3 Ways to optimise your Telmie Pro profile
Your success as a Telmie Pro will always be determined by the quality of your sessions with Telmie users, however, before a client chooses to make their booking with you, your profile must clearly present who you are and the value you can offer them. Below are 3 ways in which you can optimise your Telmie Pro profile for the best results. Your profile photo Your profile photo is your Telmie avatar and the first thing that prospective clients will see when they are looking for a Telmie Pro to help them to achieve their goal. So what does your photo say about you? Ideally, you’d want to come across as confident, credible, and professional. This doesn’t mean you have to spend an afternoon with a professional photographer, in fact, a professional-looking image can be achieved with as little as a smartphone, and daylight. Example of the ideal Telmie Pro profile photo Examples of suitable self-captured profile photos Follow these steps to capture a profile photo that will make a great first impression Examples of unsuitable profile pictures Your profile bio The key to a good bio or profile description is specificity. The more concise and precise your description is, the easier it will be for potential clients to quickly decide whether you can help them to achieve their goals. We also recommend that you do a grammar and spell-check before submitting your description. Your profile video Adding a profile video is optional, however, a video can be very helpful for potential clients to understand who you are, how you communicate, and quite simply, whether they like you. A video introduction is a great way to show your personality and talk about your experience with more depth and detail. Follow these guidelines to create an engaging video for your profile: Add a thumbnail image to your video for best results.
The ROI of real-time professional services
The key responsibility of any leader is to ensure the resources of the organisation are used for maximum benefit. The return on investment (ROI) is a key measure of the value gained from the resources used. Usually, ROI calculations focus on financial inputs and outcomes such as revenue increases and/or cost savings. However, with real-time professional services, there are a host of additional non-financial returns which, while difficult to quantify, all have tangible and positive results. Let’s take a deeper look at both the financial and non-financial returns from utilising on-demand services. Direct financial returns There are significant costs involved in recruitment, development, and retention of employees. Real-time professional services minimise these hiring costs by providing an immediate source of expertise, doing away with the need for lengthy and expensive advertising, review, interview, and negotiation processes. Not only does it save on the direct recruitment costs, but it also saves the time of organisational leaders who can use their valuable time to focus on activities that contribute to sustainability and success instead. The reality is also that organisations bear significant HR costs, even if the employees are not being productive, and regardless of performance outcome. The difference with real-time professional services and fractional expertise is that payment is only made for the work that is done. Scarce financial resources are applied only as needed, and for a direct and immediate benefit. This allows funds normally tied up in employee expenses to be saved or reallocated to projects that directly enhance further revenue gain or cost reduction. It is a similar story where consultancies are engaged. Engaging consultancy services usually requires lengthy approval, tender, procurement, and up-skilling processes. Consultancy fees are known to be exorbitant, with the client paying for the consultants’ brand reputation, but also covering a portion of the consultancy’s own employee and operating overheads. While consultants do provide a wealth of expertise, and fill the knowledge gaps in many organisations, their engagement systems are clunky and cumbersome and embed many unnecessary costs. With on-demand services, the engagement of experts is a streamlined process. It eradicates expensive procurement processes and payment of compensation for consultants’ corporate structures. One of the greatest examples of the direct financial returns possible from real-time professional services comes from General Electric (GE). They launched GENIUSLINK to harness the power of expert networks. It comprises a team of experts both inside and outside of the company who get together to solve the organisation’s most difficult problems and advance the most ground-breaking visions. A small squad of GENIUSLINK members were convened to deliver the goal of finding $5 billion in productivity improvements over 10 years. Working with GE business units, this team was able to identify $5 billion in improvements in just its first nine months. The energy and engagement created in the community-based model is significantly superior to the relative stagnation and isolation inherent in the one-job-to-one FTE model, and in this case delivered extraordinary cost savings in a very short amount of time. Non-financial benefits There are also many advantages to utilising on-demand services that may be difficult to quantify immediately but have real and lasting positive impact for the organisation. Diversity in decision making All the research shows that diversity improves