David Klaasen

Welcome to the first in our series of ‘Meet our Team of Harrison Assessments Consultants’.  Today we would like to introduce you to David Klaasen, a highly skilled trainer, coach and facilitator who specialises in leadership and management development.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

It is always fascinating to go into businesses to meet the people and understand the culture that has developed. Often this culture has developed organically over time without any planning, attention or focus. It is very exciting to work with the Directors and Managers to help them shift the culture to one that underpins long term success for both the business and the people who work in it. Using powerful tools like HATS provide excellent insights that can be rapidly understood.

What is your most memorable assignment and why?

I have a lot of very long term relationships with clients so I can see how the business and the people in it develop over time. It is always very rewarding to see people be promoted and take on new levels of responsibility. A particularly memorable assignment was working with the Directors of a relatively new business that formed from the merger of 3 smaller businesses. Getting the Directors to discuss and agree their values was very powerful and raising their awareness about what really motivated them and what they enjoyed most released huge potential and led to very rapid growth.

What quality do you most admire in other people?

Drive , enthusiasm and self-awareness. The ability to bounce back from setbacks, and the recognition that getting things done through others is about getting to know them. It is great when managers recognise that they need a slightly different approach with different people while maintaining consistency and fairness. The insights provided by HATS give managers exceptional levels of self-awareness and also helps them understand their people more rapidly.

In your experience, what is the most common trait hindering people’s performance?

Lack of self-awareness and thinking that everything is other people’s fault. When we take responsibility for our actions there is often a lot of support available from others and they are more willing to help us.

Anything else you would like to share?

I love learning about the latest neuro-scientific research into how we think and behave. It is providing some excellent insights that can make a huge difference in the way we can communicate and collaborate to achieve mutual success.

David Klaasen FCIPD, Inspired Working

Watch out for the next in the series of ‘Meet Our Team of Harrison Assessments Consultants’.