KSA Projects was recently ranked 10th on BRW’s 2009 Fast Starters list, which measures the growth of independent companies that commenced trading after June 30, 2004. An integrated construction and property management group, KSA Projects specialises in the management and delivery of retail and commercial projects across Australia.

KSA Managing Director, Keith Sheppard, said the company’s rapid growth has largely been propelled by a values-driven approach to recruiting and leadership development that allows it to select the best people and then empower them to perform.

“We have a very clear vision of where we’re going,” said Mr Sheppard. “We have a strong team of people who are chosen for their strengths and expertise and skills, and we give them an environment that allows them to grow without a lot of bureaucracy, but with a degree of freedom that is underpinned by the right level of control and support.

“Thanks to the Integrity and Values Profiling System, we know exactly what we’re buying when we take on a new team member. We know what their strengths and weaknesses are so we know how to support them so their weaknesses aren’t playing out, but can actually grow them over time.”

The Integrity and Values profiling system is a powerful new psychometric assessment that provides deep insights into the unconscious conflicts that will affect an individual’s performance in the workforce.

Developed in Australia and objectively validated for accuracy and relevance, this tool allows you to measure how truthful a person is, their default style under pressure, how they manage themselves and others, and how hard they work to make a good (or bad) impression.

The Integrity and Values profile scores an individual in six key areas:

• Integrity – which measures Truthfulness, Responsibility, Accountability, Loyalty and Self Awareness;
• Self Management – which measures Assertiveness, Self Belief and Happiness;
• Task Focus – which measures Result Orientation, Organisation, Focus & Urgency, Attention to Detail, and Reliability;
• Relationship Focus – which measures Ability to Talk, Ability to Listen, Appreciation, Empathy and Networking;
• Vision and
• Impression Management – which measures the degree to which a person will seek to inflate their scores to gain approval

“We use the profile every time we recruit someone into the business. The one time I went against the profile and hired someone anyway because he was so experienced and interviewed so well, he only lasted a few weeks and there was a considerable cost to the business.

“I would estimate that using the Integrity and Values Profile to inform our hiring decisions has saved us over $300,000 over the past 18 months,” he said.

In addition to eliminating bad hiring decisions, KSA has also invested in values-based coaching and leadership development for its executive team, delivered by Integrity and Values founder, Jennifer Elliott and her partner, Jeff Muir.

A former Telstra Businesswoman of the Year (1997), Ms Elliott created the profile and leadership program during a 25 year career working with senior executives and business owners. The training has taken KSA’s management on a transformational journey of personal discovery and awareness that has radically changed how they do business.

This unique program focuses on three key areas:

• developing and articulating a clear vision;
• the ability to fight clean and have the assertive conversations that resolve issues and conflict quickly and effectively; and
• the key ingredients that contribute to work being fun
  • the degree of challenge
  • elbow room
  • opportunity for learning
  • mutual support and respect
  • meaningfulness of the work
  • availability of a desirable future

Integrity and Values Approach Drives Rapid Growth

“Based on my experience prior to using the I&V profile, our business is literally growing three times as fast as it would have been if we had not used it,” Sheppard said.

“The profile gives us a solid foundation for our people; we have a firm understanding of their needs and their learning edge, which allows us to support them accordingly and also create the right team mix so that people are in a supportive environment rather than just soldiering away.

“Our people are growing at an exponential rate, which obviously creates a lot of value for the business and is part of what makes us so successful,” he said.

With a growing pipeline of sales and big plans for the future, Mr Sheppard said he is committed to using the Integrity and Values Profile for the long term.

“This approach has delivered enormous value for our business and given us a solid platform on which to grow. I couldn’t be happier with the results,” he said.

Management of this nature does involve a time and energy commitment at the onset. However, the long term rewards are well worth your efforts. The simple techniques to be followed when coaching are essential to ensure your success:

• Set clear expectations and goals
• Discuss and address any perceived obstacles
• Provide regular feedback in a positive and constructive manner
• Recognise achievements

It’s the new “Ask, don’t tell” philosophy

The idea behind coaching is to encourage critical thinking on the part of your associates. Realistically, the person doing the job probably knows the most about it. So, when they approach you with a problem, providing them with the answer doesn’t really benefit them. Ask them for their perspective of addressing the issue. If time permits, discuss the potential solutions before acting.

When we open up the problem solving process to all of our associates it’s ultimately more beneficial to everyone involved, including the associate!

Happy associates make for happy customers

Feeling as though you’ve made a difference and that your work and ideas are appreciated ultimately leads to job satisfaction. Those good feelings that your associates have about the company are conveyed to customers with every contact. A discontented associate is not always an ally to the company and unfortunately, your customer’s perceptions are the only ones that are relevant. Ensure your company is perceived as a great company to work for, and a great company to work with!

Whether yours is a small business, or a multi-million dollar corporation, the benefits of coaching as a management tool are unlimited. Your most valuable asset is your associates, and you hold the key to unlocking their potential. Don’t underestimate your impact as a manager, teacher, and mentor!

