Maverick Mastery®

There are a number of research projects that show that the more engaged employees are the bigger the productivity increase. Research also shows that there is around 20% of the workforce out performing their peers. So it can seem to be good economic sense to have the 20% as engaged as possible. Often this is the focus of succession plans and internal mentoring schemes. Many readers will have heard of the need to concentrate on ‘high potentials’ or ‘key talent’.

Whilst the intent is laudable often the implementation is not, with only a few exceptionable companies getting the results that they expected or receiving a good return on their investment. The consequence of getting this wrong is not just financial; it can also result in a lack of trust towards the company and the departure of the very people that the company wants to keep.

What is mentoring and does it differ from coaching?

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 generally non directional and does not provide advice. Good companies with a strong empowerment culture tend to encourage its managers to have a coaching style and may even employ executive coaches for its top performers. Aspiring companies prefer to have internal coaches to improve the performance of its employees.

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. Good mentors will apply coaching techniques where applicable and will be unafraid to provide detailed advice on what the mentees next steps are. Mentoring works best for senior executives and Directors – for these individuals coaching is less relevant and useful. This is especially true where it is specific ‘how to’ knowledge that is required rather than a reflective sounding board.

A lot of internal mentoring schemes subscribe to the myth that mentoring needs to be provided by an older more senior employee. This is no longer a truism, mentoring should be provided by a person that is able to provide knowledge and direction in an area that they are experts in. (Not withstanding having the right knowledge, skills, character and behavioural traits).

Often the mentor is a senior manager chosen not because of his skills or the fact that he is a role model but because he is in a senior position. This is problematic for a number of reasons:

• The senior manager does not wish to be a mentor

• The senior manager is very busy and cannot see the value of being a part of the Internal Mentoring Scheme

• The senior manager is a poor role mode

• The senior manager is not credible

Having the wrong mentor for the scheme can have a very adverse effect on the entire mentoring programme. Setting up an internal mentoring scheme without clearly defining and communicating the purpose can also be problematic. I was hired to run a workshop for a group of employees around how they felt they were treated and perceived by their managers and a discussion around why they felt they were being held back in their career. Most of the group felt that they needed an external mentor to help them learn the behaviours and skills that they needed to progress in their careers. I understood that there was an internal mentoring scheme so I queried why they were not using it. The message that came out loud and clear was that they did not trust the scheme. The perception was that it was being used to discover information to be used against them. Many employees quoted examples that they believed reinforced this idea.

The perception that internal mentoring schemes are set up for ill is more common for schemes that are devolved to all employees rather than schemes that are more ‘traditional’. This perception is however one of the reasons that corporate internal mentoring schemes or programmes does not work. There is a lack of trust in the system, especially when the organisational culture does not support the level of openness that a mentoring scheme needs to encourage.

Ill equipped mentors who have not been trained properly and who are unable to deal with the conflicts that will ensue from their role as a mentor, has the capacity not just to destroy the scheme but to irrevocably impact the trust in the organisation. It is important that mentors of internal schemes have an external supervising mentor who can provide guidance as and when appropriate.

Sometimes organisations send out mix messages about their mentoring scheme. For example not allowing the mentor and mentee sufficient time to meet to discuss issues, or by having appraisal systems that actually discourage the use of a mentor. Peer pressure can also discourage their usage as other employees see time spent with the mentor as ‘time off’ and dissuade their colleague for utilising the scheme.

Mentoring schemes are often appropriate ways to develop talented employees who need to understand the key activities that they require to achieve to complete a task, change behaviour or enhance their career. Companies need to understand the environment in which the schemes operate and ensure that there is sufficient trust engendered.

A good training course delivers its objectives, is interesting and interactive and allows for the differing learning styles of the attendees. The success of the course will require an effective trainer who can impart their knowledge whilst retaining the attention of the learners. Understanding human behaviour is often a requisite to being able to deliver a course that can exceed the expectations put upon it.

First things first

When you are delivering training it’s important to understand not only what your required outcomes are, but also what the organisational goals are, the prevailing context and what the attendees were told about the course before they arrived. You are more likely to have a higher proportion of difficult people on your course if attendance was mandatory and not seen as necessary by them, and/or an organisational environment where major change is happening (eg redundancy).

