Share this:

Earlier this week I started exploring some of the issues involved in effective talent management (see the article below this one). Part 2 looks at two further issues which must be considered for organisations looking to leverage competitive advantage through their people; derailing, and overlooking the imperfect.

Derailing.

Often a promising future leader suffers a significant setback in their development – something which derails their early career; temporarily if they’re resilient, permanently if they lack the perspective or drive to get back on track. It can be caused by their employer (redundancy or restructuring can temporarily halt a flourishing talent) or by their own behaviours or attitude. People can derail their own career very effectively when what seems like a strength becomes a weakness if taken too far. For example the ‘drive for excellence’ would be a terrific strength in a future leader. However if that drive led to a lack of collaboration or recognition of others’ input, how long will they last ?  Self confidence can also derail a career where it leads to arrogance – have you ever seen a great candidate for future leadership development unwittingly sabotage their chances by quickly gaining a terrible ego ?  It’s not pleasant for anyone involved.

Another common issue comes amongst those with a disproportionately high “Achievement” motive. The sense of purpose they get from ‘getting things done’, or achieving excellent results can vanish overnight once important goals are met. You might notice this if your organisation has annual bonus schemes or if a major project reaches fruition. Some people just disengage and tread water for a while until the next major challenge motivates them. If that challenge takes the shapee of a job move then the organisation is losing good talent.

On this note, organisations must have an effective reward strategy in place – one which is an incentive for short-term progress, but which also recognises longer cycles of performance. This reward could take the form of straightforward financial bonuses, or a more sophisticated balance of supportive reward such as increased holiday allowance, workplace recognition awards, pension provision, or a range of perks (eg: private dental insurance or club memberships). The balance should be determined by the employee; allow them to sculpt the rewards which motivate them. After all, people’s needs evolve and are markedly different at life stages such as mid 20s, late 30s, and late 50s.

Equally, the organisation can derail employees’ careers, and not simply by restructuring and redundancy. Sometimes an organisation assumes a ‘star performer’ can adapt to a new role autonomously, and provides inadequate support. If the results are not glowing, it’s tempting for organisations to hold them accountable for the failure (see below).  At the heart of this problem is the readiness for change; future leaders must be willing to step forward knowing they will be fully supported and developed and not simply left to get on with it.

Lesson 3: development is not about ‘skills’. Time management may be an important skill, but talent development must focus on behaviours and traits, using 360-degree feedback where appropriate. It must occur before, during, and after promotion and it must be sought by both employee and employer.

 

Overlooking the imperfect.

One of the most important characteristics to look for in developing future leaders is the capacity and the hunger to learn – including the courage to accept and learn from mistakes. Of course, in the current climate organisations don’t want to risk experimenting with leaders who may fail to deliver.

If they failed once, is it likely they’ll fail again ?  No more than anyone else, and someone who learns from failure is an important asset.

Is ‘learning on the job’ an option any more ?  It should be. And not just because development budgets are thin but because it’s the most powerful way to learn. This is one reason that good coaching is so successful.

Have you ever watched The Apprentice, and wondered what it would be like to work in an organisation where a single mistake would result in your summary-dismissal ? Can you imagine the sense of fear in the corridors, and how that would shape management behaviour ?  While The Apprentice may be an extreme example, the ‘blotted copybook’ leads many organisations to overlook and fail to develop good potential leaders.

A willingness to accept possible shortcomings and recognition of the need to develop, are vital ingredients in a progressive and competitive organisation. Without it an organisation is firmly in a ‘defensive climate’ – where expectation of success means the need to hide failure rather than learn from it. Therefore, a willingness to confront the truth, and a capacity to learn should be two key components in your future leaders.

Lesson 4: Expand the pool of potential leaders – which ‘good but imperfect performers’ accept they could have done better, and show evidence of changing their approach ?

 

So, what should organisations be looking for ?

Rather than simply identifying today’s star-performers, organisations should first take a step back. HR must be strategic and ask the questions:

• What are we developing people towards – what are the cultural values and strategy we need for this organisation in a 10-15 year time-frame ?
• What behaviours underpin outstanding performance at each level in this organisation ?

