Maverick Mastery®

I believe that talent management is the ability to nurture, develop and maintain talent, so the objectives of the organisation can be met. It is an holistic approach to managing talent rather than a specific component approach that many companies undertake. For example, concentrating talent management strategies on the top team or high fliers, rather than on key talent across the organisation.

This holistic approach is more likely to enable the manager to nurture and develop their troublesome talent®, who are often ignored or excluded from management development programmes due to their personalities or ability to cause disruption within a structured organisation.

The common question posed by a maverick is ‘why?’

Mavericks do not compromise their standards to fit in, and therefore cannot be managed conventionally. Despite the fact that they often do not utilise their talents effectively, mavericks tend to be the top performers in companies and within business. Common traits of low boredom and impatience mean they often have trouble articulating what they want or what they mean.

They are unlikely to go with the flow for an easy life, which is unlike the rest of the talent pool. These individuals will not only acknowledge ‘the elephant in the room’ they will actively try to drive it out – which is the exact reverse of what is expected in most companies and will often be treated which huge amount of suspicion. Managers may feel challenged by these individuals and react to them in an aggressive way, which will typically drive the troublesome to protest and then react by becoming destructive within the company.

How can you develop troublesome talent?

When you are considering developing your troublesome talent these are the three biggest challenges that they – and you – face.

Communication with others and the need to speak the truth

Whilst your maverick at work is very articulate, they may have problems communicating with others in a way that their audience can understand and accept. If you ask your troublesome talent whether you are doing a good job, and they feel that you are not, expect to receive blunt, to the point feedback on your shortcomings. They are extremely loyal to those that they trust and respect so if you are their manager and do not live up to their expectations – expect a rough ride!

For example, mavericks have an overiding need to tell the truth. They feel that to do otherwise affects who they are and lessens their integrity – one of the principles that they hold dear. This is why communication can be fraught, their need to tell the truth far outweighing the need to not upset someone else. The trait not to upset someone is not usually as well developed as it is in others. This is generally because they have such high self esteem, there is little that will upset them and they naturally feel that everyone else is like them. (Do not assume, however, that they are unable to be hurt at work).

It’s important to develop their communication skills and that doesn’t mean sending them on a communications course. What they need is mentoring on the cause and effect of their behaviour, tied in with a compelling reason for them to change. Without a compelling reason there will not be any change at all – they are not concerned with ‘fitting in’, so get to know them. What do they want? Promotion? Variety? Autonomy? Then tailor their learning on how they can achieve what they desire. Be realistic with them, don’t lie – if they catch you out, they will not forgive or forget.

High self-esteem and self confidence

This can often be interpreted as arrogrance rather than the high self confidence that they feel. Often, they only express an opinion with quiet insistence when they know they are right. This can mean they do not appear to listen to counter arguments or may appear to be inflexible once they have made their decision. It’s a problem of perception rather than just behaviour. This is a communication issue and should be addressed as such.

The need to complete objectives

Mavericks like to complete their objectives as they take pride in solving problems and finding solutions. They will often induldge in lateral thinking to solve the problem, seeing things missed by others. They are also likely to break rules that appear unimportant, or break with protocol to ensure that an objective is met. They are often punished or penalised for taking this route, which can lead them to becoming despondent and destructive.

Their development in this area depends on your ability to enable them to see the consequences of their actions. The effect of a single-minded pursuit for a solution can sometimes not justify the journey to get there. Often, troublesome talent is rewarded by the organisation for this behaviour (bigger bonuses, recognition) whilst at the same time being punished for it by HR teams or their manager. This is counter productive and can be confusing to the employee.

There seems to be a general lack of accountability for leadership development by senior management. But it is not HR’s responsibility alone to develop talented individuals – troublesome or not – they must be nurtured by senior management. Mavericks should not be ignored and companies that do, run the risk of slipping behind global competitors who recognise their potential.

Business in a word, creativity in a nutshell

Successful companies have CEOs that celebrate maverickism, recognising that having employees that are able to think laterally, have integrity and are willing to point out and provide solutions to the errors of the company are to be encouraged. Mavericks or Troublesome Talent® within an organisation can bring a strong business focus wrapped up in a fission of creativity. This can equip the company with an ability to out fox the competition – especially as many companies are weighted with passionless and passive employees.

