DDI’s Talent Management Intelligence

Not a Numbers Game

By Mark Phelps

When it comes to employee engagement, organizations are quick to jump on the statistical bandwagon. And why not? What senior leader doesn’t want to see issues and solutions in black and white so they can put on their “problem solver” hat and go to work?

It’s a simple fact that increasing the engagement of your workforce requires discussions, thoughtful reflection, and a lot of organizational accountability to make positive change happen. Increasing organizational engagement starts with more engaging leader behavior at all levels.

This focus on analytics, and letting algorithms and correlations drive the process creates other problems as well. When I talk with organizations that use this approach, I hear the following:

• Senior executives don’t consider the impact of their behavior
• Managers of low-scoring groups attack the survey questions and methodology
• HR owns the initiative, but execution is weak

The easy part is measuring engagement and identifying areas for improvement. The hard work begins with trying to engage leaders’ personal side: their commitment, motivation, and “heart.” This begins before the survey takes place, and continues as long as engaging employees is important to organizational success!

Employee engagement starts with senior executives—not HR. From that beginning, leaders and employees need to be involved and committed to working on an aspect of their work environment that they feel will make the best impact

You can’t analyze your way to a more engaging work environment, and you definitely won’t energize or engage your leaders by piling on the statistics.

Join me for a discussion on how to make employee engagement a priority for your senior executives at our webinar on November 10, 2009: Engaging the C-Suite: How to Gain and Sustain Leader Buy-in for Your Engagement Initiative

Mark Phelps is a practice leader and manager for Development Dimensions International (DDI).

Just Tell the Truth

By Matt Paese, Ph.D.

Yesterday I attended the Human Resources Planning Society conference in Chicago where something interesting happened in a group discussion about talent management with about 40 HR executives from around the country (don’t act surprised).

Searching for some bottom-line answers, we asked a simple question: 

If your talent management system were an engine, what should happen when you switch it on? 

-“More leaders ready at the right time for the right jobs!”, called out a participant. 

-“More people ready to do what the business needs!”, called another. 

Wide consensus. Heads nodding. Organizations need an engine that manufactures readiness to perform business-critical tasks. Check. Next question: 

What proportion of companies have working talent management engines?

-“Less than 20%!,” shouted a pharmaceutical leader from the back. 

Again, lots of agreement and head nodding, and then an additional comment from a woman citing a recent study:

-“…less than 15%”, she concluded. 

-“At best”, remarked another leader.

Okay, so the perception is that not many of these engines work very well. Roger that. Moving right along.  Question #3:

If you could manufacture one tool to improve the performance of your talent management system, what would that tool do?

Murmuring. Discussion. 

-The table in the back submitted an answer, “A better assessment tool to show people how they can develop!” 

Arguments. More discussion.

-“A CEO who really believes in talent management!” 

-“That’s not a tool.”

-“Some of them are.” <smirk>

And then eventually, consensus. The group rallied around one leader who voiced it best:

-“We need something that gives our leaders 2 things: the motivation and the skills to have honest conversations about talent.” She held her arm high and shook one finger, and then two to stress her point. 

The group consensus: The single biggest barrier to effective talent management is a lack of honesty in conversation. By intent or by accident, we don’t fully level with one another. 

A thought: In this resource-barren environment, if your talent management engine isn’t working, consider jump-starting it with one simple question: 

What prevents us from having better, more truthful conversations about talent?

Matt Paese is the Vice President of Executive Solutions for  Development Dimensions International (DDI).

Windows 7 - A Tale of Collaboration

By Mike Hoban

The recent launch of Windows 7 by Microsoft has generated a lot of buzz about its functionality, its acceptance in the marketplace, its impact on the fortunes of Microsoft, etc. There seems to be a story that sparks interest for just about everyone, techie or not.  The story that caught the eye of this Talent Management Blogger was in The Wall Street Journal on October 20 which describes not so much the product but what went on at the company to develop the product. 

Call it the story behind the story about how Microsoft took a different approach to harnessing its considerable talent to create a high stakes product aimed at resuscitating a reputation sullied by its last Operating System effort, the much maligned “Vista.” 

