Partner  to  Partner

"Mickey" Fineberg, Ph.D.
 

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If you have legal  problems, you consult a lawyer. If you have financial issues, you call your banker. Doesn’t it make sense to call a business psychologist to help you with “human problems”.

Most business owners have been well trained in the mechanics of running a business. For most, the “people” training they received was the example set for them by former bosses. Today, that just isn’t enough.

Michael B. (“Mickey”) Fineberg, Ph.D. founded Delta Consultants in 1988. He serves as the managing partner. In the past twenty-four years, Mickey and his staff of business psychologists have worked with a wide range of small and mid-sized companies to help them run more effectively, achieve higher productivity, and select and retain high quality people.

His list of clients includes AccuWeather, Lancaster Health Alliance, Genuardi's Family Markets, J.C. Ehrlich, Sweet Street Desserts, Inc., and many more.

The services provided by Delta Consultants are solid business strategies that are entirely bottom line directed – they have to pay for themselves. According to Mickey, it just makes sense. “Considering the time, effort, and money you put into your people, they’re one of your most important assets.”  Effectively managing your human resources and becoming more “emotionally intelligent” have become important components in running an efficient business regardless of size.

Many of Mickey’s initial calls are precipitated by an event. For example, the owner wants to promote someone to a key position and wants help evaluating their ability to succeed. Or a family business may need help transitioning to the leadership from the next generation – or to outside leadership.

Companies find that Delta’s services are helpful in a variety of ways. Their work largely falls into three areas:

• Organizational development

• Individual development (executive coaching); and

• evaluating employees (including pre-employment screening).
   

Organizational Development

Business owners engage Delta Consultants to conduct an organization audit and make recommendations to improve the structure and practices of the company. In many cases this involves determining the culture of the company and creating a plan to change that culture. Companies like Genuardi's Family Markets used Delta Consultants to help them transition from 2^nd to 3^rd generation ownership and then to professional leadership to position the company for a very profitable sale.

Executive Coaching
Many coaching relationships begin when Mickey and his staff receive a call related to a specific problem like how to inspire a promising person, how to improve a younger family member, or how to manage a difficult employee.

Frequently, after that initial project, the relationship grows. Running a business can be very lonely. Especially in small and mid-sized companies, the owner can feel isolated. Few owners have employees willing to challenge their ideas and practices. CEO roundtables are OK, but sometimes you need someone with real expertise.

In addition to evaluating your style and suggesting more efficient  practices, a coach can be an objective sounding board. Mickey finds that many CEO’s who have used his company for specific projects, will schedule quarterly coaching sessions just to stay sharp and invite some objective criticism.

Evaluation
Different jobs require different skills, attitudes and styles. Once you determine the characteristics required to succeed in a job, you can test candidates to determine their likelihood of success. Delta Consultants does this in two ways. For key positions, they will interview a candidate, administer a battery of test, and submit a report with the test results and their conclusions.

For specific departments like sales or customer service, Delta Consultants can develop a test program that identifies the desired abilities. The company can then administer this program to all candidates.

Industrial psychologists charge much like legal and accounting professionals. A formal full-day evaluation of an individual will cost about $2000. Other services are provided at an hourly rate.

You can learn more about Delta Consultants at www.deltaconsultants.com. Mickey would be glad to answer any questions you have about his services – call him at 888-613-0279.

Delta Consultants, Inc. has been a member of BottomLine Partners since September of 2001. They are enthusiastic users of Wrigley’s Office Supplies,  FastNet for dial-up access, web site hosting and DSL internet access. Rhonda Fineberg is the Business Manager for the company and would be happy to provide other members with feedback and her evaluation of the services. Contact Rhonda at Rhonda@deltaconsultants.com .