decision making. Seeking the opinion of others with varied life experiences and skills ensures a holistic perspective and prevents the traps of groupthink, echo chambers, unconscious bias, and unknown knowledge gaps, and therefore inclusive teams make better decisions almost 90% of the time. One of the key benefits of real-time professional services is the ease to which organisations can tap into diverse perspectives and fresh thinking. Using on-demand advice or fractional experts, decision-makers can access a wide breadth and depth of skills and experience and gain confidence in the path forward. Diversity is smart business, and real-time professional services make diversity easy. Speed to market One of the consequences of a volatile business market is that leaders need to get up to speed fast on new competitors, technologies, and customer expectations. The organisation also needs to be able to deliver new products, services, and strategies rapidly to respond and remain competitive. There is no way that a company can have all the information it needs in-house to respond to fast-moving markets. This is where accessing on-demand services presents a huge competitive advantage. Firms can access immediate expert advice on countries, competitors, technologies, and production pivots, and be able to respond swiftly to threats and opportunities as they arise. Getting in first to a new investment opportunity may deliver significant first-mover advantages, both financially and strategically, and responding swiftly to issues or competitive actions may prevent loss of customer loyalty and revenue. More than ever, speed is becoming the winning capability, and real-time professional services deliver the help needed instantly. Achieving agility Making decisions is a relatively easy process. Implementing them is much harder. There are many interests to align and resources to rally behind the new direction. The larger the organisation, the harder it is to chart a new course, but real-time professional services provide the flexibility to get the change started fast. No longer do organisations need to waste time recruiting new experts to fill capability gaps. With on-demand services, professionals can be engaged promptly to immediately advance strategic experiments or operational transformation. There is no need to be bound up by organisational politics or bureaucratic processes. Action can be taken when the time is right, and agility achieved with a phone call. Getting the right talent There are many risks and inefficiencies with traditional hiring processes. The talent pool is inherently limited by the advertising channels used, and the time taken to process applications may mean the best applicants have already had better offers. Recent research has shown that one-fifth of the current workforce are also planning a move into the gig economy, looking to maximise their freedom through freelance work. This means that organisations can expect to lose 20 percent of their most talented employees over the next
Companies achieving more: Telmie client case studies
The Telmie team is honoured to assist our clients be the best they can be. Here are two case studies that show how our real-time professional services have helped clients overcome unexpected problems and deliver excellent results. Gilead Sciences – Creating Possible Gilead is a research-based biopharmaceutical company who is striving to create a healthier world for all people. It is achieving this vision through discovering, developing, and delivering innovative therapeutics for people with life-threatening diseases. Some of Gilead’s life-changing medicines include antiviral drugs used in the treatment of HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Influenza. Their bold and transformative approach to science has led them to achieve a place on the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index and the S&P 500. Gilead’s courageous approach to their work is reflected in the company values, comprising inclusion, teamwork, and excellence. However, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the traditional team-building and personal development activities that supported employees to foster and enact these values were no longer possible. Employees were now working remotely, feeling isolated, and had no opportunity to foster camaraderie in person, especially with new team members. On top of the radical shift to working arrangements, there was a whole new set of financial challenges for the company to be managed. While the Finance leadership team were already users of the Strengthsfinder Analysis, the remote working arrangements made it difficult for the team to source coaches in numerous different locations and made implementing the strengths strategies cumbersome. The team, though, needed these tools more than ever, and so the HR Director sought out an online source of assistance to continue this important work. Gilead started using Telmie from Spring 2020 as it enabled continued development for all of the finance leaders wherever they were working. Some leadership teams were located in Spain, others in Italy, but with Telmie, there was no need to source coaches in each individual location. The employees could access coaches anytime and anywhere just using the one simple Telmie app. The program began with 15 Finance Directors who received remote-individual coaching. The directors could call on their coaches when and where they needed them and readily took control of their own