SCANNER FREEMONT / Data Analyst
Freemont is responsible for the digital conversion of survey responses while adhering to strict quality standards set forth by its managers. Freemont began its career at TruScore in 1996 as a Data Analyst and quickly became pivotal to TruScore's success. As the years passed, Freemont has slowly matured into part-time Data Analyst while also holding many positions in the work environment including On The Floor, On The Empty Desk, and Hold The Door (AKA Hodor).
RON SACCHI / Master Coach
A former Operations Manager in the High Tech Industry, Ron Sacchi brings decades of leadership and management experience to the organizational development and the executive coaching arena. An energetic thought-leader with a track record of success in all areas of Human Capital development, he has consulted and coached managers in start-ups, joint-ventures, high tech, pharmaceuticals, and media. Because of his business acumen and creative approaches to behavioral change, he is respected in the HR community specifically for the ability to direct, motivate, influence and inspire leaders to improve performance.
Holding an MBA from Saint Mary’s College, Mr. Sacchi is also licensed in various management, leadership and psychological profiling tools.
CARLANN FERGUSSON / Master Coach
Carlann inspires leaders to reconnect to their individual purpose and lead with contagious energy. She ensures leaders gain deep self-awareness and eliminate self-sabotaging behaviors. Her guidance is based on coaching, training and selecting hundreds of executives across diverse companies as well as her own journey into the executive ranks.
Carlann is the author of the highly acclaimed book The Insightful Leader: Find Your Superpowers, Crush Limiting Beliefs and Abolish Self-Sabotaging Behaviors (Praeger, June 2018). She holds a master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Her thirty years of experience include leadership roles in Fortune 500s, the private sector, and the U.S. Government. Carlann has been a featured guest on ABC News Radio, Wharton Business Radio and has been cited in CBS MoneyWatch, International Business Times, Newsday and Workday.
DR CHUCH MELTZER / Master Coach
Dr. Chuck Meltzer is a Master Coach and President of the SynTECGroup, an organizational development consulting firm. As an executive coach, he draws on his training at a doctoral level in psychology, direct senior management experience and management consulting with a wide cross section of industries. He has developed an extensive series of strategies to assist leaders in creating organizational wide and personal change. Dr. Meltzer has a decade of direct senior management experience and 20 years’ experience functioning within his consulting and coaching practice. His coaching approach is solution focused and time framed. Based on determined goals, a personally customized approach to the process has enabled his clients to realize sustainable change in a manner that allows them to enhance their effectiveness and success as leaders within their organization.
Dr. Meltzer is certified and a master trainer in several coaching assessment tools that he employs within his practice.
ERIN HIRSCHLAND / Master Coach
Erin is an organization development expert with nearly two decades experience serving organizations of all sizes across industries on a broad range of issues. Working with leadership teams, she helps articulate an actionable vision and corresponding values, connecting these to organizational strategy, execution and results. Her tools of choice include senior team retreats, one-on-one executive coaching and proven survey and related instruments.
Erin’s additional expertise includes designing employee selection systems, developing performance management tools that increase performance across the organization over time and employee and customer experience metrics. An effective facilitator and coach, Erin works with leaders and their teams to build trust, commitment and results.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master of Arts degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Colorado.
SONYA D HAMILTON / Senior Assessment Consultant
Sonya is a Senior Assessment Consultant at TruScore with over 24 years of experience designing and delivering 360 feedback solutions and providing 360-based coaching, training and interpretation.
Sonya has extensive experience working with Managers and Leaders, guiding them through the feedback and development journey and providing insights and direction to help maximize their impact within the organization. Sonya’s areas of expertise include 360-based coaching, 360 data analysis and interpretation, Train-the-Trainer certifications, facilitation, survey & questionnaire design, and the design and delivery of assessment programs.
Sonya has a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Master’s of Science degree in Industrial & Organization Psychology from Springfield College with a specialty in Counseling and Psychological Services. She is a Master Trainer for TruScore and the Clark Wilson Task Cycle surveys receiving a Certificate of Achievement in “How to Train a Trainer”. In addition, Sonya is certified to administer a variety of other psychometric instruments including employee engagement and organizational instruments as well as the line of Hogan Personality Assessments.
KAYLEY MOTZ / Assessment Advisor
Kayley draws on her extensive customer service background to provide clients with prompt, quality support. In her role as Assessment Advisor, Kayley works to ensure clients’ needs are being met. She assists in project set up and management, as well as processing and quality checking feedback reports. Kayley also aids in the execution of the day-to-day responsibilities of the production team, such as coaching session scheduling and tech support.