Understanding the expectations of the attendees and whether they are likely to be hostile to your training intervention is therefore vital. If this is a possibility then it’s important to design the content of the course accordingly and deal with their potential hostility upfront and immediately that the course starts. A ‘safe’ way to do this is when you ask the attendees what their objectives are for the training course. Our experience shows that at this stage the attendees often articulate any resentment to being on the course and how they feel about the organisation. This is a fantastic opportunity to discover their objections, listen to their issues and calibrate them to the need for attending the course. This is why knowledge of the organisational context is important. It is imperative that this section on understanding their objections and you addressing them should be kept very short. The last thing that you want to do is spend significant time discussing their objections as it will have a destabilising effect of the morale of the group and your ability to deliver the course well and on time.

It is very common (and to be expected) that there will be at least one member of the course who will feel the need to demonstrate their expertise and challenge your authority or credibility in running the course. A good trainer would have used the five minute introduction phase of the course to establish they credibility and to flush out the individuals who are likely to be ‘lively’.

Delivering a lively, interesting course – mindful of the attendees behaviour

Some trainers mistakenly believe that delivering training in environments where some hostility is shown means they are entering a battle zone! The problem with this theory is that within every training environment there will be some hostility! The actions of the trainer can therefore make it substantially worse.

A good trainer does the following subconsciously:

• Analyse the attendees behaviour to discover which ones fall into the subsequent categories

• The ‘know it all’

• The ‘sceptic’

• The ‘been there done it’

• The ‘enthusiastic puppy’

• The ‘maverick’

• The ‘follower’

• The ‘academic’

• The ‘life long learner’

• The ‘demotivator’

• Adjust the course delivery and perhaps content to suit the training characteristics of the attendees

• Seek interaction and ensure that all learning styles are catered for

• Deal with each attendee according to their ‘training characteristic’ (for example the ‘maverick’ needs to be treated differently to the ‘follower’

• Are able to smoothly and flexibly shift their own style to meet the needs of the group

• Deliver a course that meets the objectives of the learner and the organisation

An example of dealing with a difficult training characteristic – the ‘maverick’

I define ‘maverick’ to mean wilful independence and it is this training characteristic which is probably the one that causes trainers the most difficulty. Mavericks have a high sense of self confidence and self esteem and believe that they are more intelligent than others. This can be a heady mix when they are faced with a trainer that has not established their credibility or is delivering a course that they consider to be boring or inappropriate for them.

The following are likely indicators that you are facing a maverick:

• You are asked a number of questions that are disrupting and show that they believe they know more than you do on the subject

• You are shown disrespect by the attendee (this can be on a continuum from mild to extreme)

• They show their displeasure through body language and audio clues (eg heavy sighs and rolling of the eyes)

• You are challenged constantly and other attendees or yourself are undermined

• They refuse to participate in the course or the exercises

Interventions to use with the maverick training characteristic

• Establish credibility upfront and immediately

• Discover their objectives/objections for being on the course (and build into the course)

• Find a way to avoid making them look stupid (if you fail you are likely to make running the training course extremely difficult)

• Ensure that you do not lose control or appear uneasy

• Provide boundaries and structure (when you need to enforce your control, do it quickly and do not dwell on it – avoid trying to make the maverick lose face in front of their peers)

• Be clear on the objectives of the course, and how the course will run. What are the components of the course?

• Give them something to do – eg ensure they lead on some of the exercises

• Recognise them (whilst ensuring that they do not dominate the course) and appeal to their intellectual ability

Training courses present the trainer with an opportunity to engage with all members of team, even those who seem to be resistant to whatever you are trying to teach them. Remember that a one size fits all approach is unlikely to be successful as is approaching resistance from a defensive position! It can be easy to spend the majority of the course then fighting your corner, but by using some of the techniques mentioned above, you can be better placed to deliver a lively and interesting course which has benefit for all those in attendance.

I define Troublesome Talent® as the wilfully independent. This is the type of person who is 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. I often get involved when the business loses patience 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.

What makes Troublesome Talent® so different from the rest of the talent pool?

I believe that talent management is the ability to nuture, develop and maintain the talent of the organisation so that they can meet the objectives of the organisation. It is a 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 potentials’ rather than on key talent across the organisation.

