Managing talent effectively

by Fluid

January 2010

Contents3-4 Introduction to Fluid5-6 At the beginning7-8 Key to good talent management9-11 Pitfalls12-15 Developing future leaders14-15 Give feedback, get back

performance16-17 When key talent becomes

demotivated18-19 Ensuring talent management is

not ageist20-21 Exercise A22-25 Real-life example26-28 Managing career development29-30 What attracts the best people?31-32 …and what makes them stay?33-34 Managing top talent35-37 Get YOUR talent noticed38-40 Global talent shortage41-43 Main skills lacking where skills

shortage vacancies were identified

44-45 Top 10 difficult positions to fill46-47 Exercise B48-49 Case studies50-51 Exercise C52-53 Conclusion and questions

Page 3

Introduction

Page 4

Introduction to Fluid• Fluid Consulting Limited (Fluid) is a specialist

human resources consultancy headed by Tim Holden MCIPD

• 10 years in banking• 10 years in Human Resources consultancy• Fluid trading since 2006• The core services provided by Fluid are:

- Retention- Selection- Attraction- Remuneration & Reward - Outplacement- Training & HR consultancy

Page 5

At the beginning

Page 6

At the beginning

• DEFINITION OF TALENT MANAGEMENT• Identify the problems• Take action before starting• Improve the data• Make better comparisons• Focus on outputs and outcomes, not

activity• Mitigate remaining problems

Page 7

Key to good talent management

Page 8

Key to good talent management

• Create your strategy in accordance with your business needs. It sounds like a given but it is not always done.

• Take into account not only your high potentials but also your high professionals-they make the organisation work.

• The faster you can show success, the greater the acceptance and momentum

• Be rigorous. Come up with a system and stick to it. If you change it every year, people get confused.

Page 9

Pitfalls

Page 10

Pitfalls 1 of 2

• Money being badly spent because of a lack of focus on the development ‘goodies’ that are given to people in talent pools

• Potential leaders being given good experience of strategic work but not gaining enough experience of operational management jobs

• Talent management being seen as a set of HR initiatives that never really deliver, and are redesigned or relaunched by each successive HR Director or ‘Head of Talent’

Page 11

Pitfalls 2 of 2

• Cloning the kind of leaders you already have

• Developing leaders who are superficially skilled but not committed to the organisation

• Too wide a separation between ‘those who have talent’ and ‘those who don’t’, which can result in resentment and in many good employees not being developed

Page 12

Developing future leaders

Page 13

Developing future leaders 1 of 3• Encourage your leaders to actively engage in

development processes. Doing so helps sustain the processes and sends a message to talented employees that they are valued.

• Ensure there is greater organisational clarity on the capabilities that underpin successful performance. This ensures the development processes are aligned against a common goal of growing the right capabilities to achieve and sustain organisational performance.

• So you know where tomorrow’s leaders will come from, focus on the transition you are looking to help individuals make. Be clear about the specific challenges that particular groups of functional experts will face once promoted, and focus in assessing and developing these. Make sure individuals truly want to make the transition and that they are ready.

Page 14

Developing future leaders 2 of 3• Continually reviews and re-evaluate the process;

what is working, what could be more effective, how well engaged business sponsors are, and how the programme benefits the organisation and individuals.

• Put in place processes to enable ongoing development. Mentorship, action learning and specific ‘on the job’ experiences are particularly beneficial.

• Involve your leaders as assessors. The skills they apply and hone during the process are invaluable in building the wider leadership capability of the organisation by developing leaders as coaches.

Page 15

Developing future leaders 3 of 3

• MANAGING LEADERSHIP TALENT STRATEGICALLY

• Understand the key elements• Ask yourself ‘ so what?’• Know your talent pool• Grow your talent• Make talent flow• Don’t lose focus

Page 16

When key talent becomes demotivated

Page 17

When key talent becomes demotivated

• Loss of enthusiasm• Reduced visibility or a subtle withdrawal of

discretionary contribution• Increase in excuses• Commiseration with the workplace cynics• Unexplained lapses/absences• Under utilised PA/secretarial support• Loss of urgency and drive/procrastination• Unguarded candour with superiors• Procrastination

Page 18

Ensuring talent management is not

ageist

Page 19

Ensuring talent management is not ageist

• Define people by ability• More experience does not mean less talent• Value every worker• Promote from within• Communicate your philosophy• Attract back former employees

Page 20

Exercise A

Page 21

Exercise A

Page 22

Real-life example

Page 23

Real-life example 1 of 3

• ABOUT THE ORGANISATION• Amey is a support services provider managing

infrastructure ad business services including motorways, parts of the London Underground and council services.