CRYSTAL HUGHES / Assessment Advisor
Crystal leverages her extensive background in Industrial-Organizational (I-O) psychology as she manages the day-to-day operational and tactical aspects of multiple and large scale projects for TruScore.
Crystal assists clients with setting up and managing feedback projects, and serves as the point of contact throughout the entire process. She quality checks feedback reports, and provides tech support when needed.
ELLIE SOLOMON / Assessment Advisor
Ellie manages project implementation for the entire 360 assessment feedback process and ensures that each client’s unique needs are met on time and in an efficient manner. Ellie consults with clients who use TruScore’s off-the-shelf Task Cycle® instruments as well as providing hosting solutions for clients using their own survey content, including custom processes and reports. She helps clients navigate through the TruScore® survey hosting software, having literally written the handbook that several clients are using.
She coordinates and implements all translation efforts, including soliciting bids, managing timelines, providing files to the translation companies, implementing translations for the web pages, and testing.
ULLA WESTERMANN / Software Engineer
Ulla uses her years of experience as a software engineer to maintain and add new features to TruScore's applications. She also helps with customizing feedback reports based on client needs.
HANK CURTIS / Business Development Manager
Hank manages and assists in the analyzing, planning, research, and development of TruScore’s objectives and strategic plans in order to achieve business opportunities, growth, and financial profitability.
Hank drives the expansion of TruScore’s direct sales, establishes relationships with TruScore’s clients, identifies clients, and keeps up-to-date on industry trends and client developments.
TAYLOR BRANTON / Bookkeeper
Taylor is responsible for managing payroll and employee fringe benefits programs, in addition to organizing company gatherings and outings. Taylor oversees day to day accounting needs as it relates to client invoicing, accounts payable, and general compliance requirements. She also has a hand in month, quarter, and year end reports and works closely with the CEO and CTO to furnish details necessary to make accurate business projections and decisions.
KURT BLAZEK / Design Director
Kurt uses a unique blend of strategic thinking with dynamic executions to create TruScore’s visual and interactive design. He is responsible for creating, evolving, and sustaining the company’s brand to internal and external stakeholders through multiple mediums. He oversees all of TruScore’s digital strategies, along with the implementation of social media tools and techniques.
Kurt leverages TruScore’s marketing and messaging information to identify, evaluate, and apply methods to maximize the effectiveness of the search campaigns across all of the major search engines. He tracks and measures the ROI of search engine rankings, direct print, and marketing websites.
JOSH SHEETS / Chief Operations Officer
Josh is responsible for all day-to-day aspects of managing the operations and various functional areas including business development, sales and marketing, client delivery, vendor relations, human resources, and IT.
Josh helps to ensure outstanding customer service, and the administration of long-term and day-to-day business processes that complement the delivery of high quality, innovative customer-focused survey tools, assessments and hosted survey offerings.
TOM KUHNE / Managing Partner and CTO
Tom joined TruScore in 1995 and has served in a number of roles, including Data Analyst, IS Manager, and VP & CIO. In his current role as Managing Partner and CTO, Tom is the driving force behind TruScore's technology vision for the present and the future. He manages all aspects of TruScore’s information systems, ensuring all systems meet the highest functionality and security standards.
Tom enjoys working hand in hand with clients and partners to make sure TruScore® delivers the technology and advancement that has become expected of it as a leader in the online assessment marketplace.
DEREK MURPHY / Chief Executive Officer
Derek joined TruScore in 1996 and has served in a number of roles, including Data Analyst, Operations Manager, and President & COO. In his current role as CEO, he is responsible for planning and implementing the strategic direction of the company. In addition, Derek is involved in product development and overseeing the day-to-day business operations for TruScore.
TruScore founder Dr. Daniel Booth, a pioneer in the field of assessment of leadership and management skills, served as a mentor to Derek for more than a decade. During this time, Derek became certified on TruScore’s full line of management and leadership assessments. He currently uses these skills to lead content debriefings with customers and partners on a regular basis.
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You’re going about your business, involved in the same-old, same-old—wake up, go to work, come home, go to bed, repeat. Then one day, BAM! You do a little self-examination and realize that, for weeks (maybe months?), you’ve been feeling exhausted, you haven’t been very motivated, you’ve been irritable with and withdrawn from coworkers as well as family and friends. You realize that some health issues have crept up. You find that you’re preoccupied with work, even when you’re not at work; yet you see that your job performance has slipped and that, in fact, you’re no longer actually satisfied with your job.