This holistic approach is more likely to enable the manager to nuture and develop their Troublesome Talent® who are often ignored or excluded from talement management 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 means that mavericks often have trouble articulating effectively 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. Often managers feel challenged by these individuals and react to them in an aggressive way which will typically drive Troublesome Talent® to initially protest and then react by becoming destructive within the company.

How would you develop Troublesome Talent®?

When you are considering developing your Troublesome Talent® it is worth considering the three points below, which can be considered the biggest challenges that they face.

Communication with others and the need to speak the truth

Whilst your maverick at work is very articulate, they may have problems communicating to 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 the maverick has such high self esteem, there is little that will upset him and he naturally feels that everyone else is like him. (Do not assume that your Troublesome Talent® is however 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. Troublesome Talent® often only express an opinion with quiet insistence when they know they are right. This can often 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 often missed by others. They are`also likely to break rules that appear unimportant or break with protocol to ensure that an objective is met. Mavericks 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.

Troublesome Talent should not be ignored and companies that do run the risk of slipping behind their global competitors who place developing talent as their number one priority. There is lack of accountability for leadership development by senior management they need to realise that it is not HR’s responsibility to develop individuals – it must be developed by senior management if it is to have any impact on developing and retaining talent for the future.

In this economic climate there is a lot of temptation to ‘rationalise’ the workforce by shedding difficult individuals that consume a substantial amount of management time and pose an increasing risk of litigation in the future. This becomes even more attractive when the HR Director is challenged with the request to downsize an organisation, especially if they have the mistaken belief that by reducing the number of Troublesome Talent® they reduce the number of problems within the company.

Wilfully independent people (Troublesome Talent®) tend to be the 20% of the best performers in an organisation although they can present 80% of the problems. Persevering with them however, can be rewarding as they have the ability to knock a company out of complacency and into increased performance and profitability. Managing these difficult but talented individuals is becoming increasingly more complicated within flatter organisations. This is especially true where managers and team leaders are responsible for the performance of a workforce that are not their direct reports.

Trying to impose a conformist approach on these individuals is most likely to ensure that they become dysfunctional! I define leadership as trusted influence. Leadership over management is the key to harnessing this type of talent, with success dependent on an individualistic approach. Troublesome Talent® require their leaders to be worthy of following, having little time for those that do not come up to their exacting requirements. A good leader is able to inspire and extend trust and to influence their Troublesome Talent® to become better leaders, regardless of the position that they may hold within the company. Helping to instil leadership capability, (including emotional and social intelligence) into these difficult but talented individuals is a great first step to harnessing their talent.

It is important to provide your Troublesome Talent® with as much time that their need. These individuals value their expertise and their unerring ability to be right! As such they fear looking stupid and will do whatever they can to ensure that they do not receive a knock to their self esteem. The ability to think well of themselves is all important. This is why they will want to be able to have instant access to their manager when they need to check their understanding of the brief. Restriction to this access will cause them to be resentful, frustrated and ultimately destructive. If their manager can remember that the constant questioning is not a challenge but a quest for clarity and respond appropriately, this will enable the individual to become more productive. Once they are able to fully understand what is required and the relevant boundaries of the brief they will usually hurtle off at break neck speed completing their task with accuracy, insight and efficiency.

Troublesome Talent®, sometimes referred to as Mavericks, require others to recognise their expertise and their uniqueness. Recognise this in subtle ways, as constant reinforcement of how good they are will be mistrusted. The best approach is to let them know that you are impressed when they exceed your expectations.

Demonstrate regularly and consistently that you believe in them. When a maverick mistrusts you – all is lost and it will be impossible to garner their cooperation in any initiative that you are involved in.

Try not to overly constrain them with unnecessary rules – they will break them anyway! Consider guidelines that allow them room to manoeuvre instead. This is the best way to get the most out of them.

When your talented employee ‘misbehaves’ you need to give them a compelling reason (for them) to change. Let them know that their behaviour is unacceptable, at times when they have gone too far. Get this right and you will have their respect for ever. Remember, the way to do this is to influence them to change their behaviour – employing command and control tactics will make things worse.

Remember, if your difficult but talented individual respects and believe in you, they will work tirelessly to ensure that your vision is implemented and is successful. For them to be effective, you need to let them be creative when and where they need to be.

