The Ultimate Caliper Dictionary

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile in which an individual has the potential to solve problems and understand the logical relationships among concepts. People who show a high level of Abstract Reasoning Ability should be capable of understanding complex issues. Those with low levels tend to be most effective when handling issues that have straightforward solutions.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile in which an individual has the desire to help others. Those who have high scores on this attribute tend to be motivated to help people. Those with low scores might be uninterested in providing assistance.

Action learning is a method of placing a diverse group of individuals together on a team in order to solve an organization’s most pressing challenges by learning from one another’s unique perspectives and experiences. This method guides not only future training and development strategy, but also can be used to help streamline and narrow in on process to help achieve business objectives.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile in which an individual has an inclination to push forcefully. People who have high scores in Aggressiveness tend to be forceful when defending their ideas or actions. Those with low scores would be unlikely to take a firm approach.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile in which an individual has the potential to communicate information and ideas in a direct manner. Those scoring high on this quality should be willing to communicate their ideas and opinions. People with low Assertiveness scores may be uncomfortable expressing their viewpoints.

Selection is the process of screening, identifying, recruiting, and hiring the best job candidates to fit in with your organization. The critical function of candidate selection is the process of both finding the right candidate for the right role and ensuring that they become top performers in that role through data-driven assessments.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile in which an individual has an inclination to make decisions carefully and think through relevant facts and alternatives. High scorers tend to be careful when deliberating options and calculating outcomes. By contrast, low scores on this attribute suggest a tendency to act without thinking things through.

Competencies are a grouping or categorization of related behaviors defining what employees do in a job or type of role and are typically used as predictors of success. Having certain competencies can affect the potential for success in a specific role or position, giving organizations an advantage when selecting candidates. This can be accomplished through different models or validations, but at its core, competency mapping helps you identify the specific skills, abilities, knowledge, and behaviors required to operate effectively and efficiently in a particular job or organization.

Customized training - in a self-paced format - where learners aren’t necessarily restricted to just the classroom. This approach enhances training efforts and provides a more flexible learning schedule for employees. Competency-based training focuses on improving the skills used in an individual’s current role, specifically related to their areas of development, as determined by a validated personality assessment like the Caliper Profile. It doesn’t look to cover the depth of a subject, but the development of an area or skill.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile in which an individual gains a degree of satisfaction from persuading others. Highly ego-driven people should be motivated to win others’ commitment. Those with low scores on this attribute are unlikely to invest much effort in gaining consensus.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile in which an individual has the capacity to handle rejection and criticism. Those with high scores on Ego-Strength tend to be unconcerned by setbacks. On the other hand, people who score low on this scale may be sensitive to criticism or rejection.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile in which an individual has the potential to perceive others’ feelings and read social cues. An empathic person is likely to be perceptive of people’s feelings and capable of reading social cues. Low scorers may misinterpret or be inattentive to others’ needs or feelings.

This is a form of development in which a mentor supports an individual in achieving a specific goal by providing training and guidance. Ultimately, it’s a talent strategy where a manager or mentor builds a relationship, listens to the individual throughout the process, and encourages them to grow and strive to reach their full potential.

Employee retention relates to an organization’s ability to keep its employees from becoming disengaged at work and leaving. Employee turnover is difficult — it can be a bottleneck to the development of departments, products, or teams. To combat turnover, companies can hone in on what’s going wrong and how to solve it.

Employee development is critical to the success of an organization. Without a development plan in place, it’s more likely employees will become unengaged, lose confidence, become less productive, and potentially leave the company. Individuals need resources and support to both learn the extent of their job function, and also explore their interests and find success. Implementing a coaching program is an effective way to build out your training and development strategy.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile in which an individual has the potential to sustain a high level of activity over extended periods. People who score high on this attribute tend to be active in the workplace, while those with low scores might be unenergetic in their work approach.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile, which measures a person's degree of sensitivity to existing rules. Individuals who show a high level of External Structure are likely to be receptive to a structured environment with rules. People with low scores could be unresponsive to authority.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile measuring the willingness to modify an approach and adapt to changing circumstances. Individuals who score high on this measure should be adaptable to change. Those who show low scores are likely to be reluctant to change their approach.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile in which an individual is comfortable meeting new people and initiating conversations. Highly gregarious people are likely to be comfortable establishing contact and networking. Those who have low scores on this attribute may be uneasy about taking the initiative in social situations.

A soft skill, or trait, which describes an individual’s ability to persevere when faced with obstacles. A person with grit is passionate about long-term, meaningful goals and possesses mental toughness and resilience.

An organization’s compliance structure is extremely important; there are an abundance of laws and regulations guiding employment decisions. During the hiring process, there are two important considerations to make when ensuring compliance: 1) ensure your screening process reflects a true attempt at assessing a candidate’s potential to perform the core components of a job 2) ensure all candidates are treated fairly and the effort is consistent.

