Developing Managers as Talent Leaders

© 2007 Paradigm Learning, Inc. All rights reserved

Developing Managers asTalent Leaders

Catherine J. Rezak, Chairman and founder

Paradigm Learning

Southwest Florida Chapter ASTD and FTM-HRMA



The war for talent is on!External pressures• Retiring baby boomers• Decreasing number of young people• Increasing job opportunitiesInternal pressures• Limited resources• Disengaged employees• Unwanted turnover


1 in 3 new employees begin job hunting

on the first day.

— Aberdeen Group

Did you know…


87% of new hires decide to stay or leave within six

months.

— Kaye & Joran-Evans, workplace satisfaction experts

Did you know…


It costs $5,000 to hire one employee and $10,000to replace him or her.

— Staffing.org

Did you know…


In your company, whose job is it to…

• Source candidates

• Interview

• Hire

• Orientation

• Retain employees

• Transition employees


Is it HR or management?

• The balance of retaining and developing employees falls considerably on HR

• Managers at all levels often abdicate their own accountability for these critical responsibilities to HR and/or the training department


HR’s roles …• Guide strategy• Identify knowledge and skill requirements• Develop job descriptions• Create interview Guidelines• Onboarding• Post jobs• Track employees

HR can and should guide the organization’s overall talent development and

management strategy.


HR’s Roles…

HR departments must support all of these efforts.

However, managers who rely too heavily on support departments can undermine all the best sourcing systems, tools or company procedures.


To truly be successful in anorganization today, the ultimate accountability for attracting and retaining employees must rest with your managers.

Talent management success


Paradigm Learning’s 2007 Talent Leadership Survey

We conducted a recent survey with a group of HR executives at Fortune 500 companies to learn more about how managers – especially mid-to lower-level managers – view their talent leadership accountability.



8.39%

30.93%

50.41%

10.26%

Strongly agree

Somewhat agree

Disagree

Try to find talented people

Recently, it has become easier for my company to find the right people to place in jobs.

It isn’t easier to find employees.



31.60%

42.42%

14.77%

11.2%

Very well

So-so

Not well at all

Not a chance

In my organization, managers partner with HR to source candidates for open positions.

Managers are not partnering with HR as much as HR people would like to see.



8.04%

16.11%

49.29%

13.71%

Very well

Pretty good

Need some help

Only if the employee asks

Managers in my organization do a great job making sure they give regular and specific feedback on their performance.

Managers should give regular and specific feedbackabout employee’s performance.


Paradigm Learning’s2007 Talent Leadership Survey

5.42%

41.42%

36.72%

16.59%

Great job

OK

Not very well

Don’t know they’re supposed to

Managers recognize and reward employees while keeping them engaged with the organization’s vision and strategies.

Managers need support in employee recognition and engagement.


Paradigm Learning’s 2007 Talent Leadership Survey• Managers involved in lower levels

of work due to– Corporate downsizing– Increased productivity demand– Employee turnover

• Time is a scarce resource.• Managers as talent leaders, benefit the

organization.


Beyond talent development …managers as talent leaders

What does it take to be a successful talent leader?


The A-R-T of talent

• Attracting• Retaining• Transitioning

Talent leadership is more A-R-T than Science


Attracting

• Sourcing• Hiring• Onboarding

Managers as talent leaders


Sourcing


• Finding or creating a qualified pool of candidates for current and future positions


Hiring

• Making decisions to get the right people into the right job



Onboarding

• Getting new employees comfortable, connected and productive



With the right people aboard, the battle shifts to retention.


Retaining talent

How can companies improve retention in the face of these challenges?– It is the managers throughout the

organization that will make the difference.

That brings us to retaining talent.


6 in 10 workers plan to leave their current job in the next two years.

— CareerBuilder.com

In today’s job market, employees are more selective about whether to stay or go.

As a result…


1 in 4 workers is dissatisfied with his or her job.

— CareerBuilder.com


Employee Engagement Index29%

54%

17%

Truly engaged –work with a passion and feel a profound connection to the company

Not engaged – putting in time, not energy or passion

Actively disengaged – unhappy and act out unhappiness at work

— Gallup Survey


Retaining

• Managing• Engaging• Developing

What do effective talent leaders do in the area of retaining employees?


Managing• Providing effective

day-to-day supervision, feedback and reinforcement



Engaging• Keeping employees

connected and enthused about the organization



Developing• Providing opportunities to

increase employees’ skills and abilities



Transitioning

• Expanding

• Transferring

• Letting go



Expanding• Seeking or

creating new roles and responsibilities



Transferring• Networking to

export or import talent for the good of the organization.



Letting go• Ending a working

relationship with an employee



Senior leaders’ roles in talent leadership

• Model best practices

• Provide resources

• Give ongoing support

• Communicate vision and strategy

Big picture: How do you communicate this strategy


Discovery learning

Research has demonstrated that people learn best when they are actively involved in the learning process.

How can Discovery Learning be used in my organization?

Over the years, “discovery learning” has been proven to appeal to all types of learners, as it accelerates knowledge and skill acquisition and ensures long-term retention.


Discovery learning techniques

• Stories – Create a story that engages learners from the very start and helps the retention over time.

• Simulated situations – Replicate a slice of reality from your workplace that is time compressed and safe, so learners can make mistakes and learn from them without real-world consequences.


Discovery learning techniques

• Engaging visuals – Maps and models help imprint critical content during your learner’s experience and provide a take-away reinforcement tool for ongoing retention.


Discovery learning techniques• Gaming techniques – Chips, cards, game

pieces, dice, timers and more… there is nothing like a little fun and gamesmanship to increase the impact of the learning.

• Self-reflection – Your learners will be able to bring the lessons learned back to their everyday workplace and situations through experiential based connections.


The Discovery learning benefits are clear.• Training is condensed.

• Programs are fun, fast paced and energizing.

• Participants absorb course content via active participation.

• Sessions are highly customizable.

• Retention is high.


A challenge to HR professionals

• Consider the attitudes, motivations and skills of your own managers.– Do they understand their critical role

as talent leaders?– Do they have the knowledge

and skills they need to be successful?


The bottom lineOrganizations must make talent management a top priority. They must source and develop talent carefully, keeping employees engaged and committed while removing underperformers.

They also must ensure that every manager in the company understands the rules of engagement and embraces a leadership role in talent management.


The war for talent is on … are your managers ready?

For more information, visit www.ParadigmLearning.com.

Developing Managers as Talent Leaders

Business

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