CEO blogs - The CEO talent diary
What CEOs can do to
manage talent better
CEOs typically rank talent man
agement as a strategic priority, but most companies are unable to produce the
talent they need the quality and the quantity. Many research studies will
reinforce this disturbingly familiar conclusion.
CEOs are candid to grade their
ability to manage the talent priorities as the lowest when compared to other
strategic challenges. This little confidence to attract and develop talent is
not owing to lack of intent, but the missing link of planning, disciplined
execution and disposition to look beyond the short term.
Having said this, there are enough
and more examples of CEOs who have personally driven the talent management
agenda and clearly see this as the biggest legacy in addition to the culture
of innovation they leave behind. They clearly see their roles as CEOs to
produce more leaders, not more followers. Some of the most important actions
a talent focused CEO should take are:
Align the top team on the talent philosophy:
Having a shared mindset is
essential, else everyone will apply their own judgment. This might sound
soft, but remember these are the `rules for the road“ and once set will guide
every decision on how you select, develop, reward and promote talent.
Articulating leadership values and behaviors are a key part of the talent
philosophy.
Personally manage top team engagement:
Firms that achieve top quartile
engagement levels and superior business results than their peers, have one
thing in common: a certain kind of leaders across the senior management
cadre. We call them “engaging leaders“. Besides driving a high performance
culture and being the mettletesting sorts, they are caring and attentive
mentors to their teams. Managing the engagement of this top team is entirely
the CEO's responsibility and is the real test of delivering what you expect
them to deliver.
Ensure long-term commitment to HR:
Talent management is not a
fairweather game. Un-strategic and fragmented cost take-outs from the HR
budget is sometimes the first response to economic uncertainty, which has
long term consequences on employer brand and the talent pipeline. CEOs need
to always consider investment in talent as core and find other ways to draw
efficiencies.
Communication from the CEO's desk is
scrutinised:
Every word from the CEO's email,
town hall etc., is carefully observed by the employees and plays a crucial
role in company's success. The new communication channels have added to the
complexity. CEO's communication needs to create trust and hope with employees.Employees
agree that they would like to hear their CEOs speak more often. Staff forums,
site visits, employee achievement, CEO blogs are important events that need
to be planned for. While being candid is always appreciated, being consistent
on the non-negotiables is equally important. No amount of communication is
enough, but it has to be well timed and well structured.
(The author is CEO, Aon Hewitt)
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CDET17JUL15
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