Recruiting is changing fast. A new Gartner study reveals that only one quarter (26%) of job seekers trust AI will fairly evaluate them. The skills shortage is well documented; however, the pursuit of efficiency in hiring might be pushing away the very people you want to attract!

 

Computer says NO!

 

A  good friend of mine, (for privacy I am using the name “Sarah”) told me she recently applied for a senior marketing role and was extremely excited about the opportunity. It was just what she was looking for.

 

As part of the recruitment process, she was invited to complete an online assessment. To her surprise, the assessment wasn’t like a traditional psychometric test that she had done before, but an AI-powered game.

 

It felt strange and disconnected. Sarah told me she was put off by it and was thinking “So we’ve come to this! An algorithm is going to decide if I’m a good marketer?” She even questioned if a real person was going to look at her application?  This feeling of being judged by a machine, without a human connection, made her feel uneasy and question if she wanted to work for that company.

 

This story isn’t unique. Using opaque, AI-only systems, risks losing the trust of great people like Sarah.

 

Trusted Science

 

Psychometric assessments have been used for decades because they work. They are built on tried and trusted science, not on a black box algorithm. They provide a transparent, fair way to measure a person’s abilities and personality. When a company clearly explains what a psychometric tool is for and how it connects to the job, it shows respect for the candidate. This approach builds trust and makes the process feel more human.

 

Bull in a China Shop

 

I get it! AI is great for improving efficiency; however, let’s not allow the rush to use the latest tech overshadow the importance of building trust in human interactions. A balanced approach—using proven, ethical tools and communicating openly—is the key to attracting and retaining the best talent.

 

What’s your take on this? How can we ensure our hiring processes are both effective and human-centric?

 

Want a more human, effective hiring process?

 

Ditch the black-box algorithms. Discover how Great People Inside uses transparent, science-backed assessments to create a fair, trust-building, and human-centric recruitment experience.

 

Visit greatpeopleinside.com.au to learn more and transform your hiring strategy today.

 

Make an appointment to see how it works for your team

 

Send us email: australia@greatpeopleinside.com

It doesn’t matter whether you are an SME or Multinational people management skills have become more critical than ever. While working from home has become a widely accepted norm, leading teams in this evolving environment demands a refined set of capabilities from contemporary leaders. Now is an opportune moment for you to sharpen your focus on this area, as employees increasingly recognise and value strong people management.

 

These essential skills empower leaders to navigate workplace challenges, foster team cohesion, and build a thriving business. They are vital for:

• Resolving interpersonal conflicts
• Guiding employee training and development.
• Effectively managing project deadlines.
• Ensuring seamless communication and information flow between remote and in-office employees.
• Cultivating a robust and positive company culture.
• Unlocking your employees’ full potential.

 

Leaders who continually improve their people management skills excel at providing constructive feedback and mentoring employees, guiding them toward growth and success. This approach facilitates the establishment and achievement of clear goals, creating a more positive and productive work environment.

 

Set them up for Success.

 

A leader with a deep understanding of their employees can accurately assess:

• The strengths and weaknesses within their team.
• The resources required for various tasks.
• The ability to set realistic and achievable deadlines.

 

This informed approach empowers employees to strive for success, rather than setting them up for failure. In addition, leaders can build strong rapport, solicit valuable feedback from their team, and implement actionable steps for positive cultural change. This collaborative effort benefits everyone.

 

Four Critical People Management Areas

 

1. Understanding Human Behaviour and Acknowledging Diversity

 

It’s fundamental to grasp one simple concept: we are all different. A leader must recognise that family, environmental, and cultural influences shape beliefs and behaviours. Understanding diverse behavioural types enables leaders to treat employees with respect, leading to enhanced work practices, a motivated team, and valued ideas.

 

Gartner’s 2023 report confirms: diverse organisations show higher employee engagement and performance.

 

2. The Individual’s Purpose

 

Understanding each employee’s sense of purpose ensures alignment with business goals, whether in-office or remote.

 

Gallup’s 2022 study found that employees whose purpose aligns with the organisation are significantly more engaged and productive.

 

3. Transparent Communication

 

Open communication builds trust. Strong people managers actively listen and maintain two-way communication, especially in remote teams. Tools like video-based onboarding and a clear communication strategy are vital.

 

Buffer’s 2024 report shows communication is the top challenge for remote teams.

 

4. We Own This Together

 

Entrusting team members with tasks suited to their skills builds ownership and boosts morale.

 

Microsoft’s 2023 Work Trend Index found that autonomous employees report greater job satisfaction and lower burnout.

 

Ongoing People Management for Development and Retention

 

Hiring a “superstar” is just the beginning. Continuous development from onboarding through training and career progression is essential. Today’s workforce craves personal skill development, whether onsite or remote.

