“Personalization” is the word I would choose if I had to describe Sia in one word.
The main goal of personalization is to deliver content and functionality that matches specific user needs or interests. It’s a massive differentiator, which is almost always done by a system or provider, and at Sia, that will be me – the founder.
Personalization is at the core of all Sia services for both organizations and individual participants.
Why use best practice?
Whether or not to use a best practice depends on how effective it will be in helping us achieve our own desired outcome. And sometimes we just don’t know that answer until we try it. The best reason to adopt a best practice is simply that it helps you achieve your desired outcome - at least until someone comes up with a better best practice.
At Sia your Key Personal Insights (KPIs) are based on your desired outcome, your assessment results and a vast amount of information that I know to be effective in helping you sell and create value. When a Key Personal Insight has proven to be very effective for many participants in certain situations, I could call that a “Best Practice” – but I don’t. That’s because in my opinion, best practices are often subjective, evolving and based on one size fits all.
From Simon Hartley’s book Could I Do That?
“The answer that is right for one person, may not be right for another. Some coaches will show the players the best way to kick the ball. The best way often comes from the coaching manual. It is
portrayed as the tried and tested, most efficient and effective way of kicking a ball. However, there is a problem. The players are different. Some have longer legs, bigger feet, more muscularity. Therefore, the best way to kick a ball for one person is often very different from the best way for another.
What would happen if we allowed each of the players to find the way that works most effectively for them? Rather than imagining there is a right way to do everything, we could simply encourage them to find different ways to kick the ball with control, accuracy and precision.
In fact, if you take any challenge, whether it’s a physical challenge or not, there are a variety of different ways to approach it. Autobiographies of successful performers often illustrate that the journey to the top is often very different. Everyone has slightly different experiences and learns slightly different lessons along the way. There is no common start line. My life experience is different from yours. You will build on your knowledge and experience, and I’ll build on mine. Therefore, it stands to reason that our best answers will probably be different as well.”
Children are Delighted to Catch, Cook and Eat Tarantula Spiders
One of my favorite documentaries is the BBC’s Human Planet. In the episode on “Jungles”, which is Chapter 4 “Eating the Unthinkable” (p 134) in the book by the same name Human Planet by Dale Templar and Brian Leith:
Hungry children eagerly and intelligently catch tarantulas (with no adults around). You can hear them laugh and play as if it were a game, and see their joy as they cook and eat the big spiders around an open fire pit.
The take-away for me is to always be open-minded to learn from everyone and to remember I have a limited understanding and from that limited viewpoint I have formed opinions and beliefs that would be wise for me to challenge.