CHROs, Talent, and...Pro Sports?

This is the first in a series of posts about SHRM's Global Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Summit that was held in conjunction with the national conference. It was an amazing collection of senior human resources executives from around the world who gathered for an in-depth and inspiring meeting in Las Vegas.

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So how does the infamous war for talent, Gen Y, succession planning and...the National Football League (NFL) make it into a CHRO session? Louis Montgomery Jr. from Korn Ferry presented a unique perspective on the interplay between the challenges of the world of work and professional sports.

Crazy idea? Not as crazy as you might think.

Organizations Are Not As Smart As They Believe 

As we continue to discuss how the world is getting smaller and the talent supply is shrinking, the case study of the NFL is an interesting one. The league has 32 teams...yet only 8 have won the Super Bowl three times or more.

How is it that "corporate" success possible for some, when the talent supply is available to every organization? How is that the selection process that is so scrutinized and researched, including extensive interviews and assessments with potential new "hires" still results in failure for so many organizations? In fact, a number of these teams have never won a championship.

Why?

Start Inside First
The parallels between the challenges of sports and our varied organizations raised a couple of interesting questions:

1 - What internal support do you have in place to develop future leaders (or players in sports)?

2 - Have you critically examined your current talent to understand who is a diamond and who might be a blocker of your company's success?

3 - Once you've identified your top talent, are you building specific plans to move them to their ultimate potential?

Keep this in mind...your CEO twenty years from now may be an individual contributor today. Do you see their potential? What are you doing about it?

How About You
The challenge of an incredibly small talent pool in professional sports far exceeds the challenges we face in traditional corporate settings. 

Now that you know that, it's time to first take a look at your current team, and make the investment necessary to turn then into long-term stars.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Succession Failing in Three Easy Steps

Change is good. If it's a change for the better. Are you with me? The world of work is changing so rapidly that I'll be honest...sometimes I barely have enough time to process the changes taking place, let alone evaluate whether or not they're actually good for my company.

Change Requires Leadership
One of the changes that seems to be on the rise in the world of work is new leaders emerging, experienced leaders moving on, and at some level a renewed sense of confidence that the economic disaster of the last few years is actually moving from the present to the past.

Those changes, at least at face value seem to be good, right?

In taking a closer look at leadership changes however, several key issues quickly emerge that must be addressed if change is going to be successful.

1. Are the new leaders experienced enough to lead your organization through the upheaval that significant change triggers?

Simply being excited about a new role, and maybe even bending the CEOs ear regularly does not equate with being effective. That can actually be disruptive. Leaders, now more than ever, need to think beyond their circle of contacts and team members and stay focused on the organization in it's totality. Not an easy task, but absolutely essential if the new leader is going to be taken seriously and get the results they need to produce.

2. Are the new leaders willing to listen to their colleagues vs. bulldozing their way to the perceived goal?

A common pitfall for new leaders, particularly at high levels, is that they feel tremendous pressure to prove their value and that they deserved to be placed in their new position. What they so often miss is the incredible opportunity to listen and learn from their peers, direct reports, and external network. 

Showing others that you are open to feedback and will adjust your approach based on the trust you have in the team builds far more credibility than forcing an initiative through without engaging those around. After all, the people are the ones that execute our plans!

3. Are the leadership transitions in the organization done thoughtfully, or is it a free-for-all?

Infusing companies with fresh ideas and new energy is always a good idea. The challenge for companies today is to balance the changing of the guard with the perception that change is occurring simply to change.  

Moving out leaders who no longer embrace the vision or culture of an organization is not only recommended, it is expected. Caution must be exercised however to ensure there isn't a hidden agenda behind those transitions.

How About You
What do you see happening in your company? Is the succession process morphing into a tornado of change; or, are the changes you're making helping your organization become the best of the best? Remember, changes for the best are always good ideas.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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One of Those

You've met them before. They've been part of your organization. They contributed, were popular with the team, and had a bright future. They were always selected to work on the interesting, or complicated, or breakthrough projects. We relied on them as a sounding board when things seemed to get out of control. We almost took them for granted.

Then they were gone.

What Happened
Losing good people is not uncommon. Sometimes we simply cannot keep up with their rising star status, and an opportunity becomes available at another organization. Although we feel bad that we lost a great employee, we also feel good that our organization produced someone of such high quality that the competition didn't hesitate to grab them.

It still makes us wonder what we could have done differently though, right?