It’s a story that seems to be as much about common sense as it is about bits and bytes. The bold new development approach, according to the Microsoft project leaders quoted in the article?  Collaboration and communication.  Eliminating “silos.”  Talking to customers and hardware partners. Things they apparently did not do enough of when developing Vista, which resulted in many delays and initial defects.   

With the Windows 7 development effort, the company was very intentional about ensuring that different development teams shared their plans with each other.  Maybe common sense, but apparently not common practice. CEO Steve Ballmer also directed that they collaborate more closely with their technology partners, which led to some “brutally honest” conversations about Vista with engineers at H-P and their customers. An H-P executive said Microsoft developers listened and were “much more humble.”    

Communication. Collaboration. Customer focus. Many companies beside Microsoft have sub-optimized the efforts of very bright and talented people by putting insufficient focus on those fundamentals. Some would even suggest that project silos in software development is more the rule than the exception.  Talent in every organization needs to be set up for success with the right systems, processes and strategies.  That’s why sometimes an athletic team with the most raw talent is not the team that prevails in victory. 

So it’s not even enough to attract, develop and retain the best talent. It’s also about getting the “organizational arrangements” right so that those talents can be realized. 

Mike Hoban is a senior consultant for Development Dimensions International (DDI).

Focus on the Fish, Not the Size of the Pond

By Mark Dembo

I spent many years of my career working in small companies and in my own business, and for some reason (maybe an inferiority complex) I always had this vision that somehow the big companies were smarter; that their sheer size meant that they must hold some hidden wisdom that was unavailable to the likes of us toiling away in smaller enterprises. 

They would toss around big words and phrases like “performance process improvement” and “alignment of resources to the organizational strategy”…and I envisioned that someday maybe I too would see the light.

Well, now I spend my time working with some of the biggest organizational names in the world, helping them align talent strategy and organizational goals, and I’ve come to a grand conclusion; big organizations are not any smarter than the smaller guy. Organizational success ultimately comes down to the personal commitment that each individual makes to improve what they do each and every day..

Here’s how I see it–organizational success and individual success are inextricably linked. A recent study by Quantum Workplace showed that employee engagement can predict movements in the Dow Jones Industrial Average; the study contends that as employee engagement scores rise there is a corresponding increase in the Dow. If that indeed is the case, then we really can work to make a win-win.

Regardless of what the engagement scores show, it is ultimately up to each employee to take personal accountability to find the meaning in what they do. But they can’t always do this  alone. A hallmark of a strong leader is the ability to create the right atmosphere where people WANT to do their best work: an environment where associates feel like they are making an important contribution, and where what they do is recognized and appreciated. The best leaders are able to understand and tap into this inner motivation for each member of their team.  By doing this, we can create engaged workplaces that benefit each associate, the organization, and the constituents and stakeholders it serves. 

How often do we take the time to think through and articulate, “what really matters to me, why do I do what I do” and how do we, as organizational stewards, help our employees do the same? Sure, most people do what needs to be done for a paycheck, but there should be more than that. In today’s ever-changing, fast-paced, stress-packed world, how can we help individuals find the deeper meaning and satisfaction in what they do? 

Mark Dembo is a manager for Development Dimensions International (DDI).

Listen to DDI's Podcast on employee engagement.

Running Uphill

By Barry Stern, Ph.D.

 After having been away from running for around 10 years and beginning to train again about month ago, Saturday I ran in a local 5K and had a blast!  Perhaps I was inspired by the upcoming New York City Marathon, which I completed in a blinding 1997 rainstorm that still brought out about 1,000,000 spectators (or as I thought of them that day, my closest friends) across the Five Boroughs. An incomprehensible celebration of human accomplishment, tolerance, collegiality, and diversity, to this day the experience continues to produce psychic returns.

Less vivid are my memories of the 5AM training runs, or the missed family Sundays when I “went long” with my training partner. Nor do I much reflect on the occasional nausea, the aches, pains, blisters, cold, or the uphill runs when right before blessed relief at the top of some crucifying hill in Chesterland, Ohio, my heart felt like it was about to punch through the back of my ribcage. But there is a steel-like mental connection of that marathon peak experience with those long hours of excruciating training. 

Today it feels to many of my colleagues and our clients that we see the top of that heart pounding hill and perhaps can even glimpse at what’s beyond. The more optimistic of us feel that marathon day is approaching. And we know that getting to this point in some semblance of health has meant we’ve developed new muscle. And yet, for all too many leaders, this singular focus has come at the expense of those they lead.