It might seem obvious, but it bears noting: To fully understand your business, you need to understand your end customer. If you don’t understand your customers’ wants and needs, you can’t get your product or service to them effectively. To fully understand, it’s important to listen to your customer. Which, again, might seem obvious. But many companies miss a crucial step in the listening process—it’s the actual listening part. Have you been listening? Here are some thoughts about how to do it.
Remember that not all information comes from actual dialog. Sometimes your customers’ opinions can manifest in their actions. For instance, are your customers steady? If you keep tabs on loyal customers, do you know why they stay? Similarly, if previously loyal customers suddenly leave, do you know why?
Let's face it, every business is looking for creativity from their employees. These are the employees that can really get something started in the business. The people that will knock-the- socks-off of potential clients and board members. How can businesses squeeze creativeness out of their employees? By investing in employees, of course!
Here are three tips to boost creativity:
Tip 1: Make time for the thinking process
Many business people find it easy to get caught up in the busyness of a typical day at the office. A little stress in the workplace is actually a good motivator. However, if you find yourself picking up a foam rubber stress ball to throw at a co-worker, you are experiencing abnormal amounts of stress.
Simply put, stress is your body's natural reaction to demands placed upon it. From a chemical standpoint, when we are put into a physically or psychologically demanding situation, our hypothalamus gland at the base of our brain sets into place a series of chemical reactions that cause our heart to beat faster, our muscles to tense, and our body to perspire. Scientists refer to this as the "fight or flight" mechanism. This mechanism is a way of helping our physical body meet the perceived demands of a challenging situation.
How often do you see an employee or co-worker playing Solitaire on their work computer? Boredom at work often stems from people feeling that they have already mastered the skills and knowledge necessary to adequately perform their job. This assumption is based on the idea that there is an end-point to learning. Learning does not have to end, however, and you can transform your employee’s attitudes, job satisfaction, and overall engagement by fostering a learning culture in your organization.
A learning culture keeps employees excited, happy, and interested in the work day. As we all know, people who are actively engaged in their work and having fun at are more motivated and productive. Help your colleagues and employees to enjoy their work and accomplishments more by adopting an attitude of learning for individuals, teams, and the organization as a whole.
The deal is done. The new client has been signed. The pitch got two thumbs up.
It's easy for days and weeks to get away from you when a big project is in the works. But once the team has scored a win, it's important for managers to make sure they celebrate. Research shows that reward and recognition programs increase employee happiness and productivity while reducing employee turnover. In turn, company morale stays high.
Those who believe in Myers-Briggs say that there are two types of people in this world: introverts and extroverts. The tropes are upheld by psychology majors and anyone who utilizes the art of sociological observation. The stereotype that introverts are incapable of making decent business interactions compared to the extroverts continues to mislead people. It's not that introverts and extroverts establish a hierarchy over the other, it's how they have different outlooks that pace unique methods of success. There are exciting elements to explore when looking into the difference between introvert/ extrovert leadership styles!
As viewers, we cheered when the Wicked Witch of the West was reduced to a puddle after a bit of a splash. We cringed when the Man of Steel was rendered powerless when exposed to kryptonite. And while those fictional characters’ nemeses were meant more as a metaphor than as realism, it’s good to remember what the messages portend: that every leader—not just the bad but also the good—has a weakness. Do you recognize (and coexist with) yours?
If you haven’t yet identified your biggest “areas of opportunity,” now’s your chance. Take an honest appraisal of your skills, habits, and mindset. Examine yourself. Or better yet, get a 360 Degree Feedback Assessment. Ask for feedback from supervisors, peers, and direct reports. Find out how they view you. It will be more beneficial and honest if a third party can be involved because they can impartially give the assessment, get truthful input, and help you interpret the results.
Everyone has bad days from time to time -- Those days when you're drowning in important projects and can't bring yourself to start a single one of them. The Summer months seem to have even more of these days, when people day dream about the beach or hanging out by the pool rather than working on that project that is due next Friday. Fortunately however, according to a recent article in The Atlantic called "the procrastination doom loop", procrastination is all in your head, which means there are ways of thinking your way out of it.
Bad bosses come in all varieties, from the inept, to the overly friendly, to the micromanager. The most stressful of bad boss, though, is one who is just mean.
Most people who have worked in an office setting have at least witnessed the mean boss, even if they have been lucky enough not to work for one . They are generous in their criticism and stingy in their praise. Sometimes they can be loud about their criticism and even abusive. Sometimes they can just be icily sarcastic. They can be demanding to the point that they treat you more like a slave than an employee. The character played by Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada” is a prime example of this kind of boss.