Discovering Leaders
Noted Executive Search Consultant Discusses Human Capital Assesment

by Thomas Fuller
epsen fuller & associates

In today's competitive environment, the most important asset of any growth organization is its Intellectual Capital.

Building a Talent Advantage should be the #1Priority of VC's and founding entrepreneurs, as it has the largest impact on Shareholder Value. When asked to identify the top criteria for the success of any venture, Bill Gross, founder and Chairman of famed Silicon Valley incubator idealab, he responded, "People! People always make the difference. A great idea with a mediocre team has little chance of survival. A mediocre idea with an exceptionally talented team has a very good chance of being wildly successful."

Making the right people decisions is the ultimate means of fueling the growth of the organization. We must identify leaders who have the Key Ingredients to Drive Success in a Fast Growth Environment.

• A Visionary who has the ability to Communicate the Vision
• A Decision Maker who is Proactive not Reactive, with the ability to anticipate the effect Today's Decision will have on Tomorrow's Business
• A Team Builder who can truly Delegate effectively, Empower the organization, Inspire & Motivate the team to accomplishments beyond the norm.

Peter Drucker, a noted organization development guru, claims that senior executives spend more time on people decision than on anything else. Unfortunately, he also says that only one-third of those executive hires are successful. Recognizing the need for a more systematic approach to making highly effective hiring decisions, epsen, fuller & associates has developed the  Human Capital Valuation System™, which takes the mystery out of the process. This approach leads to a much higher degree of phenomenal results.

When embarking on the hiring process, you must first start by identifying what the Optimum Performance Profile of the position really is. This includes creating a set of performance objectives for the position, called S.M.A.R.T. objectives - Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Results-driven, and Time-based objectives that will benchmark an awesome performance.

Continue by considering carefully the correct Behavioral Profile that will best fit both your organization, as well as the specific position itself. Have you ever asked the question, "Why are 80%+ of the sales typically generated by the top 10% of the sales team?" The answer lies in the behavioral profile of the individual - Self Motivation, Attitudes & Beliefs, Persistence, Maturity & Judgment, Capacity to Learn and Temperament. These all have the largest direct impact on the performance of the individual.

By clearly identifying the performance objectives and behavioral fit of the position, then matching those with the candidate's actual career accomplishments and individual personality, successful performance can be predicted. Why? Because past performance is the best indicator of future performance.

Knowing that the accuracy of your Human Capital Acquisitions DIRECTLY impact the performance of the company, People Decisions should not be guesswork. Human Capital is NOT an intangible and talent CAN be appraised accurately, leading to sound people decisions.

About the Author: Tom Fuller is President and CEO of epsen fuller & associates, a leading executive search firm with offices in New Jersey and Texas. A frequent public speaker on Human Capital Assessment and the importance of building management teams, Tom developed the proprietary  Human Capital Valuation System I™ and is dedicated to serving the strategic human resource needs of demanding emerging growth and corporate clients.