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April 2008
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Exciting Insights. Inciting Results. Introducing the new ISHR Group.
It's been nearly ten years in the making, but it's refreshingly and dramatically new! With a new name, a new look and a new sense of purpose, the ISHR Group has arisen to meet all of your leadership assessment, development, training and staffing needs. Come interact with the future of HR at ISHRGroup.com!
What began in 1999 as Incite Strategies, Inc. still remains, in service and in spirit. But the scope of ISI's business has expanded into exciting new service capabilities and extended our reach worldwide. The triumvirate of three HR "thought leaders" -- Monique Dearth, Ellen Dotts and Stacy Sollenberger -- has "triumphed" in a new level of excellence in human resources consulting. We invite you to benefit from our combined experience and our commitment to meeting your most challenging HR needs.
For this inaugural edition of ISHR Insights, we spoke with the three founders:
ISHR Group has a new name and a new trademark. What is the significance of the new tri-part logo?
Monique: Our new identity emerged from the fact that our business segments were growing by leaps and bounds, but that we were limiting ourselves by branding them in different silos. We wanted to create more cohesion with our clients who have utilized us for our Incite Strategies' services or for our HR OptIn services individually but who could ultimately utilize us for both.
There is a new synergy in your services and your management structure?
Stacy: ISHR Group brings our distinctive offerings together to create a more cohesive package to our clients. The IS of Incite Strategies, and the HR of HROptIn. Our clients know we have the history and the talent behind both brands to be able to assist them with whatever their HR need.
Ellen: Now, instead of one, there are 3 'I's in the logo. A symbol that as we have grown our business, we have joined as three partners. Leadership is a key area of focus for the ISHR Group, from iour iAdvance Leadership Assessment process, to our Leadership ROI development programs.
To what do you owe your sterling reputation in leadership assessment and development?
Monique: I would have to say our passion for leadership development and assessment came out of our experiences at GE. We three partners all started our careers in HR at GE which, of course, is known as one of the premier (if not, the premier) developer of leaders in the world.
Ellen: We saw the focus that great companies place on leadership, and the return on investment that comes from making leadership development a key component of any business strategy. It was something that we individually became passionate about and continued to develop and cultivate with our clients.
Stacy: Our experience has taught us that superior leaders possess superior self-awareness and that there are common traits that superior leaders continually hone. As coaches, we are driven by our passion to facilitate the process by which leaders develop greater self-awareness. What we have designed incorporates our depth of experience in assessing talent, our expertise in facilitating the development of greater self-awareness, and our passion for coaching talent.
Coaching talent, orchestrating talent, motivating talent, coordinating talent -- all come through as very vidid images and themes at the new ISHRGroup.com site - why?
Monique: The theme of movement and energy describes us not only as a company, but also as individuals. These themes are really metaphors for what we practice and what we espouse: never sit still, strive to be the best, challenge yourself, be disciplined. We hope all those ideas come across. The color and motion of the images on the site says it all.
Ellen: The theme is also a metaphor for team-building. We have had amazing success working with teams to help them communicate better, solve problems, make decisions, influence one another, and leverage each other's strengths.
Your HR consulting community has grown steadily at HROptIn.com. What can you tell us about the new announcement to place seasoned HR professionals in both project and permanent, full-time assignments?
Monique: HROptIn was founded with the idea that we could provide a valuable service by tapping into the wealth of HR talent that had left the traditional job market to return, or Opt In, to flexible (contract) HR positions. It is a win-win proposition. For our clients, we provide access to top talent across a broad scope of HR disciplines. We can fill any project or part-time HR need. For our consultants, we provide the opportunity for flexibility and the opportunity to continue to leverage their HR expertise. Business continues to grow and we found there is a demand for the services we are providing. We are able to fill that niche successfully. What we also found was that by being so networked into the HR community our clients began asking us to help them fill permanent, full-time HR positions. We don't try to be, nor do we market ourselves, as typical retained search recruiters. Instead, we utilize our national HR network to help our clients will full-time HR positions. If we find a fit, it clicks!
What's in store for the ISHR Group in 2008?
Monique: Business is great. We appreciate the opportunity to continue to work with our valued clients, and are excited to be developing new customer relationships. We hope our clients appreciate our new structure to better allow us to serve them across all business segments in a more unified way. At the end of the day, our focus remains on continuing to provide the customized service that has become synonymous with Incite Strategies and HR OptIn. It's going to be a terrific year. We welcome you to join us.
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ISHR Group Departments
by Ellen M. Dotts
When people ask what we do and we say "Leadership Assessment" people immediately ask what it means. When HRM's think of "Assessment" they often think of Assessment Centers or Assessment Instruments. While these are also useful, what differentiates Incite Strategies' Assessment Process, iAdvance, is that it is much more "high touch" than "high tech." Our process focuses on observable behaviors in the organization and associated results.
Individuals going through our iAdvance process spend about 3 hours with an Incite Strategies consultant reflecting back on "why they've done what they've done", "how they got to where they are today," and "what they're looking to do going forward."
People who go through this process find it quite enjoyable and insightful. Most individuals never give themselves the chance to reflect back on the decisions they have made, the impact they have had, or the learnings they have gleaned. The iAdvance process helps them to make the linkages as to how they have become the leader they are today; more specifically, what strengths they need to continue to leverage, and what development needs they need to address.