 

Common reasons for attrition include:

• Lack of training and development
• Poor engagement
• Limited progression opportunities

 

Quantifying Top Performance

 

Traditional assessments often rely on generic benchmarks. At GPI (Great People Inside), we build organisation-specific benchmarks tailored to the “success DNA” of your top performers.

 

“Without an organisation-specific benchmark, you’re making people decisions with blindfolds on.”

 

These customised assessments enable targeted development, succession planning, and laser-focused coaching for both new hires and existing employees.

 

Ready to elevate your people management game with customised assessments and organisation-specific benchmarks? Let’s make it happen!

 

✅ Comment “Benchmark” below to start the conversation

 

✅ Visit our website to explore more

 

✅ Make an appointment to see how it works for your team

 

✅ Send us email: [email protected]m  – we’re here to help!

Have you ever experienced that rush of anxiety when you must recruit a new critical role? It’s a feeling where you instinctively brace yourself for the journey ahead – the talent hunt, the associated recruitment fees, the extensive interviews, onboarding complexities, and the inherent risk of a mis-hire that can significantly impact productivity and resources. Yet, what if your ideal candidate isn’t on “Seek” or “Indeed” or trawling through LinkedIn, but is already an integral part of your team?

 

Seems like a pretty straightforward concept, doesn’t it? “I know my team; I understand their capabilities.” And certainly, you’re aware of their current performance. However, how comprehensive is that understanding? Do you truly know the full scope of their skills, their unexplored experiences, or the knowledge they possess that hasn’t been directly relevant to their current position? You recruited them for a specific role, but what untapped potential might you be overlooking?

 

Mary’s Unveiled Potential: A Strategic Imperative for Talent Identification

 

Consider the story of “Mary” from my experience. When managing the Clinical Business Unit for a prominent dental distribution company – guiding a workforce exceeding one hundred people – my primary objectives revolved around fostering business growth and enhancing operational efficiency. Like many in leadership, my focus was on profitable revenue generation and effective cost management.

 

Mary was a consistent top performer in sales, calling on dental practices. With a background as a dental assistant, her product and procedural knowledge was extensive. Despite a  number of opportunities for Sales Manager, Regional Team Leader and Product Management roles, Mary never expressed interest in advancement. I simply assumed she was content in her current position.

 

Then, during a conversation with another team member, Mary’s “secret life” came to light. It turned out that in her personal time, she was deeply involved with a national charity, holding significant responsibility for training and developing a large volunteer base across Victoria. The level of organisation, leadership, and people management she demonstrated outside of her professional role was truly remarkable – far exceeding what her daily responsibilities would suggest.

 

Over a discussion, I asked her why she never pursued more senior roles within the business, with their associated remuneration and status. Her response was both clear and insightful: “I earn enough to fulfill my own needs. When my calls conclude for the day, my work responsibilities end, allowing me to dedicate my time to supporting others less fortunate.” Mary was an exceptional individual, content and demonstrating a profound understanding of work-life balance long before it became part of the vernacular.

 

Critical Considerations in Talent Management

 

While Mary was satisfied, her story highlighted several critical considerations that remain highly relevant for today’s HR and Operations leaders:

 

• Undiscovered Ambition:There’s a real possibility that highly capable individuals, like Mary, might desire advancement but aren’t the type to proactively self-promote or express their ambitions openly.

 

• Missed Connections:Relying on chance conversations to uncover talent risks overlooking significant potential. A structured approach is essential to avoid such oversights.

 

• Hidden Capabilities:Lots of “Marys” likely exist within your business—individuals with impressive capabilities that simply aren’t displayed or used in their current roles.

 

• Talent Drain:Failing to identify and develop internal talent can lead to valuable employees departing the business because they haven’t been afforded opportunities to realise their full potential internally.

 

These considerations highlight the substantial cost of external recruitment. Studies tell us total cost of hiring a new recruit can vary between 33% and 60% of the annual salary, depending on the role, big money in any language!

 

Initiative-taking Talent Insights: A Strategic Advantage

 

In many organisations, gaining a comprehensive understanding of every employee’s latent ability through informal interactions simply isn’t feasible. However, you can acquire deeper insights. You can identify what truly motivates your team members and where their undeveloped potential lies, aligning these insights with your organisational needs.

 

How? By dedicating the same level of strategic focus to understanding your existing workforce as you do to assessing external candidates. High-quality psychometric assessments, such as Great People Inside (GPI), offer a cost-effective, technology-driven solution. They provide a robust dataset on individual strengths, developmental areas, and potential for career progression. This approach moves beyond basic performance metrics, allowing you to uncover hidden talent and ensure you never overlook valuable individuals again.

 

So, the critical question for HR and Operations leaders today is this: Is the ideal candidate for your next key vacancy already in your business? And consider the implications of failing to discover them. The opportunity cost of inaction could be eye watering!

