How To Hire The Right People And Set Them Up For Success

In the new book, Talent: The Market Cap Multiplier, you’ll discover how seven companies from around the world reinvented the talent management process to become better functioning companies and talent engines that drive impressive growth.

Dig into Talent to learn the case studies of Johnson & Johnson, Hemnet, Argus Media, HireRight, Vishal Retail, Depop and Oak Street Health.

Authors Anish Batlaw and Ram Charan provide you through these case studies a guide for how to take a data driven approach and playbook to identifying, hiring and investing in the right people, placing them in the right roles, and then setting them up for success.

Anish Batlaw

Ram Charan

Batlaw and Charan share these insights with us:

Question: How do you identify, recruit, and support high-performing executive talent?

Batlaw & Charan: We start by developing a scorecard that captures outcomes we expect the incumbent to deliver over 18-30 months as well as the key competencies and experiences the incumbent will need to be successful. It’s critical that the scorecards be very specific and not include vague terms like “curious” or “very smart,” which are too generic.

We source candidates through our Talent Bank (which is our repository of vetted execs in the cloud) and quite often work with our preferred search partners.

Candidates are interviewed by a panel and referenced extensively. During reference checks we like to validate the experiences and achievements that candidates highlight in the interview, and which gives us confidence in their ability to hit the scorecard.

Question: What are the most important things to look for in a candidate when selecting a CEO?

Batlaw & Charan: Track record of success that is relevant to the company’s aspiration and strategies. Demonstrated potential to learn and adapt. You need to consider not only what a candidate did, but how, in great detail.

Set Direction: Clear and compelling vision; make decisions with speed and conviction.
Keep Customers at the Core: Immerse into the customer’s experience and always consider customer satisfaction and retention.
Build and Energize Organizations: Lead with integrity. Build “A” teams and make tough decisions. Build a culture of extreme collaboration.
Drive Execution: Prioritize and align resources and drive radical accountability. Integrate Strategy, Talent, and Operating Plan

Question: How has the pandemic affected companies getting the right leadership team in place to reach the company’s growth goals?

Batlaw & Charan: The standards on how to lead in these uncertain times is much higher than ever before. At the same time the demand for talent has accelerated in the context of the “great resignation.” This has created the perfect storm!

Question: Why is it so difficult for companies to recruit the right leadership team?

Batlaw & Charan: Companies need to develop leadership teams in the context of the long-term strategy and outcomes expected.

Hiring and development plans need to be rigorous, and data based; and one needs to be highly disciplined when executing critical talent initiatives.

Talent reviews (quality and quantity) need to be tightly integrated into the Operating rhythm of the company. Most companies pay lip service to this practice. It needs rigor. If businesses review financial plans on a monthly basis, they should be reviewing the talent plans on a monthly basis as well. By creating a rhythm around “talk talent,” companies should ensure that “A” players are in the most critical roles. They should also continually recalibrate if the leadership standards align with the business challenges.

Thank you to the book’s publisher for sending me an advance copy of the book.

Comments

Use A Board Of Advisors

David Burkus often provides valuable comments to my various Blog postings, and he's a person who effectively uses a board of advisors, instead of mentors, to help him achieve success. "I've found that in my life, it was easier and more effective to set up a board of advisors," said Burkus, the editor of LeaderLab . "This is a group of people, three to five, that have rotated into my life at various times and that speak into it and help me grow. I benefit from the variety of experience these people have." LeaderLab is an online community of resources dedicated to promoting the practice of leadership theory. Its contributors include consultants and professors who present leadership theory in a practitioner-friendly format that provides easy-to-follow explanations on how to apply the best of leadership theory. Community users can download a variety of research reports and presentations about leadership and leadership versus management. For example, a pr...

Reach Communications & Leadership Expert David Grossman Via His New App

If you haven't engaged with David Grossman's website, Blog and incredibly useful eBooks, make a point of checking them all out at his website for The Grossman Group. David just launched his new App, called " Ask David ." Via the App, David promises to bring his communications industry expert advice and wisdom right to your fingertips. Topics covered include: Employee engagement Internal communications Change management Leadership effectiveness Crisis messaging Diversity and inclusion

Effective Listening: Do's And Don'ts

Here are some great tips from Michelle Tillis Lederman's book, The 11 Laws of Likability . They are all about: what to do and what not to do to be a leader who's an effective listener : Do : Maintain eye contact Limit your talking Focus on the speaker Ask questions Manage your emotions Listen with your eyes and ears Listen for ideas and opportunities Remain open to the conversation Confirm understanding, paraphrase Give nonverbal messages that you are listening (nod, smile) Ignore distractions Don't : Interrupt Show signs of impatience Judge or argue mentally Multitask during a conversation Project your ideas Think about what to say next Have expectations or preconceived ideas Become defensive or assume you are being attacked Use condescending, aggressive, or closed body language Listen with biases or closed to new ideas Jump to conclusions or finish someone's sentences