Emperors, Clothes, and Culture
One of the challenges every organization faces is whether or not the path they are on is actually a good one or not. Is the leadership team so caught up in the "latest thinking" and a "new vision" that they have completely lost touch with reality? 

Is there a dominating personality that forces the others to be nothing more than a team of bobble-heads that simple nod in agreement after every meeting, presentation and speech?

If so, what culture do you think is being created? How does that rising star feel about that environment? If you were to guess, would you think that rising star is likely to stay and be a part of that world?

Um, no...they wouldn't.

That "One" is Different
When we force ourselves to step back and critically assess our corporate cultures, we often can identify gaps or blind spots that we naturally miss. The discipline of taking a virtual time-out and seeking the feedback of your network (both internally and externally) can help us stay on track. 

If you are one of those leaders who isn't excited about being a bobble-head, but actually wants to lead in a world class culture, the environment described above can feel unsettling at best, and toxic at worst. Right? 

Where is the constructive conflict? Where is the back and forth conversation that moves the organization to a new level of excellence? Is it all based on a cult of personality?

How About You
Take a few minutes today and step back and think about your culture. Is there an arrogance that has permeated your organization? Is the "us against the world" mentality getting in the way of seeing the reality of your situation? Maybe being one of those leaders isn't so bad after all. Just think about all the opportunities out there waiting for you if you decide to leave.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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Brute Force Leadership

How do you feel about this statement?

"The only way I can ensure things get done the right way is if I attend the meeting."

Have you ever used this line? Have you already used this line today? There is much more going on when you say and do this than what you might think.

Superiority Complex

I (too often) get caught up in my own stuff. Whether it's an idea, strategy, meeting commitment or other area of the work I'm responsible for, I fall into the trap of convincing myself that I have to be involved in everything. With my presence and fingerprint on everything, I'm able to exert some good old fashioned brute force to get the job done just the way I see it. Usually we end up with a less than good outcome when that happens.

The better option (just about every time) is for me to get my team involved in whatever it is that is going on. I have a group of smart people that work here in HR...and you have smart people that work with you too. Letting them do their jobs without constant interruptions from us has a couple of huge benefits. One of the most obvious is that we don't have to do all of the work! Why? Because we're not supposed to.

No Trust, No Team

The more important issue here though is trust. Ask yourself what message you send when your team members are constantly being interrupted in their work? Do you honestly think they feel good about your ( and my) interference? I'm guessing they would prefer to give it their best shot (which usually IS the best course of action) and then touch base with us afterwards.

How About You
What message are you going to send this week? Is it going to be another day of you complaining that you're so busy, not because you're doing your own work, but because you're involved in everyone's work? How does any professional development or succession planning stand a chance?

Or, is this the week that your team has an opportunity to spread their wings and show what they can do? Who knows, you actually might find a little extra time in your own schedule.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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Bigger Than [Corporate] Life

One of the exercises I love using when speaking to groups about the impact of good leadership is quite simple. I ask them to close their eyes, and visualize the person they feel was the most effective leader they had ever worked with in any capacity. The group invariably identifies “their” person almost immediately. Next we talk about the characteristics these special people demonstrated to attain such lofty status. Lastly, and my favorite part, is when I ask if in a few years another group of new leaders were being asked the same question, would the attendees have made a similar impression and be “the one?”

                       

Good stuff, right? The obvious challenge to the group is basically – “What are you waiting for? Be the leader you should be right now!”

And Then They Leave

But what happens when Wonder-Manager transitions out of the organization? I’m not talking about succession planning; I mean how does the organization fill the personality void? How do those left behind maintain the energy, focus, and most importantly – results – in the absence of such an impactful person?

Lay the Culture Foundation

The easy answer is to create a culture ahead of time so everyone is fully engaged, committed, supportive, blah, blah, blah. How many companies do you know that have all of their employees on board with every strategy all the time? I don’t know any either. So is this an unsolvable dilemma? The answer is not what you may think.

Why in the world would anyone want to preserve the status quo? Yes, a charismatic leader moving on is difficult, but it also opens up new opportunities that most aren’t even thinking about. Those left behind are initially, appropriately so, processing through the change. But holding on to “the good ‘ol days” even if they were yesterday, means you’ve stopped moving forward.

How About You

What happens when a sudden void opens up in your organization? Do you wring your hands; or, get fired up about the changes heading your way? Your reaction is being watched by so many…don’t waste the opportunity to show why you should be the one who’s name comes to mind in the next leadership session.

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses.


pics courtesy of listverse and doka