1. Live the vision

Think about every corporate bureaucrat with whom you’ve ever done business. Quite simply, corporations create visions and mission statements to align the entire infrastructure around a certain set of goals created by upper management. You are in control of this set of goals in your business. Therefore, creating and living a vision (speak it, act according to it, etc.) will create more business unity and consistency in your work environment. Leadership is a natural by-product of vision.

2. Strategise

If vision is your set of goals, strategy is your plan for achieving them. A leader without strategy or vision is not effective no matter how well people adhere to his instructions. Adhere to strategies when coaching employees in your small business.

3. Manage the management

Micromanagement is one of the most destructive forces in a business. Employees are hired because they are competent enough to handle a position. If they’re not, replace them. If they are, allow them to make decisions in their personal work environments. Allowing employees to take care of their own problems while leading the entire business to its goals will result in more effective leadership.

4. Use benchmarks

A big part of the management process is to monitor results of strategies and make adjustments if necessary. Leadership is no exception. Benchmark the performance of units under your leadership to make sure that they are performing well, and if they are your leadership style is improving.

5. Integrity and trust

Quite frankly, employees respond to quality characteristics in leaders. If you bring a sense of integrity in your leadership and coaching style, your employees will trust you. And as every business owner knows, trusting employees provide quality results.

6. Flexibility

There is a certain amount of leeway that good leaders can use while maintaining strategies. A good leader is able to recognise and use this flexibility to his or her advantage. Think about the new car salesman trying to make a sale – if his manager gives him leeway, he may make the sale. If not, the buyers may get fed up with them having to always “ask the supervisor”.

7. Give credit where its due

If the last century of business research has taught us anything, it’s that positive reinforcement is crucial to employee development. Provide coaching to employees and honour them when they perform well. Remember, some employees will respond well to praise and others to pay.

8. Understand your place on the space-time continuum

Good leaders remain relevant. When a member of management understands the vision and direction of the business, the direction of his or her department and the general attitude of his or her employees, then they can make powerful leadership decisions.

Here are five things to remember when choosing an executive coach.

1. Set up an interview

This step is useful for several reasons; Meeting with a potential coach before establishing a relationship allows you to assess their character and approach as well as ask any questions you may have about the coaching process. Make sure they are genuine, professional and that your personalities are compatible. You don’t want to be stuck working with someone you find irritating

2. Verify their credentials

What makes this person qualified to advise you in growing your business. It’s up to you to decide what’s important to you and what you feel are the necessary qualifications for coaching you and your team. What qualifications do they have? What is their level of skill and experience? How successful have they been in coaching previous clients? These are all questions you need to consider before hiring someone to coach your small business.

3. Get references

If possible, arrange to speak with past clients. Find out how their experience with this business coach affected business practices, culture and results. Was the experience positive or negative? You’ll want to make sure their past clients are satisfied and can report measurable improvements in the way their business runs.

4. Get a second opinion

If you are the managing director, arrange for another member of your executive team to attend the interview process as well. This will give you a second viewpoint on the potential value of retaining a coach and they will often have questions that haven’t occurred to you.

5. Sign a contract

Once you’ve found the right coach for your company, be sure to put a contract in place that details the services to be offered, payment terms, a timeline and any other specific information relevant. This practice benefits both parties as well as offering legal protection.

Now that you’re prepared to choose the best candidate for coaching your executives, take advantage of the opportunity and find a coach today!

One of the key teachings of the Integrity and Values Leadership Development Program, and the core basis of our career coaching philosophy, is the three ingredients for success.

When you and your team get this right, profits soar, you feel great and your whole life occurs like a wonderful fun-filled game.

A Clear Vision

All organisations whose people have a clear vision of where they are going are well on their way to success. A vision is necessary to bind the organisation and give people hope.

The work we do through the Integrity and Values Leadership Program enables people to have the powerful conversations required to implement the vision. This is achieved when the executive team is functioning in a healthy and productive manner. Once the vision and goal is set, our role is to keep the team honest and focused.

The Ability to Fight Clean

One of the most common problems in executive management is the lack of skills in this area. Some people see fighting as dirty, dangerous and unnecessary. “The ability to fight clean” means the ability to table an issue with a coworker at the first available opportunity and resolve it productively. There are only two outcomes that come from conflict. They are successful resolution or management of the conflict. Where there is management of conflict, an organisation will operate at less than its potential.

The Integrity and Values Leadership Development program gives individuals clear rules and the skills to resolve conflict in a powerful and direct manner. After a clean fight both parties can walk away without any residual resentment to fuel the next fight and with their dignity in place.

“Fun” – Essential for Success

When people don’t enjoy their work life, their dissatisfaction usually shows up in poor quality products and services. This can be addressed by ensuring that they experience an appropriate level of each of the six requirements considered critical for effective work. These are:

• the degree of challenge
• elbow room
• opportunity for learning
• mutual support and respect
• meaningfulness of the work
• availability of a desirable future

If these ingredients are present in the right measure, people experience work as a form of play. When their creativity is engaged, profitability soars because happy, healthy people are more productive.