Understandably, leaders have focused their efforts on managing costs, ensuring profitability, doing more with less, and chasing revenue. But what has been the toll on human capital? Consider these harrowing statistics from our recently completed Pulse of the Workforce survey:

• 55% of those surveyed say they will move to another company if they have the opportunity
• 51% feel stagnant and only 29% of those folks feel like they’re interested in what they do. A typical comment is “same old thing, day after day.”
• 44% of stagnant workers plan on actively looking for another job when the economy improves. Typical comment: “I’m just killing time until the economy improves”.

Many of us feel that our organizations have been left with “the best” as a result of these times. But what actions is your company taking now to ensure that your world class runners are entered and ready for the race?

Barry Stern is vice president, Consulting Services and Delivery for Development Dimensions International (DDI). Follow him on Twitter.

Hear All About It, Hear All About It: Innovation

By Rich Wellins, Ph.D.

“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to choose the latter.” Thomas Jefferson, 1787

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to speak at a one day event for newspaper executives at the Frontline Media Club in London.

My own view of newspapers reflects that of Mr. Jefferson over 220 years ago. However, there are many that feel the words news and paper have become two separate entities.  With new ways to access news, the newspaper industry is facing unprecedented challenges. And, the current environment has not helped circulation or ad space.

Before and during the event I engaged in a few intriguing conversations with Terry McGuire, past chief legal counsel for the Federal Communications Commission and a true expert in the industry. He told me that in the late 70’s the early wave of technology had entered the scene and he warned a similar group of CEO’s to innovate or die (my words, not his).

For many corporations, innovation has moved up in the list of business priorities yet, progress has been slow.

Many of the presentations in the morning of the conference were pleas for radical change—for more innovation. I began to ponder the wisdom I heard in a different speech three years ago at our Client Summit. Jonas Ridderstrale, author of Funky Business and Karaoke Capitalism, made a number of important points two of which stuck in my mind.  Any industry can grow through innovation and the ability to do so reflects on the quality of senior leadership.

No sooner had I stopped reflecting that Dr. Rainer Esser, the Managing Director of a German newspaper, Die Zeit got up to bat. Homerun! In a recession year their sales went up, their profits are up, their circulation is up! No small feat. The German newspaper market is extremely competitive. The Die Zeit success has nothing to do with luck. Their leadership team seems to pull off one innovation after another:

• Column duels between a highly conservative and a highly liberal editor.
• Recruitment of Helmet Schmidt the ex-German Chancellor as the Managing Director.
• Over 100 live events. Many on college campuses with editorial staff and guest speakers to build their brand.
• Passion for their customers that extends beyond surveys to in-depth interviews.
• Significant digital exposure including website, numerous blogs, etc.
• Based on the strength of the brand, a successful merchandising program.
• A “weekly” reader for use in the school system not only for educational purposes, but to build a relationship with newspapers.

When I asked Dr. Esser to single out the most important element of his newspaper’s success it was the leadership team. They spend time debating new ideas, new business models, and new ways of delighting their customers. Dr. Esser even hinted at some frustration with the countless hours devoted to new ideas. But, at the end of the day, he says, it was well worth it.

Dr. Esser was spot on. Any industry has room for innovation with the right top team in place. A team that can dream, a team close to customers, and a team, most of all that thinks ‘why not’—rather can not!

Rich Wellins is senior vice president at Development Dimensions International (DDI).

Reflections from the HR Tech Show

By Bradford Thomas

I spent last week at the HR Tech Conference in Chicago and had some interesting conversations with HR professionals preparing to ramp-up their talent initiatives as the economy improves and hiring is on the horizon. But the biggest a-ha of the week was that while it is imperative for companies to begin laying the foundation for growth through IT infrastructure (we were at a tech conference, after all), they also need to address employee satisfaction and potential turnover risks. Talent issues can’t be solved merely through software.

Read more of what I heard and saw this week on SmartBlog on Workforce.

Bradford Thomas is a Manager at Development Dimensions International.

The Leadership Afterlife

By Matt Paese, Ph.D.

Today, professional sports illuminates a contemporary leadership dilemma: what does it really mean to be a team leader?

For those of you with little interest in sports, give me a chance on this.