Maverick organisations think different strategically, take risks and show an unprecedented wilful independence from their competitors and others in their industry. This difference is the key to their success and customer loyalty. See here.

Maverick Mastery® is essential for organisations that can make difference count.

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Dynamic Transitions Ltd enables companies to develop mastery in their leaders and the company’s strategic ability. Businesses want to be able to have a workforce that questions, challenges and refuses to accept a status quo which is damaging or disadvantageous to the company. It is only this acceptance of difference that can enable a company to grow and outsrtip their competitors.

Companies that are prepared to invest in developing their strategic ability are more likely to achieve their strategic objectives.

Do you run a Maverick Organisation? If so your company …

• operates in a fast moving, highly competitive market
• values difference and challenge
• haves the most talented employees in your industry
• values wilful independence
• is seen as ‘cutting edge’
• is admired by others

What you do is different …

We help organisations blend their knowledge and skills to out perform their competitors and be employers of choice. We support mastery by:

• providing innovative leadership training
• executive mentoring and coaching
• strategic consulting on talent management and leadership issues

Maverick Mastery^® is essential for organisations that are constantly evolving.

For more information contact us here.

Realising creativity, harnessing talent

Troublesome Talent® can be an enigma for companies who are unsure whether they should be keeping their talent that is causing 80% of their problems but producing 20% of their profit. They are the type of people who are recognised as being a maverick – hugely talented but difficult to manage. They often complete targets and objectives with ease but cause enormous problems with colleagues and peers in the process. All the while being loved by the customer. Whilst the Maverick CEO may recognise himself in this description or others in his company like this, this recognition may hamper the company’s ability to harness this talent.

We often get involved when the business loses patience with their Troublesome Talent® and is faced with the dilemma – ‘Do I sack or do I develop?’ Sacking can be a very expensive option, not least due to the disruption to the business.

We enable the trouble to be taken out of the talent so that their maverick becomes less disruptive and more productive (Judith’s Managing Mavericks 4 minute video by clicking here).

Read more about Troublesome Talent® – the maverick in your business by clicking here.

Maverick Mastery® is essential for the restless mind realising the genius. See here.

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CEOs want their employees to perform at their best. Dynamic Transitions Ltd enables Troublesome Talent^® to develop mastery in how they interact with others and how they remain employed in corporate companies. Troublesome Talent^® wants to be recognised for the talent that they have and to have the autonomy to do what they believe is right or necessary. The most ideal role for Troublesome Talent^® within corporate life is one of internal consultancy where they can flit from one completed project to another. With full autonomy of course!

Do you have Troublesome Talent^®? If so they …

• are often accused of being blunt and inconsiderate
• always looking for challenges and getting bored once you’ve achieved them
• feel that you are more talented than your peers
• have more influence and autonomy than your peers
• are often described as charming and charismatic
• are trusted by others

They wish that they could be left to do what’s right …

Troublesome Talent^® are often frustrated that their ideas and solutions are not taken seriously by the organisation, who prefer to spend time discussing how they have articulated themselves. They cannot understand why this would be a preoccupation rather than the innovative solution that they have suggested. Troublesome Talent^® get bored easily and can become destructive if ignored. They often suffer from Success Syndrome.

We support Troublesome Talent^® and the companies that have them by:

• providing leadership training and mentoring to their managers so that they can learn to harness their talent
• providing maverick mentoring to Troublesome Talent^® so that they can reduce the tension that they cause others
• supporting their learning on how to improve their interaction with others and their social intelligence

Maverick Mastery^® is essential for Troublesome Talent^® to realise their potential and bring their world into yours.

For more information contact us here.

Organisations experiencing a plunge in employee morale and productivity due to fear of redundancy need to take radical action by demanding that senior management take a more active front line role to help rebuild confidence and loyalty, says the MD of leadership consultancy Dynamic Transitions.

The leadership specialist is urging leaders to take action now to prevent their most valuable employees from moving on to new positions due to their lack of confidence in job security, and says that ‘this is one of the effect’s of country’s mass cull of jobs, and it will continue to ripple through organisations for at least the next 12-18 months”.

“The inherent danger in a credit crunch situation is that the good employees get enticed away in their search for job security, leaving the organisation in a very vulnerable position when it comes to driving the business forward”, explains Germain, a former Head of HR with over a decade of experience in managing the strategic and operational running of the businesses in a number of industries.