A clear answer to these questions will help determine what kind of competencies should be sought, and what support and development should be in place to deliver competitive advantage through the effective management and growth of your people.

However, below are three vital characteristics that all future leaders should have:

• Courage to face the truth and hunger to learn – is there evidence that this person seeks improvements in themselves and others ?
• Willingness to step forward – is there evidence that this person has taken accountability when the opportunity has arisen ?
• The ability to ‘connect’ – is there evidence that this person looks to understand their colleagues and can engage others ?

 How do you identify your future leaders, and can we work together to deliver competitive advantage through the effective management and growth of your people ?  What experience do you have of talent management or mismanagement ?

Share this:

The ‘star performers’ in your organisation today are not the same as they will be in 3 years time. Nor the same as they were 3 years ago. Being a ‘star performer’ is not an enduring trait of a person. Rather, it is a balance between the role and the capabilities of the person; the balance of factors such as challenge, capability, reward, ambition, constraints, and resources. The right person in the right role ignites star performance, but it very often doesn’t last. The organisation changes. The person changes. Balance is lost.

This is why so many organisations are wrong to identify their current “star performers” as future leaders, and invest too many eggs in the wrong development baskets. Strategic talent management should be about so much more. It should be a process by which an organisation puts the right mechanisms in place to deliver competitive advantage through the effective management and growth of its people.

 

Why is it important ?

How many times have you read “our most important asset is our people” ? The phrase has become such a cliché that its inferred consequences and opportunities are often overlooked. And yet, any aspect of an organisation – its ability to implement a competitive strategy (eg: use of technology or reputation for excellent service), its financial results, its resilience to competition, its ability to innovate and thrive – all are dependent upon the qualities and capabilities of its people; particularly its leaders and managers.

Payroll is typically the largest business cost. Payroll to an ill-led, poorly-managed workforce is even more costly. This is all about competitive advantage.

 

So, where can talent management go wrong ?

Four classic examples of talent mis-management will be explored in this feature; two today and a further two later this week.

 

Direction and misdirection

The first is an easy trap to fall into: taking the identification of ‘star performers’ as a starting point and fast-tracking them into leadership. The issue is not who your stars are now, but what kind of leaders you will need in order to deliver the organisation’s strategic intent in future. The starting point for effective talent management – and, consequently, for future organisation performance – is in decoding the vision, strategy, and long-term corporate objectives; “If we aspire to X then what would that look like in the leadership behaviours and capabilities at all levels ?”

The next step is then to measure current capability to establish what the gap looks like. And that includes those ‘star performers’. In the light of what will be required, they may not shine so brightly.

The planning horizon for talent management must be across five or ten years so, for many SMEs, the difficulty can arise where HR provides a supportive functional role; where the time-horizon is counted in months, not years.

Lesson 1: the executive board must recognise the strategic value of its people, and of HR. Equally, HR must tether talent development to the organisation’s future direction, and not today’s stars.

 

The problem of promotion.

We’re all familiar with the cliché of The Peter Principle; that in a hierarchy people are promoted to the point of their incompetence. With star performers this can have a double-whammy. The organisation loses someone highly effective in the current role and gains an ineffective manager. As leaders are required to achieve results through others, today’s frontline stars must develop and use very different skills and behaviours than those required to achieve results from their own effort. Otherwise they will quickly find themselves promoted into incompetence. I have observed this most often in sales where the very qualities which make an outstanding sales-person often make for an abysmal sales manager or team leader. But if the organisation has a clear picture of what their ideal next-position qualities should be, and the individual is willing to learn, then the future looks a lot more positive.

Lesson 2: the organisation must identify the behaviours behind outstanding performance at all levels (not just the best they have now) and should work with future leaders to consider how their current behaviours match those required for excellence in the next potential role.

 

I will continue this exploration of talent management in Part 2, to be published here in the next couple of days.

If you have any thoughts or comments to add in the meantime then do click on “Add Comment”. I would welcome your perspective.