Human potential is a relative concept regarding the path to and result of achieving success. It’s definition varies by context, but there is a stable concept of what success looks like, which can be determined in people using data-driven assessments, and there are a number of tools to help tie it to a framework.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile measuring an individual's preference for thinking creatively and generating new ways to solve problems. Those with high Idea Orientation are likely to be motivated to develop creative, original solutions, while low scorers are inclined to use well-established methods.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile in which an individual has the potential to remain calm and to maintain a steady disposition in everyday situations. People scoring high on this scale should be capable of remaining composed. Those who score low are inclined to respond emotionally.

Mental toughness is having the natural psychological edge that enables you to cope better than your opponents with the many demands that sports place on a performer. Caliper’s research has shown that these same traits also contribute to high-performing salespeople. It’s measured through 6 key personality traits including level-headedness, stress tolerance, resiliency/ego-strength, energy/persistence, self-structure, and thoroughness.

Microlearning is a method used in the Caliper Precision Series where content is broken up into smaller modules that are easier to digest. Microlearning is most effective when the learner knows what they are studying so that when they are exposed to valuable modules, they immediately recognize how that information helps them move towards a specific, action-oriented objective.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile measuring an individual's receptiveness to new or alternative ideas. People who show high scores on Openness should be willing to consider others’ input. Those who have low scores tend to be focused on their own way of doing things.

Organizational culture is your identity as a company. It’s your value system, mission statement, and the behavioral norms that have arisen organically over time.

Personality assessments, such as the Caliper Profile, use science to predict performance potential and can be used to drive talent management. It measures an individual’s characteristics and motivations to predict potential for a certain role. For an assessment to be effective, it needs to be validated by data and scientifically-backed to hold credibility.

These are the traits assessed and used to determine a candidate’s potential fit to a specific role. While all attributes are considered important, the attributes that most significantly predict success vary from job to job. Depending on the job, an attribute can either push performance in a positive direction or interfere.

Professional growth takes shape when employees are provided with opportunities to improve upon their skills and capabilities. The goal is to build employee morale by investing in their professional well-being, career goals, and true motivations so that they can reach their full potential.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile measuring an individual's willingness to take chances. Those scoring high on this attribute are likely to take chances on untested initiatives. People with low scores tend to be reluctant to risk failure.

Those who demonstrate high self-awareness are able to understand where their strengths lie, in what areas they struggle, how they can adapt, and what they learn along the way. It’s a key component of emotional intelligence, which means that being self-aware not only signals the ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself, but also how to use this awareness to manage behavior and relationships. Self-awareness is the first step to being able to help others.

Self-management is a critical skill for high-performing individuals who are engaged and motivated. More specifically, it includes these six key components: 1) the ability to remain calm under pressure, 2) having self-awareness, 3) being open to change, 4) maintaining integrity and professionalism, 5) owning the work and delivering on promises, and 6) focusing on learning.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile measuring an individual's preference for independently determining work methods. People with high scores are apt to be motivated to independently determine their work approach, while those who show low Self-Structure scores are unlikely to define their own work methods.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile in which an individual has an inclination to doubt or question others’ motives. Highly skeptical people tend to be guarded and wary of others’ intentions. Those with low levels on this scale are likely to be trusting and willing to give others the benefit of the doubt.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile in which an individual enjoys being around people and working with others. Those who score high on Sociability are likely to be motivated to interact with others. Low scorers on this attribute could be uninterested in having frequent social interaction.

A succession plan is a strategy to develop your employees into future leaders who can fill roles that become vacant due to retirement or leadership changes with minimal friction or disruption. It requires foresight of personnel changes; an understanding of organizational goals, culture, and talent pool; and a strong training and development plan.

Talent analytics is the use of data and scientifically-validated methods to drive decision making for an organization. More specifically, these analytics are tailored to identifying, hiring, and developing talent within an organization. With the right system in place, you’ll see positive performance at the individual level affect the organization as a whole.

There are multiple ways to build high-performing teams, but one of the most important factors is mental toughness. Good teamwork requires a tricky balance, but by ensuring individuals have these key traits, your team will be unstoppable.

Team effectiveness is a scale of how well a team can accomplish a goal. Effective teams are the crux of your business. You can set strategies, create goals, and plan to the last detail, but without carefully selected, high-performing teams, the journey is a much longer process. Team effectiveness measures the efficiencies and skill levels of your teams.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile in which an individual has the tendency to pay attention to detail. Those who show high scores on this attribute are apt to be conscientious when handling detail-intensive tasks. People who score low may be uninterested in focusing on fine points.

A personality attribute assessed by the Caliper Profile in which an individual has the motivation to take quick action in order to obtain immediate results. High scorers on this attribute tend to be driven to act quickly. Those with low levels of Urgency are inclined to take their time when handling tasks.