Suzie Price shares real stories and three practical SPARK™ processes that help leaders use TriMetrix assessment insights after hiring to strengthen onboarding, coach employee development, and improve workplace collaboration — without needing to become assessment experts.

TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS

• 1. Start Strong: Use the First 90 Days to Build Connection
• 2. Coach Smarter: Start with the Role and Build on Strengths
• 3. Work Better Together: Understand Differences Before They Create Friction

The Collaboration Report helps two people compare DISC communication styles and Motivators to understand similarities, differences, strengths, and potential blind spots. Using the SPARK Collaboration Report Quick Review Guide, both people can identify simple adjustments that improve communication and working relationships.

KEY GUEST QUOTES

• Quote 1 — Main Episode Message "The hire is the starting line. There's so much we can do to help people succeed once they join our teams."
• Quote 2 — Assessment Confidence "You don't need to be an assessment expert. You need to be interested in understanding your employee."
• Quote 3 — Strengths-Based Leadership "Development doesn't always have to focus on a weakness."
• Quote 4 — Assessment Interpretation "The employee leads the discussion about their results. The manager's job is to ask questions, listen, and learn."
• Quote 5 — Practical Leadership "You don't need to have all the answers to be a good leader. You do need to care enough to ask good questions and follow through on what you learn."
• Quote 6 — Collaboration "One thing I understand better about you after this discussion is..."

• Your After-the-Hire Challenge: Choose one person. Choose one conversation. Agree on one action.
• For a new employee: Start Strong
• For an employee you're developing: Coach Smarter
• For a working relationship that needs attention:
• Remember You don't have to explain every graph or interpret every result. The SPARK guides tell you which sections to review and which questions to ask. If you're unsure, ask your HR or assessment support person for help.

ABOUT THE HOST

Suzie Price is the founder of Priceless Professional Development and host of the Wake Up Eager Podcast. For more than 20 years, she has helped organizations use TriMetrix assessments, leadership coaching, and practical development tools to make better people decisions, strengthen workplace relationships, and build high commitment, low-drama teams.

She created SPARK™ Superior Performance Attributes Review Kits to help leaders connect the capabilities required for superior performance with practical hiring, onboarding, coaching, and collaboration processes.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Have you ever known someone who genuinely cares about people but misses what they
actually need? In this Acumen in Action mini episode, Suzie Price shares a real-world story that
reveals why caring about people and understanding them are two different things. Learn how
Motivators, DISC, and Acumen provide different insights — and discover one simple shift that
can make your conversations more meaningful.

TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS

• 1. Caring about people isn't the same as understanding them.

Motivators can help reveal why supporting others matters to someone. Acumen's Understanding Others dimension provides insight into how clearly someone perceives other people. Both are important, but they're different.

• 2. Behavior is not capability.

An outgoing, warm, relational person may miss important emotional information. A quieter person may have exceptional insight into others. DISC style alone doesn't tell the whole story.

• 3. Curiosity can improve the quality of our help.

Before offering advice or jumping into problem-solving, pause and explore the other person's perspective. One thoughtful question may be more valuable than an immediate solution.

THREE REFLECTION QUESTIONS

• 1. Do I genuinely understand people, or do I sometimes assume that because I care about them, I understand them?
• 2. When someone shares something important, do I notice the emotional information as well as the facts?
• 3. Could I become just a little more curious before I become helpful?

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

In your next conversation with someone who needs help, resist the urge to solve the problem immediately.

Instead, try asking: "What would be most helpful from me right now?"

Notice how the conversation changes when understanding comes before advice.

FEATURED QUOTE:

"Could I become just a little more curious before I become helpful?"

RELATED LISTENING

Want to understand more about what's happening under the hood?

• Listen to Episode 157: Under the Hood — What Acumen Really Tells Us About How We Think, Decide & Lead.
• Explore all three companion episodes: www.pricelessprofessional.com/acumeninaction
• Explore the complete series at: www.pricelessprofessional.com/acumeninaction

ABOUT SUZIE PRICE

Suzie Price is the host of the Wake Up Eager Podcast and founder of Priceless Professional Development. Through leadership coaching, assessment expertise, and practical development tools, she helps individuals and organizations better understand themselves and others, build high commitment, low-drama workplaces, and create Wake Up Eager lives.

FULL SHOW NOTES

SHOW NOTES