learning and development. The personalised program was such a success it was expanded to also provide individual StrengthsFinder coaching for middle management. Telmie’s real-time professional services have transformed Gilead’s approach to professional development. In the past they used to offer leadership coaching on a case-by-case basis, and have it provided through a mix of internal coaches and global contracts with a coaching network. Now, all of the administrative burden of providing leadership coaching has all but disappeared. The flexible and responsive services provided by Telmie have allowed Gilead to offer coaching to a much wider cadre of organisational leaders, and they are reaping the results. The organisation’s leaders benefitted from the ability to discuss their problems with an expert and have an objective third-party provide unique perspectives on their challenges. Many participants saw this program as an excellent use of their time. The insights gained by participants improved their sense of confidence, and their performance during a very difficult time. “Having the time to discuss with an expert the topics on my mind related to professional and personal development was very valuable.†— Dorothy H. “Experience sharing with a professional but also an objective third party has been amazing. It is always good to have access to someone who is professional and listening to you and asking questions that then facilitates more, and better thinking.†— Can K. “For me, it was very timely to have this session in a moment of time where I had just moved to a new role that was getting me out of my comfort zone, and at the same time, I was quite clear on the development areas that I wanted to work on. This is the first time I am engaged in a coaching program, so I cannot compare but I feel that the insights provided by Ian, the fluidity of the conversations, the evidence of research or the cases he was sharing were very interesting and useful.†— Luis M. Gilead’s HR Director recognises the great value provided by the Telmie real-time professional services for all those involved in the program. However, it is also understood that the benefit gained by their leaders flows directly back to Gilead, continuing to drive a culture of excellence throughout the organisation. “Having completely personalised coaching in the moment, so to speak, when our leaders are working from home, or in transit, or at the office, is hugely beneficial to them, and consequently also to us as an organisation.†— Dagmar S. HR Director With real-time professional services, Gilead was able to continue their transformational work with Strengthsfinder, and even expand it across the organisation. Where other companies stalled or stagnated, Gilead used Telmie’s services to continue coaching its leadership teams to achieve excellence. Gilead’s investment in on-demand services enabled their resilience and success through challenging times and has delivered valuable returns for both the organisation and its employees. Wargaming PLC – The Best Experience Possible Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher. For over twenty years, Wargaming has been creating legendary games such as World of Tanks, World of Warships, World of Tanks Console, and World of Warships Legends. The quality of their games has seen Wargaming grow to become a leader in the free-to-play MMO gaming industry, with around 200 million players who enjoy playing Wargaming games. Through a program of extensive acquisition and expansion, Wargaming has become a truly global operation. Over 5,500 passionate employees work on delivering excellent gaming experiences from 19 offices around the world including in the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Germany, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Singapore, and the USA. One of the greatest challenges Wargaming experiences is fostering communication across multiple languages. The company prides itself on being agile and on delivering results, and to do this, they source the best and brightest in the industry, no matter where they are located.
Battle of the Titans: Which Strengths Assessment Reigns Supreme?
Gallup vs. Strengthscope vs. Strengths Profile In today’s fast-paced corporate environment, understanding individual strengths is crucial for both personal and professional growth. There’s a constant quest to find the perfect tool that reveals the core strengths of an individual. Among the frontrunners in the strengths assessment arena are Gallup, Strengthscope, and Strengths Profile. But which of these titans truly reigns supreme? Let’s delve deep and uncover the realities of each. Gallup CliftonStrengths History: Gallup’s Clifton CliftonStrengths, often simply known as CliftonStrengths, was introduced by Donald O. Clifton in 2001. It’s based on more than 50 years of Gallup’s research on human strengths. Methodology: This tool uses a database of over 34 distinct talents to determine an individual’s top five “signature themes” of talent. It’s an online assessment where respondents are given pairs of potential self-descriptors. Pros: Cons: User Reviews: “While it offered deep insights into my strengths, I wish it revealed more than just the top five without an additional cost.” – Jamie T. Strengthscope History: Launched in the UK in 2006, Strengthscope claims to be the world’s most comprehensive 360° strengths assessment. Methodology: Strengthscope evaluates 24 strengths and categorizes them into