengths-based talent solutions help businesses to optimize their employees’ strengths and create diverse, high-performing sustainable teams and workplaces.
For more information, please contact:
Marlene Gudman, Gudman Leadership
Email: marlenegudman@outlook.com
Website: https://gudmanleadership.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlene-ramsing-gudman-672a2b3/
James Brook, TalentPredix
Email: james.brook@talentpredix.com
Website: www.talentpredix.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshbrook/
Disengaged employees can be detrimental to productivity, employee engagement and overall output. Our previous blog covered signs managers should look out for in employees to help nip this problem in the bud.
Spot and prevent low motivation and engagement
Of course, the best way to ward off quiet quitting is for managers to check in on the motivation of their people on a regular basis. There are different ways of doing this, including careful observation of behaviour, emotions and energy shifts, engagement surveys and asking questions that uncover people’s motivation during regular check-ins and quarterly performance review meetings. Some of the questions managers can consider asking are as follows:
Once managers identify a disengaged employees they can explore the root cause of their low engagement in a one-on-one conversation.
Amplify strengths, successes and progress
Managers, like most of us, are conditioned to focus more on the negatives we see rather than the positives. This is what psychologists call the “negativity bias”. It is therefore important for managers to consciously learn to spot and magnify strengths, successes and progress, even small wins and shifts in effort.
By giving positive feedback and praise, managers will promote progress, excellence, and employee engagement. When people feel they are valued and their progress and achievements are recognized regularly by their manager, they are more likely to feel motivated and exert higher levels of discretionary effort (i.e., effort over and above the required level).
Conduct retention/stay interviews
Retention interviews are a powerful tool to improve employee experience, build trust, and nip problems in the bud. RotaCloud recommends that retention interviews should be kept relatively informal, held in private, and be consistent as much as possible across different team members. Keeping consistency might be difficult, as everyone has their own sentiments and feelings, but managers can keep a set of key questions or discussion points handy and let the conversation flow from there. This can be done in both in-person and remote or hybrid workplaces. Responses should be collated and kept on record somewhere in order to refer to eventually.
Demonstrate empathy
It is important that managers self-reflect and be empathetic above all else. Try to picture themselves in the position of their employees and see their realities to understand where they are coming from. Reflect on how they would react if they were put in their employees’ position? Additionally, consider the employees themselves and the value they have brought to the team, and their strengths and their talents and how these can be further supported to allow them to thrive.
Act on employee feedback
Taking this into consideration, it is now time for the manager to act on the feedback given from their employees. It may be revealed that employees are frustrated with a lack of progression and/or development opportunities available to them, then the manager should explore options in upskilling and/or career development for their people. In virtual teams, managers may find that some employees feel disconnected from the broader workforce. This last one might be common among the younger workforce, who are likely dealing with proportionately more “Zoom fatigue” from the pandemic. If this is the case, the leader should find more creative ways to foster connectivity or, if possible, try to organize in-person events to enable the employees to connect with each other more.
Lastly, it should be ensured that this feedback loop is not a one-off occurrence. A communication line has been opened, and it should be kept this way. The manager should devise a plan to regularly collect feedback, comments, and suggestions from their team, and be flexible enough and willing to find ways to act on suggestions being made. Data can be collected either through formal measures like sending out employee engagement surveys or more informal measures such as sitting down and having a conversation or booking regular one-on-one meetings. Gallup finds that the best practice is for managers to have meaningful 15–30-minute conversations once a week with each employee.
By actively listening to the needs and wants of their people, managers foster a work environment that is inclusive and supportive, which can help their team members feel valued, motivate them to perform at their best and thus address the issue of employee disengagement.
TalentPredix has the strengths-based tools, resources, and skills to engage employees to help you build a thriving place to work so your people can reach their full potential. Contact us today to learn more.
The term ‘quiet quitting’ has made the rounds online, from starting conversations and debate on all corners of the internet, to even being named one of Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year. Collins has defined it as “the practice of doing no more work than one is contractually obligated to do.”
RotaCloud, a staff management software company, has now identified a new workplace trend to succeed quiet quitting called “resenteeism.” They define it as staying in a job, despite being fundamentally unhappy and actively resenting it. Concerns over job security, cost of living, or a lack of alternative employment options are cited as reasons that employees stay. The main difference that resenteeism has from its predecessor is that the employee is more vocal about their dissatisfaction and may potentially influence the opinions and attitudes of others.