UK companies run the risk of slipping behind global companies if they continue to focus on things that can work counter towards improving the business through leveraging their talent.

Many businesses understand the need to develop and nurture their top talent but according to the CIPD Global Leadership Forecast 2008-2009 accountability for this lies mostly with the HR team and junior managers within the business. Only 19% of UK senior managers being held accountable, in global companies this rises to 36%.

Most business leaders are aware of the old adage ‘you get what you measure’ and this can explain why there appears to be failure in companies ability to ensure that effective leadership development takes place. Senior management abrogating accountability can be an effective way to ensure the success or otherwise of this vital development is hidden in a HR metric, potentially not even aligned to the business.

The CIPD found that 64% of UK companies felt that improving or leveraging top talent was a number one pirority for their business. To achieve this then overall accountability must move from HR (who should continue to support managers in this area) and junior managers to senior managers. This is the most effective way to ensure that talent management is taken seriously by the company and enables our business priorities like improving customer service and maintaining growth in increasingly competitive markets take place.

Senior management can be held accountable in a number of ways the most effective include:

• Align accountability for talent management to salary and bonus schemes

• When senior managers resort to the Board on their functional responsibilities like growth targets,talent management has an equal amount of ‘airspace’

• Ensure that senior management are not promoted unless there is a successor readily available

• Ensure that talent management is addressed as a senior management team not just an individual managers responsibilty

• Enable the HR team to hold senior management accountable to effect talent management as well as the Board.

The measures above are designed to ensure that senior management remains focused on developing and nuturing top talent as a key importance to the business. These managers are most able to define key talent’s career opportunities, morale and ability to perform well for the company via their direct control or patronage. If this ability is used well then the company is more likely to achieve its strategic objectives.

The pressures to work more efficiently are as important as ever in the current climate and deligation is often an area in which many small business owners struggle. Often used to taking control and managing tasks from start to finish, business leaders need to proactively manage their time so that it is spend guiding the business forward. Leadership specialist Judith Germain explains why delegation is so important in growing SME’s and why it should be seen not so much of a burden as it is a reward and may lead to the discovery of a successor within the business.

The importance of delegation within a growing business

Delegation is crucial for effective succession. A successor is much needed in a growing business, so everyone can move on to higher things without depending on people from outside the business, however this can be provoked if the manager fails to provide good delegation skills. Many growing businesses suffer because of the inability for business owners and key personnel to delegate responsibilities to their teams. This not only stifles the growth of employees but hampers the company’s ability to move into the right direction. This also stops them from meeting their personal business objectives.

When a manager can’t delegate properly he runs the risk of increasing employee turnover due to employees being de-motivated. The business is then likely to suffer as it will start spiralling out of control and become stagnant. This can be a result of either not enough delegation, or micromanagement, which occurs when the manager provides too much input and direction into the task he set to the assigned person, leaving them feel un-motivated and soul destroyed as they don’t get the freedom. Without following guidelines to good delegation your business may result in a slow death.

How to know what to delegate

Managers should delegate tasks to the subordinate that are non core to what they do. They should be tasks that will make the individual reasonably confident with completion and success but that will develop and stretch their knowledge at the same time. So basically you should give them tasks that could be done better by someone else but by letting them try they will feel more motivated, maybe even more than the usual person you assign to the certain task.

What the manager needs to do to delegate successfully

First of all he needs to make sure he has chosen the right individual(s) and that they fully understand the task provided. Secondly that they feel confident that they can achieve the task to a good standard, which you should then choose certain times of checking on their progress but make sure you don’t approach them too often or they may feel nervous of making wrong actions. You should kindly talk through a mistake with the individual if it occurs but do it in a way that’s still leaving them motivated. Praise them for good work as this will spur them on and make them do an even better job. Last but not least make sure that they have the resources they need in order to complete the task.

How to select the right people to delegate to

You should keep an eye out for the individuals who are operating below their capability, or individuals that are wanting to develop further, as well as the people that can handle additional workloads, or sometimes aim for the people who arent performing to their greatest abilites, especially the troublesome ones as this may keep them engaged in working more effitiently and enjoy their jobs more.
If you are not sure what tools they need, just ask them! Or show them someone who can guide them to success, for example someone who regularly does the task provided.

