aligning people and organizations to optimize talent and performance

HRA Executive Assessment

Organizations have come to terms with the fact that people are their greatest assets.  No matter how strong many aspects of the business are, an organization will thrive or diminish in accordance with the qualities and capabilities of its human capital.  While all employees contribute to an organization's success, given clear differential impacts at different levels, it is critical that organizations are staffed most effectively at successively higher levels of leadership.

Traditionally, hiring decisions have been made through a series of relatively short interviews.   After hiring new employees, surprises about them commonly surface that were not apparent earlier.  

At HRA, we believe that while widely practiced interviewing techniques are in many ways effective, there is also a need for an in-depth component of the hiring process.  We do not believe it is right to select mission-critical talent based on short interviews, just as one would not choose a spouse after a series of relatively brief meetings.   There is simply too much at stake, as a new executive will be responsible for mission-critical decisions and actions.

In this regard we strongly recommend that all final candidates for an executive position go through an in-depth, objective executive assessment.  HRA executive assessments are among the most in-depth in the industry.   While not a silver bullet, they do substantially increase the likelihood of success.  To accomplish this we collect a good deal of information from different sources, points in the candidate's history and points in the executive assessment process.  As we do this, we use a process of Talent Triangulation^©, where we consistently check for gaps, make adjustments and identify themes to connect the dots associated with job fit. 

Following are different Executive Assessment applications, goals and steps.

Executive Assessment Applications

• Staffing decisions.  Executive assessment is key in hiring as well as being valuable as decision support for promotional and lateral decisions.  While there is often considerable data available for internal employees, there are also unknowns about fit for promotions and laterals that require different knowledge, skills, abilities or other traits.  We also conduct Mission Critical Executive Assessments using our extremely in-depth MCX Process. 

• Career transitions.  Very often employees and employers are interested in movements into new career tracks.  Executive assessments are often used to provide more of a window on fit with new position responsibilities and the likelihood of success in new assignments.

• Development of new hires and existing employees.    Given the depth of HRA executive assessments, clients typically leverage information on the back end of the process to accelerate development of new hires.  Additionally, HRA executive assessments are commonly used with existing employees as a front end to coaching and development.  This provides a firm data-based development process that focuses on leveraging true strengths, clarifying and developing relative weaknesses, developing support mechanisms and building impactful leadership visions.

Executive Assessment Goals

• Deep dive to identify critical knowledge, skills, abilities and other traits.

• Cross-check and validation of other interview findings.

• Top-grade leadership with talent needed to meet key challenges and drive success of the business.

• Return on investment through eliminating poor hire costs related to: 1) ineffective, potentially disastrous performance;  2) impact on existing teams; 3) recruiting and hiring; 4) ramp-up time; and 5) rehiring for a second try.

• Development and feedback for new hire on-boarding or current employees.

• Advantages for both the candidate and the organization in assuring a good job fit.

Executive Assessment Steps

1. When first beginning with a company, HRA interviews key stakeholders to learn about the organization’s history, strategy, challenges, stakeholders and initiatives.

2. Client phones HRA to set up an executive assessment, which is generally for a finalist (sometimes two).

3. HRA conducts a 30 to 60 minute stakeholder conference call prior to each executive assessment to learn about the position challenges, requirements and history and candidate findings to date.

4. HRA conducts a conference call with the candidate to explain the process and discuss next steps.

5. Candidate completes executive assessment pre-work, including two on-line leadership inventories and a survey to provide information about career, track record, education, interests and competencies.

6. HRA and candidate meet for a 1/2- to 3/4-day executive assessment with exercises and in-depth interview. Interview is a deep-dive process to systematically triangulate themes, identify inconsistencies/red flags and merge multiple data points.

7. HRA triangulates all executive assessment data and produces an in-depth report of findings and development recommendations for hires.

Collaboration and Creativity Corner

HRA experts are deeply committed to strong thought and solution partnerships aimed at deep, practical innovation.  For more information and open dialogue submit your questions/comments/thoughts below, phone 847.266.1100 or email

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