MDS

In a world of talent shortage you need to give your people your first priority. Top talents want:

opportunities to grow and develop
projects which give them significance in the business
a clear (and rapid) career path
support from mentors and coaches

...and an impressive talent development programme...

From high potentials in the leadership pipeline to executives on a succession plan – MDS designs and delivers leading edge talent programmes.

- Talent Development
- Talent Acquisition

Talent Development - 6 Steps to Success

Through our years of experience at MDS we have shaped talent development best-practice into the following steps:

1. Leadership Culture: "Strategic Directions"

Identify the ideal leadership practices which your leaders will need to achieve your business strategy – using the Leadership Effectiveness Analysis™ model.

2. Individual Assessments

Raise self-awareness for each leader – a profile of leadership strengths and pitfalls using world class assessments. Then create tailored personal development plans.

3. Learning Modules

Build a curriculum based on needs identified in 1 and 2 above. Deliver highly interactive workshops with experiential exercises, case studies, role plays and team presentations.

4. Action Learning Projects (ALP)

Define powerful business topics for ALPs using your own subject matter experts. Create ALP teams to investigate, assess, recommend and present powerful business solutions.

5. Individual and Group Coaching Sessions

Generate creative insights for personal and leadership growth by executive coaching. Create the new mindset needed to make lasting behavioural changes in leadership.

6. Programme Impact Report

Track and monitor progress during the programme. To conclude leaders and their sponsors assess the measurable changes in culture and targeted leadership practices.

Benefits

MDS programmes produce great leaders for great companies.
- Accelerated personal and professional growth (by the support of a highly qualified coach)
- Essential self-awareness (expert feedback from leading assessment instruments)
- Commitment to change (using a structured personal development plan – with the sponsor’s input)
- A new mindset for leadership effectiveness (based on your ideal culture and competencies)
- Competence in leadership skills (for building confidence and effectiveness as a leader)
- Hands-on business experience (through an action learning project)
Our Credentials

MDS has an enviable track record with talent development clients in the insurance, sourcing, retail and service industries. Our unique selling points are:
1. A first class team of executive coaches (more than 40 around the APAC Region)
2. A centre of excellence (and regional distributor) for some of the world’s leading assessment instruments
3. Delivery in native languages (English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and more)
4. A great design team producing top quality curriculum and learning materials
5. A first class team of leadership trainers – delivering interactive workshops and facilitating ALPs
6. A large operations team to give your HR team all the support needed to deliver these complex programmes
Hiring Talent

For your talent management toolbox MDS is pleased to offer 2 excellent assessment instruments which you should use when hiring talent. These instruments are owned by Management Research Group®. They are:

LEA™ Candidate Report (Click LEA™ Candidate Report)

The LEA™ (Leadership Effectiveness Analysis™) Candidate Report gives an excellent profile of the leadership behaviours which the candidate uses in the workplace. The report uses the LEA™ model of leadership, 22 leadership practices arranged in 6 clusters:
- Creating a vision
- Developing followers
- Implementing the vision
- Following through
- Achieving results
- Team playing
SPA™ Candidate Report (Click SPA™ Candidate Report)

The SPA™ (Sales Performance Assessment™) gives an excellent profile of sales behaviours which the candidate brings to the sales role. The report assesses 24 sales practices (arranged in 3 clusters of Sales Behaviours and 1 cluster of Sales Drivers). Drivers show you what motivates this professional to sell.
- Preparation
- Contacting
- Implementation
- Drivers
These reports give a clear assessment of the candidate’s assets and potential challenges and a list of questions to ask the candidate during the interview.

Unique Characteristics

The LEA™ and the SPA™ have 30 and 20 year track records (respectively) and huge amounts of data on the research database. These are highly valid and reliable instruments. Moreover the questionnaire used is practically unique – using a “semi-ipsative” scoring system.

This guarantees that the answers given by the candidate present an objective picture of the candidate’s behaviours. The scores are presented in percentiles, so the report is clear and easy to interpret.

Using the LEA™ and SPA™ Candidate Reports

To use these reports for hiring you simply need to attend an MDS half day programme“Leadership Best Practice” (click Leadership Best Practice) or 2 day programme“Driving Sales Excellence” (click Driving Sales Excellence). You will then be approved to buy and use these reports for hiring.

Tips for the Hiring Manager

As preparation for hiring you may wish to carry out a “Strategic Directions” or “Role Expectations” exercise to create the ideal profile for the position. Please contact MDS for details of how this works.

Please note that you should consider any candidate assessment as only one component of the hiring process. You also need to consider:
- Prior work history
- Results from the interview and skills tests
- Relevant life experiences
- Educational and other qualifications
- References
To improve your hiring skills (especially in the behavioural questioning technique) please see the MDS Specialist Skills programme “Smart Hiring” (click Recruitment and Selection.)

If you would like to become a certified practitioner of the LEA™ or SPA™ instruments please join MDS for the relevant international certification programme. Click certification programmes. You will then be qualified to use the full range of reports for development of individuals and teams.

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