• THE CHALLENGE• Historically Amey had no talent or succession

planning processes and little career planning or development. There was poor visibility of the talent within the organisation, and a high proportion of the roles were filled with external applicants.

Page 24

Real-life example 2 of 3

• WHAT THE ORGANISATION DID• The Talent Tracker initiative was launched to:

support strategic resource planning including succession planning, improve internal recruitment rates and provide focused career development for employees

• All workers can apply for the scheme and shortlisted candidates attend an assessment centre where their potential is reviewed. Each receives expert career feedback and is identified Fast Track, On Track, Emerging Talent or Matched.

Page 25

Real-life example 3 of 3

• BENEFITS AND ACHIEVEMENTS• In the first year there were more than 500

applications to the scheme, and 290 people attended assessment centres.

• Forty were identified as Fast track, and receive dedicated support from the Talent Manager (who manages their career for 24 months).

• Twenty-three moved into positions of greater responsibility within ten months, filling posts that would previously have gone to external applicants. This has boosted morale and reduced the reliance on and cost of using recruiters.

Page 26

Managing career development

Page 27

Managing career development 1 of 2

• Identify what the problem is and areas for improvement. Use employee surveys to cover whether employees feel enough is being done to help them move forward in their careers.

• Make sure the reality lives up to the perception. Be careful if you create the impression at the beginning there are lots of opportunities when that is not the reality, as people will become disillusioned and quit.

Page 28

Managing career development 2 of 2

• Assemble cross-disciplinary user groups to feedback where they think the organisation is going wrong.

• Use a career mapping tool to give employees a sense of control over their career development, especially the self-diagnostic section if one exists.

• Once a system is in place, make sure the budget allows for promoting it fully to employees.

Page 29

What attracts the best people?

Page 30

What attracts the best people?

• Competitive base pay• Career advancement opportunities• Convenient work location• Flexible schedule• Learning and development opportunities• Generous holiday allowance• Organisation’s reputation as a good employer• Reasonable workload• Organisation’s financial health

Page 31

..and what makes them stay?

Page 32

…and what makes them stay?

• Prestige of working in a well-regarded organisation

• Satisfaction with the organisation’s people decisions

• Potential career track with the organisation is clear

• Scope to balance the demands of work and personal life

• Sense of fair compensation for similar work• Working environment where new ideas are

encouraged• Regular career development and training on offer• Opportunities to have a say in departmental

decisions• Organisation’s commitment to social

responsibility

Page 33

Managing top talent

Page 34

Managing top talent

• Work out who they are• Recognise them• Develop them• Reward them• Manage them• Use them• Share their knowledge• Educate them on their value

Page 35

Get YOUR talent noticed

Page 36

Get YOUR talent noticed 1 of 2

• Stop trying to win everything-win where it is essential and let the other stuff go

• Stop telling the world how smart you are• Stop undermining others in a bid to make yourself

look better• Stop sucking up to higher management• Stop acting like someone else• Stop getting immersed in the detail• Stop telling and start listening

Page 37

Get YOUR talent noticed 2 of 2

• Stop expecting your career to fall into your lap-take control

• Stop focusing on the endless tick-list of things to do. Find out what’s going to make the biggest difference and focus on that

• Stop hiding behind your desk. Get out there and network. Learn how you can make a difference in some of the big projects that really matter to your organisation

Page 38

Global talent shortage

Page 39

Global talent shortage 1 of 2

• CAUSES• Changing demographics• Global competition• Shifting skills requirements• Poor or ineffectual training

Page 40

Global talent shortage 2 of 2

• HOW CAN IT BE RESOLVED?• Better workforce planning• Increased training and development• Greater use of migrant workers• Tapping into underused recruitment pools• Better qualifications and more vocational

training

Page 41

Main skills lacking where skills shortage

vacancies were identified

Page 42

Main skills lacking where skills shortage vacancies were identified

1 of 2• Technical or practical skills• Oral communication skills• Customer-handling skills• Problem-solving skills• Team working skills• Written communication skills

Page 43

Main skills lacking where skills shortage vacancies were identified

2 of 2• Management skills• Literacy• Numeracy• Office/administrative skills• IT professional skills• Foreign language skills• General IT skills

Page 44

Top 10 difficult positions to fill

Page 45

Top 10 difficult positions to fill

• Skilled manual trades• Labourers• Chefs/cooks• Engineers• Admin assistants and PAs• Nurses• Management/executives• Sales representatives• IT staff• Drivers

Page 46

Exercise B

Page 47

Exercise B

Page 48

Case studies

Page 49

Case studies

Page 50

Exercise C

Page 51

Exercise C

Page 52

Conclusion & Questions

Page 53

Conclusion

• Summary• Questions