“With so much negativity in the air, employees often feel like they are going to be the last one’s to know what’s going on within their organisation, and so try to predict what is going to happen, often making assumptions based on inaccurate or irrelevant information. When there has been internal redundancies, good employees are even more likely to come to the conclusion that they’d better hedge their bets by leave before they are pushed”, says Germain.

Dynamic Transitions has devised a simple 6 point plan for leaders looking to drive employees forward during the credit crunch, suggesting that a very simple internal communications delivered by good managers who can empathise and engage with their employees, whilst continuing to provide valuable and morale enhancing training, will be the making of many organisations over the coming 12-18 months.

“Employees just need to know what is going on and feel like they are involved in the future of the business. Leaders need to think of this period as a time for reflection and focus. Employees need to see that the organisation isn’t just sitting back and admitting defeat but is fighting to build its position in the marketplace and that the team is a core part of the organisation’s future. If employees know that the business wants to survive, and they can see their role in determining its future, they are more likely to want to do all they can to save it”, says Germain.

You can download your free ‘six point plan to keeping talented employees during the credit crunch’ from www.developing-leadership.com/leadership-whitepapers.html. For further information or to find out more about Dynamic Transitions visit www.developing-leadership.com.

Many organisations are considering the best cost effective way to continuously develop their employees and establishing a peer to peer mentoring programme is an increasingly sought after solution for some companies. Mentoring specialist Judith Germain provides a step by step guide on how to embed a peer to peer mentoring programme within an internal comms department.

What is peer mentoring and does it differ from coaching?

Coaching and mentoring are quite different although a lot of practioners use the terms interchangeably. Coaching begins with the premise that the answers are within the person being coached. The coach’s role is to help the individual understand that and via the use of encouraging and questioning techniques, helps elicit the solution. A coach is non directional and never provides advice.

By contrast a mentor is an expert who provides guidance and advice within a more developmental relationship. Mentoring requires flexibility of the mentor and their ability to use a wide range of techniques to guide the mentee.

Peer mentoring takes place when the mentor is not in a position of authority over the mentee. For example an employee in an internal comunication dept might have a colleague within the same department as their mentor. The mentor will guide their colleague based on the life experience that they have gained and their professional expertise within the communication arena.

Implementing a peer to peer mentoring programme

For any mentoring programme to succeed it needs to be embedded within the culture of the organisation and be supported by the senior management team. The process needs to be transparent and be an essential part of the company’s Talent Management programme. This ensures that the mentoring programme fulfils the company’s goals and objectives and isn’t an exercise that is seen by management to be time costly, inefficient and unproductive. Neither should it be seen by employees within the internal comms department as a programme where the mentors are not role models and the programme is flawed.

Step 1 – Senior management buy in

Ensure buy in from senior management and that the peer to peer mentoring programme is part of the company’s Talent Management programme.

Step 2 – Mentor recruitment

The success of the programme relies on the ability of the organisation to recruit appropriate mentors. Each potential mentor should be interviewed against a criteria of desired competencies and required skills, an essential part of the recruitment should include a self assessment from the potential mentor as this would indicate their level of self awareness and skill level. There are a number of things that need to be considered when chosing the right peer mentor including the following:

ü Is the proposed mentor already considered a role model within the department/organisation?

ü Is the proposed mentor able to accept constructive criticism and continually learns from the experiences that they gone through?

ü Does the proposed mentor have the ability to empower others?

ü Does the proposed mentor have a good work record or one that has improved over time?

Step 3 – Mentor training

All mentors should be trained before they begin this important role and should not have to rely soley on trail and area to succeed. They should be trained on essential skills like coaching techniques, how to transfer their knowledge, the need for confidentiality, how to deal with conflict and conflict of interests for example. They should also have their own mentor to ensure that they continue to develop and know how to deal with the issues that may arise. Most companies prefer an external mentor in this role.

Step 4 – Relationship building

There should be a good match between the mentor and the mentee and they should both agree to the relationship. Many companies fail when they enforce a particular mentor onto a mentee or when either of the party does not understand the nature of the relationship or the roles that they play. There should be activities that allow the two individuals to get to know each other so that they can build a trusted relationship.