thinking, communicating, motivating, relating, and achieving. It’s unique in offering feedback from colleagues to provide a 360° view. Pros: Cons: User Reviews: “The 360° feedback was an eye-opener. I got to know not just how I see myself but how my colleagues perceive my strengths.” – Rajan P. Strengths Profile History: Previously known as Realise2, Strengths Profile was developed by Cappfinity in the UK and introduced in 2009. Methodology: This tool recognizes 60 strengths based on energy and performance. These are divided into realized strengths, unrealized strengths, learned behaviours, and weaknesses. Pros: Comprehensive strength categories. Highly detailed insights. Recognizes both strengths and areas of improvement. Cons: The sheer volume of strengths might overwhelm some users. Less widely known in the US. User Reviews: “I loved how it didn’t just focus on my positives. It gave me a rounded picture of where I stand.” – Lisa M. Pricing Showdown One of the practical considerations for both individuals and organizations when choosing a strengths assessment tool is the cost. Let’s break down the pricing structures for Gallup, Strengthscope, and Strengths Profile as of our last update: Pricing is just one of the many factors to consider, but it’s an essential one. Whether you’re an individual seeking insights or a corporate entity looking to empower your team, choosing the right tool within your budget can be a game-changer. Corporate Titans and Their Strengths Assessments of Choice When considering the potency and applicability of an assessment tool, it’s instructive to see who else is on board. Some of the world’s most renowned and successful corporations have integrated strengths assessments into their talent management and development strategies. These industry giants recognize the power of understanding employee strengths for maximizing productivity, enhancing team synergy, and driving innovation. Facebook, Tesco, and Microsoft, among others, are not just household names in their industries; they are also pioneers in human resource strategies. The adoption of these tools by such influential companies serves as a testament to the value and efficacy of each assessment in the corporate landscape. Choosing the Right Tool: An In-Depth Criteria Analysis Selecting the right strengths assessment isn’t merely about understanding the tools themselves, but about aligning them with specific needs and expectations. To aid this process, we’ve compiled a comprehensive table comparing Gallup CliftonStrengths, Strengthscope, and Strengths Profile across 13 essential criteria. These criteria span from practical concerns, like time commitment and integration capabilities, to qualitative elements, such as feedback format and community networking opportunities. By juxtaposing these assessments against one another based on these multifaceted factors, individuals and organizations can gain a more holistic view of what each tool offers. This ensures a more informed and tailored decision, optimizing the value derived from the chosen assessment. The Verdict: Every Titan Holds Its Ground In our exploration of Gallup CliftonStrengths, Strengthscope, and Strengths Profile, it’s clear that each tool brings its distinct flair and methodology to the forefront of strengths discovery. While some might prefer the global community and established reputation of Gallup, others may lean towards the customization of Strengthscope or the balanced approach of Strengths Profile. Ultimately, the “winner” in this comparison isn’t universally definitive but is subject to the specific needs, objectives, and preferences of the user or organization. Therefore, in this Battle of the Titans, the outcome is a draw. Each assessment stands tall in its arena, and the true victory lies in individuals and teams unlocking their potential, regardless of the tool they choose. From Insight to Action: The Crucial Role of Strengths Coaching In the race for supremacy among these strengths assessments, each has its merits and unique selling points. The choice often boils down to individual or corporate preference. However, understanding one’s strengths is just half the battle. To genuinely harness these insights and catalyze personal and professional growth, strengths coaching following the assessment is invaluable. A seasoned coach can guide individuals in aligning their strengths with their roles, setting clear goals, and ultimately achieving peak performance. It’s the difference between simply knowing your strengths and effectively channelling them towards success. Empower Your Organisation with Telmie’s Strengths Coaching Selecting the most suitable strengths assessment is merely the first step. At Telmie, we excel in leveraging these insights to produce tangible outcomes that boost not only individual performance but also organisational efficacy. Delivered by Gallup-certified coaches, our strengths coaching services are customised to align with your company’s distinct objectives and challenges. We integrate advanced assessments such as Gallup, Strengthscope, and Strengths Profile, crafting bespoke coaching plans that cater specifically to the needs of your managers and leaders. This tailored approach ensures each session is directly relevant and immediately impactful, concentrating on areas that will truly benefit day-to-day operations and strategic objectives in the long run. Ready to discover how Telmie can assist your organisation in unlocking its full potential? Click below to learn more and begin