How to provide effective feedback

Feedback should be transparent, honest and constructive. You should criticise on what they are doing wrong but praise them for what they are doing right, and provide them with constructive critisism so its not taken to heart but will be thoroughly improved. Remember everyone learns from their mistakes.

What role remains for the manager once he/she has delgated

Strategic thinking or planning is not done by enough managers as it is quite time consuming, however once you’ve delegated it gives you time to focus on things that happen next instead of getting in a muddle. He/she will even be able to take time out to work on developing the team and improving the overall performance of his department or company. This leaves them on top and possibly ahead of other businesses.

Radical EU plans which would see women entitled to full pay for the first 18 weeks of maternity have ‘little positive benefit’ for working women and could be the final straw for UK’s struggling small business, according to HR specialists at Dynamic Transitions.

The proposed changes, which could be enforced as early as this year, will have a profound impact on small businesses, especially those that are cash tight. Dynamic Transitions’ MD Judith Germain is concerned that many businesses will simply not be able to cope.

Germain says:

“This move may well be the final straw for small businesses as they struggle to pay bills at a time when resources are low and cash flow is at a premium. Particularly for businesses that employ only a handful of people, losing one member of staff can have a huge impact on the day to day business and this is just yet another added stress that is not needed in the current climate.”

Despite the fact that UK businesses would have two years to implement the new regulations, Germain has real concerns for the immediate impact on the employment opportunities for young women, as businesses feel less inclined to hire and retain women of childbearing age.

“We already know that the recession is bringing about a steep decline in graduate opportunities and moves like this will only serve to see yet more incredibly talented young women unable to secure work and lose out on opportunities to progress their career in a similar way to their male counterparts.”

“The short term financial gain of increased maternity pay for 18 weeks clearly does not outweigh the widespread long term effects on opportunities for women who want to work and have a family. In its attempt to encourage fairer working practices for men and women, Brussels is just pushing the divide further apart”.

Judith Germain is founder and principle consultant of Dynamic Transitions Ltd, a leadership company specialising in managing Troublesome Talent® and improving leadership performance in companies. For further information or to find out more about Dynamic Transitions visit www.developing-leadership.com or telephone +44 (0) 208 288 0512.

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.

Baby Boomers facing the choice of either early retirement on good pension plans or struggling through a recession where they are not appreciated or valued by their younger bosses; are likely to take the initiative and leave employment now. Thus leaving a huge skills gap in an already unstable market, warns talent management specialists at Dynamic Transitions.

According to Dynamic Transitions MD Judith Germain, organisations are increasingly realising that younger managers lack the experience and skills to effectively guide their staff through a recession, causing disgruntled baby boomers, who don’t see any benefit in working harder than they have to, opting to leave the workforce completely. Germain warns that this will leave a glaring hole in key positions across core business functions and predicts that many companies will now be facing the prospect of suddenly losing expertise and strategic direction at a time when it is needed the most.

“Younger managers and employees who face working in a recession for the first time can suffer from a lack of confidence and the key skills required to enable their employers to succeed. The reality is that this isn’t likely to be a short recession and there will be ripple effect across the industry for several years at least. These managers may have been more than capable in good times but now the pressure is on, many are finding that they simply don’t have the knowledge and experience to effectively manage and guide an increasingly unnerved workforce and experience shows that the best staff tend to be the first to jump ship if not managed effectively”, says Germain.

Germain argues that the need for effective Talent Management is becoming the most critical requirement for companies who wish to remain in business during the recession, as the lack of short term financial rewards and benefits diminishes, placing a greater emphasis on job satisfaction and a feeling of value. Germain also believes that the implementation of longer-term reward packages would help retain senior talent, a view mirrored by CIPD president Vicky Wright at yesterday’s CIPD Annual Conference.

“Companies need to invest in effective talent management programmes and leadership initiatives that are innovative and creative for the current times and encourage more experienced and senior staff to sign up for the long haul. Those that can achieve this are more likely to succeed and retain the key talent necessary to remain robust in these difficult times”, says Germain.

Judith Germain is founder of Dynamic Transitions Ltd, a leadership company specialising in managing Troublesome Talent®. For further information or to find out more about Dynamic Transitions visit www.developing-leadership.com or telephone +44 (0) 208 288 0512.

