managing leadership talent

Managing Leadership Talent

Tim Coburn

Flourish Ltd

Visiting Fellow at Nottingham Business School

International Centre for Talent Management and Development

February 2009

April 13, 2023 © Flourish Ltd 2009 2

What to expect

Responsible for talent? This is for you

Practical tools and things that work

Use it to check what you’re doing


STRATEGICDECISIONS

FIND

CUSTOMERREQUIREMENTS

PERFORMANCEMANAGEMENT

PLUS

ENGAGEDEVELOP

MOVE

MEASURE

TalentManagement


Start here

Who is your customer?

What is on their mind?

What do they need from you?

How will they measure your success?


It’s 5 things, done well

Practical tools for managing talent:

1. Measure

2. Find

3. Engage

4. Develop

5. Move

Measure


Measure Your Talent Gap: Tool 1

ROLES

MD

Ops D

Sales D

Dist D

FD

HRD

POSITIONS

4

12

6

6

3

17

READYNOW

1

7

10

8

1

24

RATIO

1:1

1:1

1:1

1:1

1:1

1:1

TARGET

4

12

6

6

3

17

NETSUPPLY

(3)

(5)

4

2

(2)

7

TOTAL 48 51 1:1 48 3

GAP

+ 3

* Data are illustrative only and do not represent any organisation.


Review

Advantages?

Limitations?


Review

AdvantagesQuick and easy to prepare Data evidence builds confidenceHelps to spot gaps for critical roles

LimitationsNo data on current incumbentsRelies on reliability of succession plansBased more on numbers than capability


Measure Your Talent Gap - Tool 2

ROLES

MD

Ops D

Sales D

Dist D

FD

HRD

POSITIONS

4

12

6

6

3

17

READYIN 3 YRS

0

7

2

12

8

3

RATIO

2:1

2:1

2:1

2:1

2:1

2:1

TARGET

8

24

12

12

6

34

NETSUPPLY

(8)

(17)

(10)

0

2

(31)

TOTAL 48 32 2:1 96 (64)

GAP

- 64

Long Term Planning* Data are illustrative only and do not represent any organisation.


Review

Additional Advantages?

Additional Limitations?


Review

Additional AdvantagesProvides long term view - a look down the pipePoints to strategic importance of talentShows who is/is not managing talent wellEncourages line accountability for talent

Additional LimitationsNo data on likely shape of future organisationNo data on when replacements are requiredBased only on internal supply


Measure Your Talent Gap - Tool 3

CurrentlyOpen

Estimate2%

(12)

ExpectedRetirements

Age 58+3% per yr

(54)

ExpectedDeleted

Positions10% This Yr

60

ExpectedNew

Positions2% pa

(36)

2008-11‘Talent’

Positionsto Fill

(192)

ExpectedNormal

Turnover5% per yr

(90)

No. of‘Talent’

Positions2008

600

* Data are illustrative only and do not represent any organisation.

Will all transfer? Probably not


Review

Additional Advantages?

Additional Limitations?


Measure: Review

Additional AdvantagesAnticipates employee & organisation changesMeasures overall demandSupports business case for investment

Additional LimitationsHistorical trend does not predict the futureEmployability of people in deleted rolesStill not addressing capability needs


Big question

Leadership talent?

What exactly, are you looking for?

Let’s try an experiment…


Experiment

Think of 3 people from different walks of life who show great leadership talent

Not professional, technical, sporting or artistic excellence

Generic ability that differentiates their leadership from others’


What’s it about?

3 abilities that differentiate them

1. How well they….

2. How effectively they…

3. How consistently they…


Research says it’s about

How well you think

How well you influence others

How hard you try

How well you adapt to change

How confident you are

JudgementBreadth

PersuadeTake others with you

Deliver resultsDetermination

Innovative

Willing to change/seek change

Learn from experience

Initiative

Courage

Source: Independent Research/Review of Literature undertaken on behalf of Rolls-Royce plc, 2006


Out of interest

How do you define leadership talent in your organisation?