 

Don’t get hidden talent slip through the cracks. Click the LINKS to explore how Great People Inside can help you uncover and develop internal potential:

 

✅ Visit our website

 

✅ Make an appointment

 

✅ Send us email: [email protected]

The shift to hybrid and remote work marked an abrupt shift for many of us, especially when it came to managing teams. Since it’s become the norm, I’ve seen it firsthand, and even experienced a bit myself!

 

The challenges of fostering connection, achieving crystal-clear communication, developing trust, and cultivating a strong culture are amplified when everyone isn’t in the same room.

 

On reflection, it was easy to believe that good managers would naturally adapt to remote work, however, the data from the recent AHRI research, ‘Hybrid and Flexible Working Practices in Australian Workplaces in 2025,’ paints a different picture: remote teams often struggle without managers possessing the right skills.

 

In fact, the research tells us ,the top three disadvantages of hybrid working are perceived to be:

 

1. A feeling of disconnectionbetween colleagues (57%)
2. Staff collaboration(38%)
3. Monitoring performance(35%).

 

So, are your remote managers truly their team’s lifeline, or are hidden cracks starting to show?

It’s situations like these that fuel my dedication to what we do at GPI. Our GR8 Remote Manager tool provides clarity; It pinpoints key information about a manager’s efficiency in leading virtual teams, assessing their ability to skilfully manage varied work styles and ignite vision, motivation, and momentum. Plus, it comes with practical development suggestions and coaching to help them grow and develop.

 

I believe investing in our remote leaders is critical for building truly high-performing and engaged virtual teams. I also believe it shouldn’t always have to cost an arm and a leg either!

 

At GPI, we’ve redefined affordable psychometric assessments. Thanks to our advanced technology, you get valid and reliable solutions at a fraction of the typical cost. We make it simple: just plain language reports that are easy to understand , and no expensive accreditation courses either!

 

You only pay for what you use too, with flexible pricing based on the dimensions you measure. This means powerful, customised insights are accessible to organisations of all sizes.

 

If you’re curious about how to empower your managers and strengthen your remote culture, I encourage you to explore this further.

 

✅ greatpeopleinside.com.au

✅ Make an appointment

✅ Send us an email

This is The Real Reason HR Struggles to Win Executive Buy-In.

As a senior HR leader, you instinctively understand the impact of your initiatives – improved morale, reduced turnover, and a more skilled workforce. These qualitative outcomes are often difficult to translate into tangible business outcomes, and the kind that resonates with the C-suite can often feel like an uphill battle.

You’re not alone. Industry reports consistently highlight this challenge: demonstrating the direct link between HR metrics and the bottom line.

Think about it: you champion a crucial leadership development program. You see the engagement, the positive feedback. But, when it comes time to demonstrate ROI, do you have the statistical data that truly tells the story of its business impact?

Here’s the strategic shift more HR leaders are embracing: moving beyond anecdotal evidence to quantifiable impact. The key lies in understanding your people strategically and leveraging tools that provide objective insights into the skills and potential directly relevant to your organisation’s success.

Imagine being able to pinpoint the precise leadership competencies relevant to your organisation that directly correlate with team productivity before launching that development program.

This level of insight enables more targeted initiatives and, crucially, allows you to measure the impact on key business drivers.

Connecting HR to the Bottom Line: A Practical Approach

Speaking the language of finance doesn’t need to be complex. It’s about clearly demonstrating how your HR programs influence the metrics the executive team cares about. Consider this simplified framework:

1. Identify the Business Challenge: What specific problem is your initiative aiming to solve (e.g., slow project completion times, high attrition in a key department)?
2. Define Measurable Goals: What tangible improvements are you aiming for (e.g., reduce project timelines by X%, decrease turnover by Y%)?
3. Track Key Metrics: Implement systems to consistently measure the relevant data points before and after your initiative.
4. Quantify the Impact: Translate the improved metrics into financial terms. For example, A reduction in project completion time might mean increased revenue potential or resource savings. Another example, a lower turnover often results in reduced recruitment and onboarding costs.
5. Calculate the ROI (Simple Formula): ROI = (Benefit−Cost) ÷ Cost × 100

By focusing on these steps, you move from simply describing “better leaders” to demonstrating measurable outcomes through improved efficiency or reduced costs. This data-driven approach elevates HR from an operational function to a strategic partner directly contributing to organisational growth.

The ability to articulate HR’s financial impact isn’t just about justifying budgets; it’s about securing future investment and solidifying HR’s role as a vital driver of business success. The future of HR leadership demands that we validate our people strategy with demonstrable ROI.

Ready to explore tools that can help you quantify your HR impact? Discover your strategic HR advantage here: www.greatpeopleinside.com.au