I have
always been an enthusiastic advocate for talent spotting in a business. It was
brought to mind last week when I saw on TV, Jurgen Klopp, the manager of
Liverpool Football Club talking about the January transfer window.
He made the
point that even though he may spend £15 million on a new player in the end he
was buying that player purely and simply on potential without certain knowledge
of how he would fit into his team.
It was a
matter of culture. Even though every precaution had been taken the only way to
find out if he would fit in the team was to play him.
Rather wistfully
he said "but that is football!"
Football it
may be but that problem exists in business as well although thank Heaven the
transfer fee system does not cloud our decision making when we hire a new
candidate.
In their
great management book, The Puritan Gift, Kenneth and Will Hopper make the point
that even if we decide to parachute in an MBA it will take the shop floor 18
months to train them.
The fact is
that there can be a major gap between the perceived potential of an individual
and the actual performance. This can
apply both to existing members of staff and equally to somebody who has just
been recruited.
This is why
I am keen to promote the idea of formal talent spotting within a business. One
of the most important functions of HR should be the formal search for potential
talent in the business and then the construction of a fast track for their
career.
Equally the
search for talent in a business needs to be a Board function with a director
being specifically responsible for finding and developing really good people
The problem
will always be when we are recruiting that we actually buy sight unseen even if
we go through a stringent recruitment process. Interviews are not the best way
to uncover the true potential. It comes down to whether they have the right
attitude.
I remember
an instance where a member of my Vistage CEO peer group recruited an accountant
for the business. All the signs were good during the interview and he told me
that the candidate had excellent technical ability.
He was
accordingly appointed and spent the first week of his working life in the
business playing Solitaire on the computer. Technical ability he may have had
but his attitude was totally unacceptable.
What then
is the best way both to uncover potential in a member of staff and then to
ensure that the subsequent performance matches the potential?
While it is
very difficult to make promises to anyone about their career I feel that it is
a good idea at least to make it clear to them that they have been spotted, they
seem to have the potential and they are on a fast track career path.
After that
it is entirely up to the individual to justify the faith that has been put in
to him or her and to ensure that the performance matches the potential.
Fast track
career planning is not merely a plan. It demands regular checking on
performance, on personal growth and on how the individual actually contributes
to the success of the business.
If we are
to go through the process of offering a career to talented people then as
leaders we must ensure that every aspect of their life in the business is monitored.
This is not
to say that they are under examination all the time but rather making them
aware that they are privileged and the business is anxious to ensure that they
succeed.
All of that
can work well with an individual already in the business. The recruiting of
people from outside can be an entirely different matter.
This is why
any interview process must endeavour to uncover attitude in the candidate
rather than emphasising their technical ability and experience.
The cost of
recruitment can be double the annual salary and it is essential that as far as
possible the recruitment process must be successful.
A friend of
mine was the HR Director of a global company employing some 120,000 worldwide.
He told me that if they achieved 50% success rate this was viewed as being more
than acceptable.
The costs
involved must have been horrendous.
Anyone
recruited from outside must have some baggage from their previous employment
and once again it is a matter of culture. The question to ask is was the culture
of their previous job consistent with our culture.
If there is
a mismatch and that is relatively simple to discover, then great care needs to
be taken in recruiting that individual.
In an ideal
world it is far more preferable to promote from inside the business. Obviously
this is not always feasible but it is most definitely desirable.
Better to grow your own talent than to hope that somebody else
will do it for you.
You can download my book "Leading to Success" from Amazon
Visit the Vistage UK website
No comments:
Post a comment