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Managing Talent…….Unearth, Unlock, Unleash If you are a business leader and if you haven’t already realised it ‘Talent’ has just become a more precious commodity. This is a message at the forefront of my thoughts as I prepare to give a presentation to some 80 professionals in the Belfast Insurance Institute on the subject. In difficult and challenging times you need to have the very best people working with you to ensure survival in the short term, as well as building for the future. I have some practical tips to share with you but let me raise some issues I have recently heard business owners talk about • There are plenty of talented people now out in the marketplace I don’t have space to deal with each statement except to say that each has very negative consequences and none of these attitudes - or actions - will deliver the level of performance you need. I’m not saying that you won’t have staff that don’t or won’t fit with where your organisation needs to go but even if that is the case, it’s up to you as a manager to deal with that in a constructive way. Conversely I have had some conversations recently where firms that brought their staff together to explain how difficult things are, have been amazed by the level of ideas and commitment provided. The outcomes have been increased sales, lower costs, new processes, new products and new working methods. As a result the firm has become stronger, with jobs saved and even modest recruitment. Managing Talent is not just about the ‘hi flyers’, it’s about unearthing, unlocking and unleashing the talents we all have. Nor is it about complex HR systems or expensive programmes, although that may be required in some cases, but it is about having a mindset that looks to building a strong capable workforce that means business! I have deliberately concentrated on the manager’s role in this article as I am convinced it is a fundamental leadership responsibility but I am also very aware that each individual has full responsibility for their own development. Here are some basic rules for managers - whether it’s one person or a corporation Pause for thought The ‘Susan Boyle’ phenomenon is a case in point where a great talent is unearthed, unlocked and then unleashed. The lessons we can learn is that the rewards are enormous but get it wrong along the way and the consequences can be disastrous. Its not just about the particular talent – it’s about the whole person. Bill Manson is a Director with Podiem. Podiem offers services in People and Organisation Development, Integration and Event Management. Bill can be contacted by phone on 028 9080 4209, online at http://www.podiem.com/ or by email. The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute professional or other advice.
Feb 2010 - Time & Motion . . . . . Working Smarter, Not Harder Time & Motion is hardly a modern concept, more usually associated with improving efficiency in production lines rather than the office or showroom. Once hailed as the solution to all efficiency problems it has been overtaken by terms like process improvement or re-engineering, however, the basic theory delivers practical benefits and bottom line results. Time & Motion is not about working harder but working smarter. It helps you build efficiencies in to every task and reduces unproductive time. I was introduced to the idea at an early age and the principles have remained with me ever since. By way of a basic practical example, let’s think about a typical arrival at work in the morning where you want to check your email and have a cup of tea. Approaching these basic tasks in isolation you might take the following approach: Alternatively you could take the following action: I estimate that the second way of approaching the same activities could take half as much time as the first – the result is the same but the time saving is considerable. I realise this example is somewhat naïve but if the same principle is applied to other daily tasks you will find yourself and your team working much more efficiently. Would you not want to find more time without having to spend more time? The challenge you have is to take a look at what is on your list of tasks for the day, especially the repeatable items, and think about the order in which you approach them. At times, busy managers get too involved in ‘doing’ things so fail to see opportunities to work smarter or where others could be working with them on other aspects of the task. The fancy term is working concurrently but the result is the same – arriving at the solution faster. Some might call it multi-tasking, some might call it time management, and some might call it Time & Motion. Whatever you choose to call it, one of the most valuable things to all of us is time . . . . once it has passed it can never be retrieved, so why waste it? The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute professional or other advice.
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