However, a common denominator between the two is that it all boils down to employee engagement, or a lack thereof. Indeed’s Work Happiness Score revealed that more than one third of U.K. employees are unhappy in their current job roles. Employee engagement is nothing new in the HR industry, but recent events like the pandemic and cost of living crisis have brought it front and center. But the question remains – what can managers do to engage their employees and prevent dissatisfaction?
Primarily, managers need to be engaged and present at work, so they can identify which employees are putting in less effort than before and seem disengaged from the wider workforce. In a hybrid or remote settings, being present could mean reaching out more to employees to be more visible and keep communication lines open. Being engaged as a remote manager could also mean giving your employees the autonomy and flexibility to do the work on their own time but ensuring that performance standards and deadlines are clearly communicated.
Some signs managers should look out for in employees:
In our next article, we will explore how managers can reengage a disengaged employee to achieve better outputs and productivity.
TalentPredix has the tools, resources, and skills to engage employees to help you build a thriving place to work so your people can reach their full potential. Contact us today to learn more.
We asked our Founder and CEO, James Brook, a few questions so you can get to know him better.
What is the biggest highlight of your working life?
Other than starting TalentPredix Ltd, it was undoubtedly founding Strengthscope, a global strengths assessment company I ran for 13 years. I love to combine my passions for leading entrepreneurial businesses and designing innovative talent assessment and development approaches that help people discover and optimize their talents, strengths and potential, which is ultimately my core purpose.
What does great talent management mean to you?
Finding, retaining, developing and deploying diverse and highly motivated people that can translate your vision into reality and enable your organization to stand out and thrive.
Who has inspired you most in your career?
I have been lucky enough to have had outstanding managers, mentors and coaches during the course of my career, each of whom has inspired me in different ways. I have also drawn inspiration from a wide range of successful leaders, psychologists, authors and entrepreneurs such as Nelson Mandela, Richard Branson, Ariana Huffington, Phil Knight (Nike founder), Peter Drucker, Abraham Maslow, Adam Grant and Elon Musk. Finally, I have my Dad and Mom to thank for my values and work ethic that have inspired my curiosity, creativity and search for excellence throughout my career.
What energizes you most about your work?
The opportunity to work with a wide variety of leaders, people and teams to help them to achieve their full potential and make a positive difference to customers, shareholders and other stakeholders.
How do you relax outside work?
I run several times a week (and try to run at least a couple of half marathons each year), swim and also enjoy photography, movies, travel, and trying out different wines. I’m currently doing a PhD so time for relaxation is very limited.
What do you like most about working at TalentPredix Ltd?
The excitement of building our assessment and development products and seeing these gain traction and bring value to our clients. Our fast-growing team of core staff and global partners is also extremely talented, motivated and creative so they give me lots of enjoyment and energy.
We asked our Chief Science Officer, Paula Baetu, a few questions so you can get to know her better.
What is the biggest highlight of your working life?
I value learning, so starting my own business and following the road less travelled is my biggest highlight, as I have learned the most through this experience. However, I know there are many more career highlights to come, and I am looking forward to those.
What does great talent management mean to you?
Great talent management is a beginning to end process. It is the full scope of processes to attract, develop, motivate and retain high-performing talent, not a pick and mix. Great talent management ensures all parts of the talent machine are well taken care of with the goal of thriving, engaged and effective talent within the organization.
Who has inspired you most in your career?
My parents played a really big role in my career, but in different ways. My father has always challenged I have been inspired by many people in different ways and for different reasons. My parents are one of my role models as they have run their own successful business since I was born. However, I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am now without the support and guidance of my mentors and supporters along the way.
What energizes you most about your work?
I love working with people and the unique energy each person brings into a room. I am highly energized by developing others either through running workshops, coaching or mentoring.
How do you relax outside work?
I enjoy being social, a range of strength-based exercises (from weight lifting to callisthenics), photography, good food and travel.
What do you like most about working at TalentPredix™?
TalentPredix™ is not just a company I work for; it is a dream I have helped build from the ground up. What I love about where we are right now is the possibilities and potential to grow TalentPredix™ into more than a business, into something that truly helps people and organizations thrive.