Integrity: What You Do When No One Is Watching
Written by Jo LarkamChartered Psychologist, AFBPsS, HCPC Registered Psychologist, RCDP and JQA Lead Associate Of all the values we talk about, integrity is often the quietest. It doesn’t always grab attention, but when it’s missing, the consequences are loud. In recent years, we’ve seen leaders lose trust in a matter of days. Sometimes it’s a headline-making mistake. Other times, it’s a slow erosion, one compromise at a time. As a…
Excellence in leadership Assessment: What It Really Means at JQA
Written by Catherine MarksConsulting Director “In our work at JQA, excellence is non-negotiable.” If you ask my husband about my relationship with ‘excellence’, he might laugh. At home, I am not remotely precious about DIY or gardening projects. ‘Good enough’ is often good enough. I am relaxed, pragmatic, and not the least bit bothered if the picture frames are not quite straight.But even he knows: when it matters, I care…
Partnership is the Value That Holds It All Together
“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” Written by Sean McEneryIT and Operations DirectorThe best response we receive from our clients is, “We appreciate your partnership on this”, because that tells us we have built something real.In today’s complex, fast-moving world, one thing is clear: you cannot do it alone. Whether you are navigating global supply chain disruptions, implementing new systems,…
Organisational Values Still Matter – More Than Ever
Written By Catriona Hearth MSc Occ Psych, MBPSJQA Lead Associate PsychologistMuch has been said about the shifting world of work. Change and disruption is everywhere - geopolitical instability, AI breakthroughs, rising employee expectations. But amidst the noise, one truth remains: Your values could be your biggest competitive edge.Recent industry articles emphasise that those businesses that can adapt quickly to constantly changing circumstances can attract better quality talent than their competitors, as well…
Reduce the Risk of Poor Hiring or Promotion Decisions
Anyone who has attended a school or college reunion can attest to the enduring nature of core personality traits. While individuals may develop greater self-awareness or refine their behaviors. Significant changes in personality require deliberate and sustained effort."The cost of making poor hiring decisions or investing in the wrong development initiatives is too high for any organisation to ignore. "This stability underscores a critical principle in the corporate world: in-depth…
JQA’s Commitment to Supporting Community Outreach Programs
Written by Megan McEnery Business and Client Director "We are proud to play a part in this important work and deeply grateful to our clients for enabling us to make a difference." At JQA, empowerment is one of our core values because effective leadership is about enabling others to reach their full potential. This principle not only guides our work but also drives our commitment to supporting early education as a pathway…
School Leadership: Headteacher Recruitment
Written by Chris O'Malley Transforming a school is a long, hard and often lonely task for a headteacher. A great headteacher will have a lasting and positive impact on organisational performance and, most importantly, on long-term pupil outcomes. Headteacher recruitment is one of the most important tasks a governing body will ever undertake, and the high-stakes nature of education can mean that finding the right person for a role is harder…
Well-Being in the Workplace – Balance vs Extremes in personality
Written by Mandy PignyBA(Hons) MSc MCIPD MBPsSIn the world of psychological assessment, we often come across a ‘balanced’ profile. Few candidates like to be thought of as ‘average’ yet others are equally concerned about being deemed somehow different, where ‘extreme’ personality traits might suggest positive or negative implications."There is no 'one size fits all' leadership style and nor is resilience a clear-cut issue."There is no “one size fits all” leadership…
JQA Welcomes Spanish-Speaking Business Psychologists to the Team
At JQA, we're excited to share that our team has grown to include proficient Spanish-speaking Business Psychologists. This expansion opens new avenues for us to conduct interviews and deliver leadership assessment and development services in Spanish, catering to the diverse needs of our clients and Spanish-speaking employees alike. Why is this important? Our belief in the power of diversity and inclusion to drive innovation and success is at the core…
Navigating Complexity: The Role of Systems Leadership
What is Systems Leadership? Written by Jo Larkam CPsychol, BSc (Hons) RCDP, MSc, AFBPsS In today’s rapidly evolving world, businesses, governments and communities are grappling with multifaceted problems ranging from climate change to social inequality and crime, and traditional hierarchical leadership models are inadequate for addressing such complex challenges. Systems Leadership recognises that many issues are interconnected and require collective action and shared accountability. It is an approach…
Introducing Legitimate Leadership
As a B2B provider of professional Occupational Psychology services, JQA provide high quality decision support to clients who need to make critical decisions about appointments to roles and about talent development. Our long-standing clients attest to our ability to identify qualities of “authentic, competent leadership” and our services help clients to reduce the risk of having people who are not well matched to challenges or whose values are not aligned…
JQA Online Portal
JQA Makes it Easier for Clients to Manage Talent Acquisition and Retention We provide clients with direct access to procure services in assessment and development on our secure portal. Services in Executive Assessment and development are selected from drop-down boxes and Clients track progress from placing the order through to delivery. Our investment in technology allows clients to determine whether they are making measurable progress towards meeting their Strategic Human…