Articles Some Rules are Meant to be Broken Pick the Winners Without Gambling! Managing Made Easier ARTICLES Pick the Winners without Gambling! By Rosslynn Shortt, M.A.Sc Have you ever made a hiring mistake or promoted the wrong person? Conversely, have you ever matched personnel and position so perfectly that you wished you could do it again and again? These thought provoking questions illustrate that employing good people is essential to the success of your business. Every person who is not well-suited to his or her job, or who may be suited but is not committed to doing the job well, costs you money and these costs can far exceed salary costs. Ever-tighter profit margins and increasingly tough competition have forced organizations to scrutinize their costs and reduce them wherever possible. Consequently, many savvy decision makers are turning to assessment tools for hiring and promoting staff because they know that such key decisions can dramatically affect their bottom line. Because they are objective and unbiased, assessments are a worthwhile investment. They allow you to tap into the very core of a person and reveal important information that would otherwise be difficult to ascertain. Through assessments, you will be privy to a candidate's passions, attitudes, and emotions. They also provide detailed feedback that can be leveraged in other areas of your business. These include development, task assignment, effective communication, conflict management, and improved working relationships. When next you're looking to hire or promote, try using assessments to make your decision easier and more reliable. Take the gamble out of hiring. Use assessments to help you select the winners!