The mentor will need to assess the needs of the mentee and explain to him how the mentor will help him achieve his objectives. They should agree a time that they will meet , and a format that they will work to. They will also discuss the level of confidentiality that they hold themselves to.

Step 5 – Ending the relationship

It is very important that the mentoring relationship does not fade into inactivity over time but has a formal ending. This allows a period of review between the mentor and the mentee, a time to celebrate successes and plan for the future.

When things don’t work out quite the way you hoped …

John had been mentoring Jane for three months now and he was aware that she was not performing as expected despite the additional support that he had been providing. She was also becoming despondent and was reluctant to take on board the suggestions that he was providing without explaining why.

John was perplexed and was concerned that his own reputation as a mentor would be affected as well as the way that Jane’s morale was spiralling. He had received little training and was unsure what to do next, he felt bound by his confidentiality agreement with Jane and didn’t feel like he had anyone to discuss his concerns with.

Fortunately the company had recognised that their peer mentors needed additional help. They had realised that they didn’t have the expertise in house to mentor the mentors or deal with their concerns around confidentiality.

John contacted his external mentor and discussed with her the concerns that he was having and explored the options that he had available to him. He realised in his mentoring session that there were a number of things that he had overlooked when he was working with Jane.

He had believed that because he was Jane’s mentor she should do exactly what he told her to do in the manner that he directed. This did not take into account Jane’s learning style or her motivations. John was getting frustrated by her lack of response which was making him more dictorial in his manner.

John didn’t recognise the pressures Jane was under in internal comms nor did their have a relationship that would support open disclosure on both sides. John worked with his external mentor on these issues and was over time able to become a better and more effective mentor. His mentor also advised the company to initiate mentor training for all peer mentors to ensure that this error was not duplicated. Jane was allocated a more suitable and experienced mentor and her performance steadily improved.

Peer to peer mentoring is an extremely valuable tool for organisations looking for ways to continuously develop their teams, however it is vital to ensure the both the mentor and the mentee receive the appropriate support and guidance if the organisation is to reap the long term benefits of this approach.

As a result of an ageing workforce, a large number of senior management positions are likely to arise over the next five years, with very few suitably qualified or experienced successors available to fill them. So why is it that companies – and in particular larger organisations – are finding it increasingly difficult to keep hold of their top talent? Is it due to the fact that smaller companies are better at nurturing their talent and therefore see it as integral to their business? I explain why it is so hard for larger organisations to manage and nurture their most valuable assets.

In my experience, if large companies are finding it difficult to retain top talent, it is because they are finding it almost impossible to maintain their relationship with their ‘maverick’ or ‘troublesome talent’. (I define Troublesome Talent® as wilfully independent people)

This is an extremely common scenario as Troublesome Talent® are often recruited because they are highly skilled, have real flair in their area of expertise and have the ability to think up creative, innovative and lateral solutions where others are more comfortable choosing the most tried and tested ones. Troublesome Talent® or mavericks are extremely comfortable challenging the status quo and will doggedly follow the untested path if it will lead their company to success and personal recognition. This is contrary to most employees who actively prefer the certainty of the status quo.

This is where the danger lies for all organisations particularly larger ones. Only 20% of most workforces contain the top talent. It is these unconventional thinkers that drive companies forward through their relentless pursuit of continuous improvement and risk taking. It’s maverick top talent like Richard Branson, Ricardo Semler and Steve Jobs that make quantum leaps for their companies. Troublesome Talent can provide real competitor advantage and first mover status. Often customers and clients love their flexibility and their ability to deliver to their requirements each and every time. Their unique ability to sense what is needed and when enables them to get close to the customer’s need in a way that their competitors struggle to.

When they first join a company the maverick enjoys the flexibility and autonomy that they are given and this is when they really shine and deliver outstanding results. However, eventually, the company will require them to fit into its corporate structure – and begin to follow rules and this is when things begin to deteriorate.

The maverick cannot understand why they are suddenly being treated differently by the organisation and begin to react to the changed behaviour. They feel betrayed at the loss of autonomy and feel that the organisation has lost trust in their ability to operate successfully without supervision. Mavericks will not perform if they feel they are not trusted or if they feel that they have been lied to. Suddenly the organisation finds it hard to harness their maverick and keep them performing with minimal disruption to others.

