Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER JANUARY 2019 FEATURES 25 SUCCESSION PLANNING Closing the executive talent gap By Eric Beaudan E xecutives who are serious about delivering value should spend more time identifying their organizations' top performers and most criti- cal roles, according to Dominic Barton, former global managing partner of McKinsey and author of Talent Wins. In other words, succession planning is the new competitive advantage for those that want to thrive in the global economy. At the same time, organizations are facing a significant talent gap at the executive level. With millions of baby boomers approaching retirement, there is an alarming shortage of C-suite talent across the private and public sectors. To add to this quandary, the next generation of leaders are stepping into their first execu- tive roles 10 years before previous generations, and three roles early — as "premature leaders" — forc- ing employers to significantly ac- celerate their development. Developing talent So, what can organizations do? e key is the development of a succession talent pool made up of mid-career leaders who have the potential to step into an executive role over a defined time period — usually two to three years — and to give these leaders high-visibility assignments and developmental opportunities to broaden their leadership capability. Consider these examples: •A large transport authority need- ed to identify potential succes- sors to the CEO from a group of more than 90 leaders who were two steps removed from the C- suite. Using customized assess- ment tools, Odgers Berndtson worked with the HR team to develop a talent map that tied development work to individual performance, including regular check-ins with the CEO and VPs. •A financial institution appointed a new CEO and was looking for ways to identify internal talent who could immediately step into VP-level roles and help drive a significant culture shift. Odgers Berndtson created a custom- ized set of assessment tools to determine who had truly bought into the culture shift and could quickly step into lateral roles or more senior roles over a two- to three-year horizon. Each of these initiatives also involved a formal leadership de- velopment cycle — with one or- ganization sending high-potential leaders to a customized leadership development program at a univer- sity, and the other translating the aggregate analysis of assessment results into concrete coaching and mentoring programs. HR as the process owner As succession planning and de- velopment practices evolve, HR needs to position itself as the trusted advisor in the process. It can lead the way by delineating the challenges and accountabili- ties of the business in three differ- ent ways: •Vision: Paint a clear picture of the leadership and organiza- tional capabilities required for long-term success. Working with consultants or its internal orga- nizational development group, HR needs to identify the leader- ship capabilities it expects high- potential executives to master and take the organization to its next performance level. • Methodology: Offer a struc- tured yet flexible methodology and tools to develop the next wave of leaders. The process must be transparent and re- viewed with the business to en- sure buy-in. e HR committee of the board must also provide oversight and guidance with re- spect to the process and desired outcomes. • Followup: Leaders love the ini- tial attention they get as they receive assessment results and create development goals — yet routinely fail to follow up. HR can be the voice at the table remind- ing the business that followup is critical. More importantly, HR needs to determine the lessons the organization is learning from both successes and failures. Finding the best leadership Knowing what to look for in fu- ture leaders is not always easy. Employers often wonder if they should only assess employees who are seen as high-potential by their business leaders. Invariably, the answer is no. Many high-potentials, once as- sessed against key competencies and leadership capabilities, do not make the cut. To ensure employ- ers have the right people on the right leadership track, they should do the following: •Always use assessment as part of the process: People who are labeled as high-potentials with- out a formal assessment are sim- ply high performers in their indi- vidual roles or people who stand out from a very short talent field. •Focus on future leadership potential: Performance ratings are situational and limited to a certain time period, with lots of external contributing factors. Once a high-potential is identi- fied and redeployed, it is striking how often her contribution to the organization is multiplied. •Recognize diversity: Not all strong performers are alike. Some high-potentials will thrive when presented with opportu- nities to deepen their expertise in their field. Others would rath- er sample multiple experiences and learn about different parts of the business. Not all will fol- low identical career paths. •Provide guidance and feed- back: ere is a misconception that high-potentials are self- guided rockets who can natu- rally achieve their goals. In fact, many are in the early stage of their leadership development, so structured development and coaching are required to help ensure they don't burn out. With the millennial genera- tion expected to make up three- quarters of the global workforce by 2025, HR and business lead- ers need to drive the succession and talent agenda with the same rigour they apply to finance or marketing. Eric Beaudan is global head of the leadership practice at Odgers Berndt- son in Toronto. For more information, visit www.odgersberndtson.com.

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