Case Study

CASE STUDY: SPEARity Helps InCheck Develop Leadership and Improve Communication with a Renewed Focus

Background

InCheck provides new hire screening services. They offer personalized service to every client with an expert staff working to tailor packages that will solve each client’s needs. They identify the needs of each client and then create a custom solution that fits.

Challenges

InCheck’s challenges were not unlike that of other companies. Started as a two-person team in 2002, they had grown to a team of 50 in 2017. Through the growth, they failed to make the structural changes to run as a larger organization.

There was a lack of direction

They lacked focus and direction across the board. The executives and management team were so busy reacting to situations that they didn’t have time to be proactive. The company was growing, but with no new sense of goals and direction, it lacked structure, causing frustration for employees at every level.

Leaders needed to developing

The management team consisted of strong performers and hard workers. However, the individuals were new in their roles as managers. InCheck did not have the proper resources in place to provide the training the managers needed. They were suffering from a lack of managerial training and accountability.

Senior managers were experiencing heavy workloads due to a lack of well-defined roles within the company. They had fallen into the trap that many businesses do of being so busy working in their business that they were not working on their business. They didn’t have a clear direction on where they were going because their energy was focused on trying to keep up with their work.

There was poor communication between departments

Compounding these difficulties was a lack of communication, which affected the company within and across departments. This system created silos that prevented issues from being brought to the table, thus delaying the opportunity to find a solution. With everything coming to a head, morale was beginning to suffer.

The managers and executives at InCheck were ready for a change. They sought to create a new and improved InCheck 2.0, which would bring defined departments, roles, and efficient lines of communication to the organization. They partnered with SPEARity™ to make it happen.

Solutions

InCheck was determined to make the necessary changes to take their business to the next level. They needed to develop confident leaders across the organization. CEO and co-founder Andy Gallion introduced InCheck to the leadership training provided through SPEARity™. Gallion received business coaching with SPEARity™ founder Darren Fisher one-on-one for several months. He knew the structured approach and “process confidence” he was receiving was the solution that his organization needed.

“Working this way [with Darren] and towards goals changes your mindset,” said Gallion. “You see stuff that needs to be done, you do it, and it works. You learn to trust yourself more.”

Established clear goals

The first step to righting the path was finding the gap between where the company was and where it wanted to be. The executives sat down and identified goals, starting with the company’s overarching long-term goal. The organization had loose and vague goals in mind. However, because they were not specific, there was no way to measure whether they succeeded or failed.

They needed SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely) goals to allow the team members to move forward in one uniform direction. Each person needed a way to know if their work was moving the company toward its goal or preventing them from achieving success. This SPEARhead™ (the unified goal) was the key to aligning the organization.

Plans were created and implemented

With the SPEARhead™ in place, Darren worked with InCheck to create a plan to reach that goal. Through this process, they broke down the long-term goal into manageable steps and began to identify and fill the skills gaps. This process is critical to the SPEARity™ system. Competencies aligned with strategic habits determine sustained success or continued failure.

With the goal and a plan in place, the executives and Darren began to involve the management team in the SPEAR™ process. The SPEAR™ (SMART Goal, Plan, Execute, Analyze, Realign) process is a strategic system to foster strategic habits, continuous improvement, competency development, and accountability. Rachel Theisen, Director of Operations, was excited to begin working with SPEARity™.

No one knew that Gallion had begun working with Darren months earlier, but she had noticed a change in him that started at that same time. “He was re-energized. You could see lots of growth and a total change. He had a renewed sense of focus within the company.” These changes made her excited to start the process within the company.

Management got involved

Management at InCheck was excited that the company was investing in them, not only as employees but also as individuals, by including them in training and one-on-one work within the SPEAR™ process. A specific goal from the leaders at the top allowed department managers to see their piece of the puzzle and identify departmental goals that would keep InCheck progressing toward their SPEARhead™.

Each manager received training on how to track their goals and failures—with a focus on realigning—looking at successes and failures to see what worked and what didn’t work, then taking steps to prevent those failures from recurring. The managers learned that acknowledging failure should not be avoided but embraced, which became an integral part of their regular schedule to see what changes needed to occur to continue moving forward with their individual and departmental goals.

The team used the SPEARity™ app

All executives and managers began using the SPEARity™ app to track their departmental goals and successes or failures in their activities working towards those goals. Through regularly scheduled meetings, the team stays connected and realigns as needed to continue the forward process.

Results

“SPEARity™ helped us create a culture of success through our daily accomplishments,” said Andy Gallion.

The company began working smarter. They created and defined an organizational chart that did not exist before this process, creating opportunities for staff and allowing necessary changes in departmental roles for the company to run more efficiently. This process also allowed several underlying and unspoken issues to arise, leading to essential staffing changes.

Leaders developed

As InCheck continued working with SPEARity™, the managers transformed into leaders. The executives learned how to work collaboratively with the managers and provide them with the support and resources needed to achieve their goals. The process empowered the managers to work towards the company’s goals, and everyone began working on the same page.

Meetings and communication improved

Every leader noticed an improvement in communication within the organization. Tom Hunter, Director of Sales & Marketing, noticed that “Interdepartmental communication has changed. Managers are talking more, and situations that need to be resolved are coming to the table faster.”

Meetings have become more productive. While the change was uncomfortable initially, managerial meetings are now full of candor as the managers work together to solve issues and develop ideas to achieve goals. The managers utilize each other as resources.

The culture changed

A culture of success was born within the company. The cultural shift is the mission of SPEARity™: to develop a culture of strategic leaders. As managers began recognizing and acknowledging their success and failure, true confidence grew within the individuals and the company. The focus has turned towards specific goals with plans built to reach them. The SPEARity™ app helps keep these goals in focus and accountable.

“The goal-tracking software helps us learn from success and failure and fosters accountability. We now know where we are as an organization and agree on where we would like to be. It has brought a new sense of confidence and initiative among our employees.” said Julie Steffel, HR Generalist.

Conclusion

InCheck is continuing to work with Darren to align their company on a path to reach their future goals. Through regular meetings and training, they continue to invest in their managerial employees through leadership training.

After proper training, the managerial staff uses the SPEARity™ app several minutes daily to prioritize their tasks and track their progress toward their goal. The little time they spend on the app saves some staff “hours each week in being more productive.”

On a deeper level, the team members have achieved a new level of confidence, a revitalized energy, and a focus on the future. The skills they have learned have changed them personally as well as professionally. Andy Gallion found, “Darren makes it clear—he is on your team, and you will win. He’s your biggest supporter. You have to be honest with yourself and ready to change. We went all in and listened to it all with open minds.”