Know what you’re looking for

1. Identify what differentiates - in your organisation

2. Ask and involve those who really know

3. Look at the research and combine the two

4. Select 3 - 5 factors as behavioural indicators

5. Define evidence statements in simple language

6. Test and agree with line management

7. Communicate and train managers to know what it means - they are responsible for finding it


Deploy to find or draw it out

In RecruitmentJob adverts, role descriptions, leadership brand

In SelectionCriteria for jobs, promotion, talent pools, succession

plans, development centres and programmes

In Development In individual development planning, programme design,

coaching

In Performance Management360 feedback, behavioural performance review

In RewardRecognition schemes, leadership awards


Find: Review

How does your current approach align to the

research?

What improvements could you make?

Engage


The Case for Engagement is High

Companies with

Achieve more than

And more than

High Employee Engagement

5% greater Operating Margin

3% greater Net Profit Margin

Source: ‘Closing the Engagement Gap’, Towers Perrin, 2008


But, so is

Engagement is improved by many things

pay vision and values brand boss culture

purpose job itself security work-life balance

Performance

And we usePerformanceManagement

to deal with that


So, why not add

And call it

Engagement

Performance Management

Performance Management Plus

to

+

=


Performance Management Plus

Perform

Develop

Perform

Develop

Engage

From this To thisPerformance Management Performance Management Plus

Like Performance and Development,Engagement is a managementresponsibility. It’s part of thesame Conversation


Efficient integration

Perform

Develop

Engage

explain the corporate landscapeunderstand what personally motivatesmake the vital connection and listen,align and adapt

set performance objectivesreview progressgive performance feedback and reward

identify capability gapsbuild development plansgive development feedback and coach


Engagement Tool for Line Managers

What the future here looks like

Where I believe we need to be

Why it’s important we get there

Why it matters to me

How we want to engage you

1. Leader describes a realistic corporate landscape

What my future looks like

Where I believe I want to be

Why it’s important I get there

Why it matters to me

How I need to be more engaged

2. Employee explains whatmotivates and engages them

What our customers need from us both

How the work we need to do can engage me

How the organisation can help me do my best

What more we need from each other

How we can fill any gaps in engagement

3. Leader and employeemake the vital connection

Listen, align and adapt

It starts here

4. They both work at improving engagement


Engage: Review

The benefits of engagement are high

How are you engaging leadership talent?

Who is responsible?

What more can be done?

Develop


Your experience?

Where is most investment?

1. …

2. …

3. …

What is most effective?

1. …

2. …

3. …

In your experience, how do organisations developleadership talent?


Importance to Personal Development: Rated ‘Absolutely Essential’ or ‘Very Important’

Eff

ec

tiv

en

es

s o

f C

om

pa

ny

: R

ate

d ‘

Ex

ce

lle

nt’

or

‘Ve

ry G

oo

d’

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Way Jobsare Structured

Special Projects

Speed of Job Moves

Role Models

Told Strengths & Weaknesses

Informal Coaching and Feedback

360 Feedback

Mentoring

Traditional External Training

Traditional Internal Training

Non traditional Learning

IndividualLearning

FormalPerformanceEvaluation

JobRotation

DevelopmentPlans

Outside Testing

THE JOB ITSELF

FEEDBACK & COACHING

FORMAL TRAINING

KEYSource: ‘How Executives Grow’McKinsey Quarterly, 2000


What do you think?

The case for ‘the job’ + feedback is clear

Is the shift to coaching getting results?

It depends on the coaching


Coaching and Feedback

What have you learned from experience?

What is emerging as ‘good practice’?


Develop: A Coaching Tool

1. Identify the behaviour you need to improve

2. Choose colleagues you respect and get them involved

3. Ask them for advice on how to do better

4. Listen, understand and decide what to do

5. Make an action plan and implement it

6. Ask for feedback, advice and support

7. Practice to make it consistently good

8. Review your results with the colleagues involved

9. Thank them for their help and start over again…

With acknowledgements to Marshall Goldsmith, www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com


Essentials for Success

Leader wants to improveFocus on 1 (no more than 3) behaviours Respected colleagues are invited and

agree to take partColleagues give constructive feedback Coach ensures the quality of the process Use data as a reference point for progress


Initial Assessment

1st Review

2nd Review

Leadership DevelopmentProgress Review with Colleagues

Behaviour toDevelop

Medium HighLowVeryLow

Very High

0 1 2 3 4

0 1 2 3 4

0 1 2 3 4


At Least 3 Good Meetings

Meeting 1 – Client and Coach Learn about the coaching process, decide what you want to

improve, choose colleagues to involve and plan how to get initial feedback and advice.