How To Find And Work With A Mentor

Fortunately, I've benefited from having great mentors throughout my career. And I've have the honor and good fortune to be a mentor, both formally and informally, for various individuals the past few decades. Mentoring is powerful. Both being a mentor. And being mentored. That's why I became an instant fan of the book, One Minute Mentoring: How to Find and Work With a Mentor -- and Why You'll Benefit from Being One . The book presents a fictional parable about the power of finding, or being, a mentor. In what is about a one- to two-hour read, you'll gain knowledge and easy-to-use tools for how to find and leverage mentoring relationships . Ken Blanchard You'll also learn why developing effective communication and relationships across generations through mentoring can be a tremendous opportunity for companies and individuals alike. Bestselling author, Ken Blanchard, Ph.D . teamed up with Claire Diaz-Ortiz to write One Minute Mentoring . Bla...

Great Business Quote

Here's a great quote from author and speaker Harvey Mackay : "When a person with money meets a person with experience, the person with the experience ends up with the money, and the person with the money ends up with the experience."

How To Avoid 8 Common Performance Evaluation Pitfalls

As the year comes to a close it's likely time for many business leaders to tackle the annual performance appraisal process. So, here is a good reminder from author Sharon Armstrong about how to avoid eight performance evaluation pitfalls . These are in what I consider is the best chapter of the book The Essential HR Handbook , that she co-authored with Barbara Mitchell. 1. Clustering everyone in the middle performance-rating categories 2. Overlooking flaws or exaggerating the achievements of favored employees 3. Excusing substandard performance or behavior because it is widespread 4. Letting one characteristic - positive or negative - affect your overall assessment 5. Rating someone based on the company he or she keeps 6. Rating someone based on a grudge you are holding 7. Rating someone based on a short time period instead of the entire evaluation period 8. Rating everyone high, to make you look good There's ot...

Inspiring Leadership Quotes

These quotes truly inspire me and hopefully they will inspire you as well : “The three common characteristics of best companies -- they care, they have fun, they have high performance expectations.” -- Brad Hams “The one thing that's common to all successful people: They make a habit of doing things that unsuccessful people don't like to do.” -- Michael Phelps “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." -- Harry S. Truman “The leader of the past was a person who knew how to tell. The leader of the future will be a person who knows how to ask.” -- Peter Drucker “Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” -- Dwight D. Eisenhower “Good leadership isn't about advancing yourself. It's about advancing your team.” -- John C. Maxwell "People buy into the leader, then the vision.” -- John C. Maxwell “Great leaders have courage, tenacity and patience.” -- Bill McBean ...

The Science Of Personality In The Workplace

In the book, Good Judgment , author Richard Davis , PhD , explains what the science of personality is and how it works, and how all of us can use it to improve our working relationships, careers, and lives. “Understanding the science of personality and how to utilize it is the key to exercising good judgment, shares Davis. “The ability to read others’ personalities quickly and accurately, overcoming biases and prejudices that might skew our perception, is critical when making decisions and managing relationships both professional and personal.” Psychologists widely agree that five key traits define our personalities : Intellect : How people think. How people process information, make decisions, and solve problems. Emotionality : How people express emotions. How people typically experience and/or express their emotions. Sociability : How people engage with others. How people tend to interact, communicate, engage, and get a...

5 Tips For Generating Ideas From Employees

Your employees have lots of ideas. So, be sure you provide the forums and mechanisms for your employees to share their ideas with you. Hold at least a few brainstorming sessions each year, as well. And, when you are brainstorming with your employees, try these five tips: Encourage ALL ideas. Don't evaluate or criticize ideas when they are first suggested. Ask for wild ideas. Often, the craziest ideas end up being the most useful. Shoot for quantity not quality during brainstorming. Encourage everyone to offer new combinations and improvements of old ideas.

10 Disciplines To Help You Stay Sharp And Energetic

The book, Shine , is a transformative guide that illustrates how looking inward is the key to unlocking true entrepreneurial freedom. Certainly, Shine is a book for entrepreneurs, however, it is bound to benefit any business leader. “Entrepreneurs often have a burning need to succeed. But that same relentless brilliance that propels you in your career can take a toll on your teams, personal relationships, and even your health,” explain author Gino Wickman and coauthor Rob Dube . “Our book will help you strike a crucial balance between those inner and outer worlds while taking your success to new heights.” In Shine , Gino shares 10 disciplines to help you stay sharp and energetic without burning out. The 10 Disciplines teach you how they can lay a foundation that creates space in your busy life for you to consistently and optimally perform and achieve your inner peace. “I have helped tens of thou...

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Search This Blog