At this point the organisation needs to look at what drives the change in the maverick’s behaviour and how to align their needs and desires to the organisation’s objectives. Flexibility in leadership style and understanding human nature is the key to achieving this.

When passion becomes destructive

Many larger organisations have trouble maintaining flexibility in their leaders’ styles. This often goes hand in hand with their inability to harness the passion of their top talent. Smaller enterprises do not have this problem because by their very nature they are flexible and passionate driven by the vision of the solo entrepreneur. With just themselves to please they inevitably follow their passions instinctively.

No-one has ever followed a leader that didn’t have passion. Passion for who they are, what they believe in and the direction that they want to go. Even ‘quiet’ leaders have passion, they may not have the oratory skills of JFK or Martin Luther King, but they have, nevertheless, the ability to stir their followers to a cause – a vision to strive for.

So passion is essentially a good thing … it helps us keep going when times are hard, rallies others to a cause, it builds global brands and companies … without passion a leader has no followers.

However, when passion is applied without good intent it can rapidly become destructive. Mavericks are generally very passionate people and can become very focused on singular activities. They have vision, strength of purpose, drive and direction – to the goals that they want to achieve. If their goals are not aligned to the organisation, then real sparks can ensue. Troublesome Talent® or mavericks, will do what they want to do, when they want to do it , so loss of the autonomy that drew them to the company initially can often find them spiraling out of control and losing their desire to achieve.

So how does the organisation turn around their destructive maverick?

Give them a compelling reason to change their behaviour

The organisation needs to ask themselves a number of questions, in an attempt to see things the way that the maverick views things. Mavericks can be highly influential and if they feel betrayed they can work hard to ensure they destroy the very thing that the organisation is trying to build.

Examples of questions organisations should ask themselves are:

• why has the organisation changed the way they are dealing with the maverick?
• what situation is the maverick in, what’s their perception of reality?
• How are they coming across – is the organisation using flexible leadership styles with their Troublesome Talent® or does one size fit all?

Armed with the answers to questions like those above will enable the organisation to enter into meaningful dialogue with their maverick. Mavericks only change when there is an overriding imperative to do so. Organisations need to restore the trust of their Troublesome Talent® if they want to reignite their passion in a positive way. With inspired leadership it will be easier to reach the maverick and harness their talent.

Troublesome Talent® also need to see the cost of their behaviour both financial and human. It is important to give the problem that they cause a human face. Let them reach their own conclusion as to the consequences of their actions and then ask them, how does the result that they see, achieve their end goal.

By ensuring that both parties’ objectives are aligned and that the maverick is given a clear path to follow and compelling reason to change, performance will return to previous impressive levels. It is likely that not only will the top talent perform better they will more likely stay within the organisation. Sadly, this is not always as easy as it sounds, as most large companies have complex rules that they need to follow and aren’t always accepting of the positive challenges that Troublesome Talent® can bring.

The proposed end to Britain’s opt-out of the 48-hour working week could have disastrous consequences for businesses in the UK, who are currently surviving on the goodwill of employees who work extra hours to survive the credit crunch, warn specialists at leadership consultancy Dynamic Transitions.

According to the Surrey-based consultancy firm, many employees and especially managers are working in excess of 48 hours simply to help keep the business afloat and their jobs intact. If they are unable to continue, businesses will have no choice but to raise the cost of their services or hire additional staff, neither of which will sit well in an economy heading towards recession.

The announcement from Brussels comes at the same time as reports by Friends Provident, which suggest that employees are more prone to illness and stress than they were three years ago and that many already put at least seven hours of unpaid overtime in a week or work two jobs. Germain believes the move to reducing the amount of paid overtime available to staff, particularly in ‘blue collar’ jobs such as production or retail will result in even more stress as their ability to earn much needed extra income is slashed.

“Companies may find themselves in a situation where they can’t give staff overtime because they have already worked their 48 hours. This is likely to cause added strain on businesses who may then put pressure on employees to work even harder in less time, resulting in a dramatic fall in morale and an increase in costs if these staff then go sick”, explains Judith Germain, MD of Dynamic Transitions.

But office workers will be hit too, as Germain warns that the biggest issue facing businesses will be managing the performance of high achievers or ‘mavericks’ who enjoy the buzz of working hard and achieving their goals, even if it means working long hours.

