Talent, Succession, & Understanding

Whenever I see something appear to be moving more slowly than it has
to, it’s fairly certain that something simple is being
overlooked. I was listening to an executive team talking about their
impending Talent Management initiative in anticipation of a presentation
that was to be delivered to them on the topic.  Here are some snippets
of the informal chat:”It’s good that we’re finally going to do succession planning in
earnest.””That’s right. Our Board is nervous about what would happen in the
case of a sudden death or serious illness.””I need to know who my up-and-coming people are.””We’ll be able to look at a chart and see ‘who’s who’ when it’s time
for an important move. “Hmm. . .Shortly before that, I was with line managers and HR people
who were talking about the same initiative. Heres’ what you would
have heard:”I think this is supposed to make it easier for me to have
development discussions with my people.” “What software program are we going to use to track training and
developmental assignments?””This is good. We’re going to have more workshops and seminars.””What are we going to include that will help with retention?””Does this mean that we’ll have a defined career path?”What’s Going On?The importance of self-interest comes into play
here. Not selfish self-interest but the fact that when something new is
introduced, we tend to define it from our personal perspective. That
perspective emerges from a hope that something we need is going
to be fulfilled.The multiple conversations revealed an Aha!.
While everyone across the organization was pretty excited about “Talent
Management” as a way of life, they didn’t have a simple, common
understanding of what it meant. The top level folks were thinking,
“Succession Planning.” Everyone else had a variety of notions, depending
upon one’s role, needs, and hopes. Sooo. . .trying to practice what
I preach about Aha!. . .I put together a quick graphic for the
person doing the executive presentation. The idea was to simplify what
Talent Management is about while acknowledging the validity and
distinction of Succession Planning as a part of it. The simplicity is
also there to force the need to talk about the underlying
elements and arrive at a common understanding:If any of you are in the early stages of program development–or
bumping into what appear to be honest misunderstandings–I hope
this is helpful.
Link to original post

Steve has designed and delivered leadership and communication programs for some of the world's largest organizations, and has more than 30 years in training, development, and high-level executive coaching. His Roesler Group has created and delivered leadership and talent development internationally for corporations such as Pfizer, Minerals Technologies, Johnson & Johnson, NordCarb Oy Ab, and Specialty Minerals--Europe. Steve is currently involved in the latest update of his Presenting With Impact program, a cross-cultural presentations workshop that has been delivered on five continents to more than 1,000 participants representing nearly 60 nationalities.

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Talent, Succession, & Understanding

Whenever I see something appear to be moving more slowly than it has
to, it’s fairly certain that something simple is being
overlooked.

I was listening to an executive team talking about their
impending Talent Management initiative in anticipation of a presentation
that was to be delivered to them on the topic.  Here are some snippets
of the informal chat:

  • “It’s good that we’re finally going to do succession planning in
    earnest.”
  • “That’s right. Our Board is nervous about what would happen in the
    case of a sudden death or serious illness.”
  • “I need to know who my up-and-coming people are.”
  • “We’ll be able to look at a chart and see ‘who’s who’ when it’s time
    for an important move. “

Hmm. . .

Shortly before that, I was with line managers and HR people
who were talking about the same initiative. Heres’ what you would
have heard:

  • “I think this is supposed to make it easier for me to have
    development discussions with my people.”
  • “What software program are we going to use to track training and
    developmental assignments?”
  • “This is good. We’re going to have more workshops and seminars.”
  • “What are we going to include that will help with retention?”
  • “Does this mean that we’ll have a defined career path?”

What’s Going On?

The importance of self-interest comes into play
here. Not selfish self-interest but the fact that when something new is
introduced, we tend to define it from our personal perspective. That
perspective emerges from a hope that something we need is going
to be fulfilled.

The multiple conversations revealed an Aha!.
While everyone across the organization was pretty excited about “Talent
Management” as a way of life, they didn’t have a simple, common
understanding
of what it meant. The top level folks were thinking,
“Succession Planning.” Everyone else had a variety of notions, depending
upon one’s role, needs, and hopes.

Sooo. . .trying to practice what
I preach about Aha
!. . .I put together a quick graphic for the
person doing the executive presentation. The idea was to simplify what
Talent Management is about while acknowledging the validity and
distinction of Succession Planning as a part of it. The simplicity is
also there to force the need to talk about the underlying
elements and arrive at a common understanding:

TalentATW.001

If any of you are in the early stages of program development–or
bumping into what appear to be honest misunderstandings–I hope
this is helpful.


Link to original post

Steve has designed and delivered leadership and communication programs for some of the world's largest organizations, and has more than 30 years in training, development, and high-level executive coaching. His Roesler Group has created and delivered leadership and talent development internationally for corporations such as Pfizer, Minerals Technologies, Johnson & Johnson, NordCarb Oy Ab, and Specialty Minerals--Europe. Steve is currently involved in the latest update of his Presenting With Impact program, a cross-cultural presentations workshop that has been delivered on five continents to more than 1,000 participants representing nearly 60 nationalities.

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