Build Your Own Talent and Reap the Benefits

This article appeared in People and Management Magazine September-October issue.  I will become a monthly columnist writing articles centered around Organizations, People & Talent.

Succession planning is always unfairly coupled with the executive suite. When we think of the word, we right away envision a pool being groomed for the C-Level. Succession planning must be permeated throughout the organisation. From the marketing manager to EVP/CMO, every new hire must be looked at through the lens of replacement


What do Proctor & Gamble, JC Penny, Best Buys and Xerox have in common? They all have had recycled CEO’s. The wunderking that was at the throne was replaced by the prior wunderking! Now tell me what is wrong with that picture. Where is or was the strategy succession? So if the plan did not work, why and more importantly what are you going to do about it?

However, there have been instances of success when this model has been used so it is not always a total disaster. The most famous examples include Steve Jobs at Apple and Howard Schultz at Starbucks who came back riding to the rescue, cape & all and saved their company from the grips of decline.

How could this be? Succession planning as an organisational tool has been around for decades. How could these major companies not have a talent marketplace in place? Why would they go back to the tried and true especially in this era of innovation?

Burnout on the Job: You Own It and Only You Can Fix It

“I am done!” Background: A few years out of college, into their second job, dislikes job and abusive work environment.

“I am just going through the motions.” Background: Baby Boomer, laid off but just bounced back, hates to get up every morning. Wants to get out but can’t.

“I am so over this job.” Background: Gen X, 10-12 years out of college. Multiple promotions. Very successful for her age with lots of responsibility, but wants to do something else. Does not know what “something else” is.

This is just a sampling of the emails and texts that I have received from friends over the past few weeks. They are all at different stages of their career, but what I am noticing is that there are very few people that I know who are at “career nirvana.”

Is there anyone out there who really loves what they are doing?

Stages of burnout

Want to Get Ahead? Here’s Why You Always Need a “Pitch” Ready to Go

You always have to keep something on the tip of your tongue.”

My college roommate was the type of person that always had a comeback to whatever was said. He was quick on his feet in verbally responding.

He could develop a narrative around any issue. When asked how he could be so quick, this quote above was always his response.

We have all participated in (or have heard about) the elevator pitch and how important it is. The premise is that if you were on an elevator with an “important person,” what would your brief, 30-second pitch be? If you are an entrepreneur or a job seeker, how would you pitch this person?

Being ready to pitch anywhere

The Opposite of Engagement: When People Decide to Fire Their Company

I need to speak to you when you get in this morning, preferably before the meeting with XXXX.”

“OK, no problem. Is everything OK? I sure hope it is not what I think...”

That email exchange took place about 10 pm one night last week. The young woman who sent it had finally received a job offer and was letting her manager know that she wanted to meet so that she could finally say “you’re fired.” — not to her manager, but to the organization.

I read with dismay the other day about the AOL executive that fired someone while he was conducting a company-wide conference call. The headline should have read “Bully acts out again and fires someone on the spot.”

Happy to let them go

Q & A WITH RON THOMAS, A CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCE & ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

I am very pleased to have recently had the privilege of interviewing Ron Thomas, a Chief Human Resource & Administrative Officer currently based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  We asked him to share his insight and recommendations for human resource practitioners.

TUESDAY STRONG'S BLOG

FOR THE LIFE OF YOUR CAREER, NOT JUST THE JOB YOU'RE IN

Ron Thomas

Q:  Would you speak to your experience as a professional and describe how you stay current with the market and your professional development?

A:  In my climb to reach my HR goal, I figured out long ago that it was about staying current in the field.  You can’t just hunker down in your job and not self-develop.  By this I mean that you should read everything you can about your chosen field.  What are the key points that every department is struggling with?  What are the thought leaders discussing online?  Are you reading the top HR websites?

Develop a strategy for all the key transformation topics.  I tried to develop a strategy for every issue that HR and the organization was facing.  I figured that if I was ever confronted with these issues I would have already thought it through and would have a position not only on paper but to discuss as well.  This was a lot of work that kept me busy but it is like an athlete, you must always be in top shape that if the opportunity presented itself, you could hit the ground running.

See You in a Month: Why Americans Need to Get Serious About Vacations

“See you in a month!”

I was told that by one of our executives as he stopped by HR to complete paperwork for his impending 30-day vacation. My thought was: what would it be like to take an entire month at one time for vacation?

I told him jokingly that I would not know what to do with myself if I had a WHOLE month off. He admonished me and told me that vacation is for rest and relaxation.

Another culture difference

The Key to a Successful Merger? You Gotta Get Better, Not Just Bigger

“By the power invested in me, I hearby pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

At my 5 am workout last week, I noticed on Bloomberg TV that mergers and acquisitions were in the air. Omnicom and Publicis had agreed to merge. The announcement was made in Paris where Publicis is headquartered.

The transaction, presented as a merger of equals, would bring the necessary scale and investment firepower to cope with rapid changes wrought by technology on the advertising business. What that means for the uninitiated is that we just got bigger — and bigger is better.

Does bigger equal success?

Engagement? You Need to Help Employees Develop It on Their Own

“Imagine all the people living for today” is one of the lyrics in what I think is one of the greatest songs ever written — Imagine by John Lennon.

I found myself humming this song the other day on my drive to work, which kind of put me in synch with my HR friend Steve Browne, who uses his music list to get pumped up for the day ahead.

Later that morning, I noticed another article in my in box on employee engagement. It was basically written from the same perspective: the organization owns it. But what happened next was a call I received from a friend in the States; yes, she called me here in Saudi Arabia [seven hours ahead].

I listened to her usual patter on the travails of what her company is doing and how they did this and that. She and her friends are so fed up. The company never listens. They could care less about their employees.

It went on and on.

You own it

Who You Gonna Call? Your HR Physician Can Diagnose You..

Imagine going to your general practitioner, and after a few questions, you get a prescription.

HR Team

During this process, she pulls out a list of best practices to treat your symptoms and writes your prescription. You walk out after a 5-10 minute interview and you’re prescribed with this miracle cure to heal what ails you.

However, if you go to a specialist who deals with your ailment, you will be put through a battery of tests to get to the root cause. After the results come back, this specialist will evaluate your results thoroughly and begin the process of coming up with a solution.

Last week, I got a note from an HR friend who told me that they were asked to gauge employee engagement in their firm. She went to HR and HR sent her a survey with a list of questions.

When I say the questions were”sent,” they were sent back to her via email. The problem was that the list of questions did not touch on what she wanted. Her group was looking for help with the manager-employee dynamic and not the organization-employee dynamic.

We are the specialist