“In the UK it is common place to work long hours, its part of our culture and its why most offices, especially in The City, expect staff to be available beyond the traditional ‘working day’. With the option of overtime (paid or unpaid) potentially taken away from them, ‘mavericks’ can become more disruptive and despondent, and this in itself will have a huge knock on effect on the business if they are not managed appropriately”, says Germain.

Dynamic Transitions is a leadership company specialising in managing Troublesome Talent. You can download their free whitepaper ‘Harnessing Maverick Talents’ at www.developing-leadership.com/whitepapers.html For further information or to find out more about Dynamic Transitions visit www.developing-leadership.com or telephone +44 (0) 208 288 0512.

One of the biggest challenges facing businesses right now is a crisis of leadership. There is a need to ensure that the company will remain profitable, employees remain engaged and customers satisfied for the company to survive the current economic downturn. The second biggest challenge for businesses is to truly understanding what leadership is and how to ensure that it permeates throughout the company. This is, for many companies, much harder than it appears as this desire can often manifest itself as an increase in command and control management rather than a genuine improvement in leadership. Good talent management is hard to come by.

A true leader is trusted

The best way to distinguish management from leadership is to understand that management is generally concerned with controlling complex processes; and leadership is about managing and facilitating change. This manifests itself in the leader challenging the status quo and acting and thinking in a strategic way. Whilst management tends to be restricted to those in a management role, leadership is demonstrated by individuals regardless of any formal role with the company. By encouraging leadership by all employees is the key to a company’s success. Management and leadership is integral to each other and those that hold management roles need to have a good grasp and execution in both of these disciplines.

Leadership is getting things done through trusted influence. This implies two things, that the leader inspires trusts in his followers and he has the ability to influence others. To inspire trust the leader needs to be credible and have a good reputation. When deploying talent management strategies it is important to remember that employees are loyal to their leaders not to the organisation that employs them. With this in mind it is essential then that the development of leaders in the organisation, regardless of formal role, is planned, controlled and nurtured.

Good leaders are role models and have strong empathic characters that demonstrate high social intelligence. Social intelligence differs from emotional intelligence in so much as it focuses on the impact that an individual has on others. If you have high social intelligence then it is implied that you have high emotional intelligence as well.

How to develop trust

Trust = reputation and credibility; therefore to develop trust the leader must concern himself with having the right reputation and being credible in what they do. Employees need to believe in their manager and be able to consistently predict how their manager is likely to react in any given situation. This provides them with comfort and increases the chances that they will remain loyal to their manager. The basis of trust is character and competence. Questions to consider are:

• How much integrity does the leader have?
• Is the leader egotistical or humble?
• Is the leader’s intention honourable?
• How capable is the leader in his role?
• How does the leader’s track record stack up?

To develop trust the leader must provide the right level of autonomy to their employees. A leader that has an inappropriate command and control style of leadership demonstrates a breathtaking level of distrust in the employee’s abilities. This will encourage the employees to reduce their work performance and be less likely to be loyal to the manager or their company. Leaders in management positions need to be able to tell the truth at all times as this encourages trust in the relationship between the manager and the employee. The most effective leaders acknowledge other people’s contributions and not take a disproportionate level of credit for a job well done. They should be proud of an employee’s achievement and not feel threatened by their success. A leader that selectively shows their vulnerability to their employees, thus demonstrating that they are ‘real’ is more likely to engender trust. People find it hard to relate to individuals who seem strong all the time. The reverse is not true however, those that appear weak the majority of the time tend to engender distrust and contempt by those that should be following.

Credible leaders will be an expert in what they do, demonstrating a track record of competence that enables others to have confidence in their ability. They will treat others with respect and extend trust to others on a regular basis.

Trusted leaders are more likely to be able to influence their employees. With flatter structures and more matrix organisations it is increasingly likely that leaders are expected to manage employees that are not direct management reports. They are not responsible for their pay and cannot hire or fire them – they are, however, accountable for their performance.

With the credit crunch showing no immediate signs of ending, it will be imperative for leaders to work on cementing their credibility and trustworthiness, if they are to engage with their teams and encourage them to buy-in to the organisations plans for survival. Good staff are hard to come by and even harder to keep. In tougher times, a good leader will be fundamental in retaining and motivating the organisations top talent and preparing them for future succession. Equipping them the true qualities of leadership excellence is vital to securing the continuing success of the business in years to come.