Case Study | Values-Driven Approach Delivers Results for Australia’s 10th Fastest Growing Company

When one of Australia’s fastest-growing companies says it has a secret weapon that helps keep it focused and on track, other businesses with growth aspirations ought to pay attention.

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.

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Quantum Values is a leading executive coaching and business mentoring firm. Our Integrity and Values approach delivers expert business coaching, leadership training and career coaching to individual and corporate clients to raise productivity, improve team communication and drive increased profits.