Meeting 2 – Client, Colleagues and Coach Review feedback with colleagues, choose 1-3 behaviours you

want to improve, rate your current effectiveness and agree an action plan. Implement the plan. Ask for feedback as you go

Meeting 3 – Client, Colleagues and Coach Listen to feedback about the progress you have made, rate

effectiveness again, plan further improvement actions and evaluate the coaching process


Coaching Tool: Review

Advantages?

Limitations?


Coaching Tool: Review

AdvantagesLeader decides ‘just one thing’ to improveColleagues make it a team effortAccountability is high for everyone involvedResults happen quickly

LimitationsTeam involvement subject to availabilityComplex issues will take longer


KEY ROLE

KEY TRANSITION

MANAGE SELF

MANAGE OTHERS

MANAGE MANAGERS

MANAGE A FUNCTION

MANAGE A BUSINESS

GROUP EXECUTIVE

MANAGE THE ENTERPRISE

LEADERSHIP TRANSITIONS

Source: ‘The Leadership Pipeline’, 2001by R Charan, S Drotter, J Noel

What’s the goal?


Shift

From:‘Dive and catch’

To:

‘Ready on time’


Move: Goal

A good supply of capable leaders

Right people into the right roles

Owned by line management

Reward for the ‘generators of talent’


Move: How?

Generic career roadmaps - for key roles

Customised career roadmaps - for key talent

Minimum critical requirements eg ‘2+2+2’2 Businesses, 2 Functions, 2 Regions

Company goal and Employee aspiration

Agreed by Executives, enabled by HR

Mitigate hoarding with Rules of Engagement ‘If ready, right for the job and willing to move, they move!’


Move: Review

How to get line management doing it?

How do you reward talent management?


STRATEGICDECISIONS

FIND

CUSTOMERREQUIREMENTS

PERFORMANCEMANAGEMENT

PLUS

ENGAGEDEVELOP

MOVE

MEASURE

TalentManagement

How are you doing?


Quick Assessment Tool

Use the following Questions to check yourapproach to Talent Management

If you can’t say Yes to the whole question,the best answer is No

Guide


1. Do you have an agreed business case to support theorganisation’s targeted investment in talent management?

2. Is your leadership team engaged and are they actively championing talent management activity?

3. Do you know the job roles or employee groups forwhich you need a strong supply of talented people?

4. Do you have a measurement tool for identifyingtalent gaps and requirements in our organisation?

How are you doing?YES NO


5. Do you have a data-based measurement of the talentrequirements of our organisation?

6. Do you have standard tools, processes and talentmanagement practices to ensure a consistent approach?

7. Do you know the behaviours that differentiate thetalent you need and are they used well in selection,development and performance management?

8. Do leadership teams manage job moves to match theright people to the right roles?

How are you doing?YES NO


YES NO

9. Do your talented people have development plans thatmaximise potential through learning and job experience?

10. Are your managers equipped to engage the talentedpeople they lead as part of their management role?

11. Are managers measured, recognised and rewardedfor their achievements in managing and developing talent?

12. Do your employees know the talent you want and dothey have the opportunity to show and develop it?

How are you doing?


How are you doing?

What are your priorities?

How will you work on them?


For more information:[email protected]

Flourish provides solutions for: Executives Leaders HR business partners Consultants, coaches and facilitators

We have expertise in: Leadership Development Talent Management Employee Engagement Organisation Development

Tim Coburn has more than 20 years experience in senior positions at the BBC, Motorola and Rolls-Royce in talent management, leadership development, OD and learning and development.

He is Managing Director of Flourish, a specialist provider of high value performance and development solutions.

He is a Visiting Fellow at the International Centre for Talent Management and Development at Nottingham Business School, England.

http://www.flourishltd.com/



mailto:[email protected]




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