Although the data gathering during the interview is certainly useful to identify patterns of behavior over a person's career, the power of the iAdvance process comes from the references with whom the consultant speaks to validate or hone the hypothesis resulting from their individual interview.
Many companies utilize an automated 360 process as part of their performance reviews ... our process goes a step further because our 360's, while still confidential, are conducted by phone. We don't simply get scores or numerical ratings. Rather, we have dialogues and are able to probe specifically into areas, ask for examples, flag disconnects, and test our hypotheses real time, which is something you can't do via computer.
Take a closer look at iAdvance...
by Stacy L. Sollenberger
We didn't tread into the Leadership Development arena without seriously considering what would make our courses more worthwhile when compared to other options on the market for our clients.
We knew that anything we designed had to incorporate our depth of experience in assessing talent, our expertise in facilitating the development of greater self-awareness, and our passion for coaching talent. We believe the Leadership ROI series has accomplished this in ways that even surprised us along the journey. When we offered our first LRO course to our clients in 2005, we knew we were onto something unique. Those first few participants told us that the LROI course was different because it was "an experience" as opposed to a typical classroom environment. They told us that they appreciated that they weren't sitting and listening to us lecture. Furthermore, they encouraged us to incorporate our expertise developed through the coaching of hundreds of leaders across the globe in our talent assessment side of the business. Finally, and most importantly, they told us that when they went back "into the real world" of their jobs, they APPLIED what they learned in our courses. In other words, they were getting a "return on their investment" of time spent with us in our courses.
More profound, though, is the feedback we receive AFTER the course is over and, as one participant told us 3 months after attending, "Several people have commented how I have evolved as a manager and improved by people skills." That is one of the greatest compliments we could receive ... that our influence helped them become a better leader.
Take a closer look at Leadership ROI...
by Monique A. Dearth
The ISHR Group does a tremendous amount of work with the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) and we consider it one of the backbones of our assessment and development programs. We utilize the HBDI as part of our leadership coaching when completing an iAdvance assessment and it is an integral part of our Leadership ROI curriculum. More importantly, we utilize it extensively as a tool with leaders and their teams who strive to increase their organizational effectiveness: in other words, teams who want to increase their ability to communicate, make decisions, handle conflict, innovate, strategize, and just get things done.
Our approach to the HBDI is unique. We knew our clients wanted to see the tool tied to significant business application -- the 'so what' of the results as they applied to the organization and the business. The approach we take allows results to accrue immediately. The purpose and the goal states are always clear. We are able to provide the business application and help teams to understand why it is imperative to understand whole brain thinking. Our best feedback? When we take organizations through the HBDI and they tell us it has truly changed the way they operate for the better.
Take a closer look at HBDI...
by Shari B. Johnson
HR OptIn recently celebrated its first year anniversary and we are already being recognized for our efforts by both local and national media. Our client list continues to grow often by referrals from other clients and/or consultants because of the experience they have had with the HR OptIn team. We want to be known for creating a relationship with our clients, understanding their business, and finding the "right" talent to fill their needs. On-going referrals are our validation that we are doing just this!
The breadth and depth of skills, industry experience, and leadership of our HR consultant community is outstanding! We like to say our consultants have education, experience and energy. When a placement is made at a client, our goal is for that HR consultant to "hit the ground running" and start adding value immediately to that project. This goal is the same whether we are filling a part-time, contract position, or placing someone into a full-time, permanent role.
Visit HROptIn and see the difference that the brightest HR talent...and the greatest HR options...can make for you! |
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Wall Street Journal -- A story in the April 9th, 2008, edition entitled "Reinventing Work After Time Away: Moving Back into the Work Force" takes an in-depth look at the national trends attracting "Comeback Careerists" and recognizes HR Optin for its specialized role placing human-resources executives in part-time or flexible positions
HR Executive Magazine -- A story in the April 2008 issue entitled "Opting Back In"highlights how many companies have begun luring stay-at-home parents back into the workforce and recognizes HR OptIn for its efforts in supporting this trend by focusing on HR professionals.
Atlanta Woman Magazine-- A story in the April 2008 issue entitled "Flexible Contracting" explores the benefits of alternative work arrangements and highlights HR OptIn for placing individuals "with human resources backgrounds in short-term, long-term and permanent positions."
Div100 National Recognition -- Incite Strategies received the Div100 award as one of the top 100 women-owned businesses in Georgia. Incite Strategies will be honored at an awards ceremony at the "8th Annual Multicultural Business Conference" taking place April 23 - 25, 2008 in Orlando.
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One of the key differences you'll find on ISHRGroup.com is an orientation to the real-world challenges HRMs face everyday. Visit What's Your Scenario and you'll no doubt relate to several clusters of actual issues confronting today's HR professionals. You'll also see how ISHR has developed robust services to meet these challenges head on, transforming problematic situations into manageable Scenarios for Success.
Stay tuned to this section for future reporting on HR Scenarios and ISHR Case Studies and Solutions.
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Become a Guest Blogger!
Is something on your mind you would like to share with our community of HR movers and shakers? Just drop us a line with an item for blogging and we'll make you an honorary Guest Blogger on ISHR Insights. The fine print: ISHR Group reserves the right of final editorial discretion. Email your blog post to [email protected]
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