Talent Management is about attracting, developing and retaining employees who have key skills that the organisation needs to meet its objectives. It is a holistic approach to the strategic management of the organisation’s people, although many companies choose to concentrate their efforts in a specific area. For example Talent Management for some companies means recruiting the right people or developing the ‘high potentials’ of the organisation. I believe that this is a flawed approach as it doesn’t recognise that key talent often resides at all levels of the organisation and not just across the top few layers; which is where most HR departments focus their succession plans or Talent Management programmes.

Taking the right approach to Talent Management is essential especially in these economic times, and an incorrect approach can mean that the company can falter in fulfilling its objectives. This is often costly in financial and human terms. Effective Talent Management programmes will not only include succession plans across the organisation, strategic planning of how that talent affects the company and its strategic objections but also how the company interacts with those individuals. The company needs to advise these individuals on how important they are to them and the company’s plans for them. It is key that the company manages the expectations of the employee – unrealistic expectations by either the employee or the company is often the cause of key talent exiting the business. Highly talented individuals are more susceptible to being poached by a competitor that may feel that this is a more cost effective way of recruiting the talent that they need. How the host company has dealt with them in the preceding months or years will be a key determinant of whether the competitor company will be successful in their attempts to poach key talent.

Loss of key talent can be very destabilising for a company and it can take months or even years for the company to recover.

If your company has a Succession Plan is that enough?

The terms Succession Planning and Talent Management are often used interchangeably but are in reality quite different. Talent Management is a holistic approach to the managing of the entire talent pool of the company. Effective Succession Planning is an important element of Talent Management and is about identifying future potential leaders from the workplace to fulfil key positions within the organisation. Once potential leaders have been identified succession planning moves onto the development of the key skills that they require and their subsequent movement throughout the company. This movement is how they can develop the requisite skills and competences that will enable them to take increasing responsibilities within the organisations. It is important for a company to understand the differences in the strategic and operational approach to Succession Planning and Talent Management if it wishes to truly fulfil its strategic objectives.

An example of how Talent Management can be applied

Troublesome Talent® or Mavericks if you will are wilfully independent people and are often the first to be considered for redundancy. This is usually because their great talent is obscured by their sometimes disruptive nature and penchant for blunt language and brutally honest opinions. Mavericks at work tend to have high potential and are usually amongst the best performing employees in the workforce. Companies often find it difficult to engage this talent as they often concentrate on homogenous solutions that work for the majority of the organisation.

An effective Talent Management programme will have devised the best way to harness the skills of a maverick to enable these high-potential employees to fulfil their potential and assume business operational critical roles. Key components for a Talent Management programme for Troublesome Talent® would include:

• Discovering the short and long term objectives of the maverick
• Demonstrating how these can be aligned to the company’s objectives
• Analysing the key skills and competencies of the maverick and check for alignment to the company’s future needs
• Design a career path that will help him develop and enhance key skills and competencies
• Be honest and transparent in how the Company sees his future
• Provide and manage realistic expectations

The benefits of Talent Management

• A holistic approach to the management of talent
• The company understands the critical skills and competencies of the business and have ensured that their HR policies and procedures are designed to develop and nurture these key requirements.
• Employee productivity and morale is improved as employee objectives are aligned to company objectives
• An effective succession plan to ensure that leadership potential is identified and managed
• The right employees are recruited and retained
• Increased bottom line results

Talent Management is not just the purview of corporate companies. It is vital and essential for entrepreneurs to have an effective Talent Management policy. Smaller businesses often do not have the resources available to have a HR team that can advise and co ordinate Talent Management activities. Specific questions that entrepreneurs should take into account when considering Talent Management activities are as follows:

• What are their long term objectives?
• What are the key skills required in the business?
• What are the key skills of the workplace and are they aligned to the business objectives?
• Who will run the business in their absence and do they have the appropriate skills?
• How will the company cope with the loss of key talent?
• What is the company doing to recruit and retain key employees?
• How can Talent Management add to the business and be time and cost effective?

We have an ageing workforce and as a result, 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. In my experience, if 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’. Talent Management is about attracting, developing and retaining these vitally important employees who have key skills that the organisation needs to meet its objectives as without them, businesses will struggle to survive.