I should start by saying (with only mild embarrassment) that it’s a tough day for me. Tonight, my all-time sports hero, Brett Favre, will compete against the Green Bay Packers, the team for which he played for 16 years, the team he took to two Super Bowls and repeated playoffs, the team he came to define, the team I’ve cheered for since I was old enough to shout “Go Pack!” My team.

The Packers – a truly unique professional entity, owned by the citizens of an unassuming, unpretentious Wisconsin; the only team that makes you feel proud for eating cheese and wearing it on your head at the same time. Perhaps this un-self-conscious pride in things so mundane, the full ownership of what makes us unique, is part of what defines “the Packer team.” The absence of a glamorous backdrop has long provided Green Bay with a rarified brand of camaraderie. Being a member of our team means that you’re part of the combined Packer-Wisconsin community, and that team stands above anything that we as individuals bring to it.

Sound familiar? The Packers aren’t the only team like that. In fact there are many, and I’m sure you have your own. But tonight, we’re the one that everyone will be watching.

Favre was (I repeat, “was”) perhaps the most quintessential team leader that ever came to Green Bay. Gritty and competitive, boyish with a sense of fun, from similar, unassuming roots, he had a selfless dedication to the team that he showed week after week. He is a winner. He cannot be disputed as one of the toughest players ever to have played the game, never having missed a start in his 16 years as a Packer, or in his 19 games since then with the New York Jets, and now with <choke> the Minnesota Vikings. We Packer fans love Brett Favre, and we always will.

But a Viking? I thought he was a Packer – forever! The Vikings are the Packers’ arch enemy. No region’s newspapers and blogs ever produced more bile-filled anti-Packer and anti-Favre rhetoric than the Twin Cities. Favre, a Viking? This can’t be.

Favre quipped recently that those who are worried about his legacy should be reminded that it’s HIS legacy, not theirs. And this is where he lost me. You see, I’m still on the team, and even though he’s not, the manner of Favre’s departure affects me. Being on a team is one of our most basic needs. To come together to celebrate accomplishment, mourn the lack thereof, and share a common purpose is perhaps one of the great gifts of being human, and leading such an endeavor is an even greater gift.

Leaders move on, especially the great ones, and we expect that. But as they make transitions from one assignment to the next, I hope that leaders always remember that the positive effects of their leadership can long outlast their tenure in the job.

Good luck tonight Brett. We’ll always miss you on the team that used to be yours.

Matt Paese is the Vice President of Executive Solutions for  Development Dimensions International (DDI).

Monday through Friday Morning Quarterbacks

By Bradford Thomas

On the way into work the other day I was listening to ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike in the Morning Show. The two Mikes were discussing whether it is Tony Romo’s fault that the Dallas Cowboys have not taken it to the next level. This led to an engaging discussion on whether NFL teams could really succeed without their quarterback being the leader. John Elway. Dan Marino. Brett Favre. Leaders.

What about Bradshaw? Was he the leader with all of the vocal members of the Steel Curtain? 

This got me to thinking about office chit-chat. How many times have you heard someone say, “Mary is the quarterback of my sales team” or “Bill really quarterbacks those monthly accounting meetings”?

Most people would replace the word quarterback in both of these sentences with leader or manager without missing a beat. That’s because most of these comments refer to front-line leaders—those managers or supervisors who go into the huddle with their teams each day and run the X’s and O’s of the business.

The words manager and leader may be first-cousins, but they’re not perfect synonyms. Army recruits, marketing associates or defensive linemen may display leadership qualities—think of Ray Lewis pumping up the fans and his teammates before a goal-line stand—but not possess the decision-making skills of the sergeant, marketing manager, or quarterback. On the flip side, an IT manager may be great at planning and organizing, a key managerial competency, but poor at inspiring others, a key leader competency. 

The fact is that most organizations want their current and emerging managers to have leadership potential—an ability to develop good leadership skills in the near future—but they desperately need them to be able to manage on day one. A rookie quarterback, like Mark Sanchez with the Jets, is expected to manage his team’s offense, but he earns the right over time to be the leader.

Let me turn it over to you: Do you feel there is a difference between managing and leading?  Which one takes precedence when your organization is assessing readiness to step into a supervisor role?

Bradford Thomas is a Manager at Development Dimensions International.