Helping Your CEO Understand Talent Management - DDI · Here is how to make the jump with your CEO to a broader talent management strategy. #2 Talent Management Isn’t ... Helping

© Development Dimensions International, Inc., MMXIV. All rights reserved.

Helping Your CEO Understand Talent

Management

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© Development Dimensions International, Inc., MMXIV. All rights reserved.2

No one better understands the importance of talent to an organization than the CEO.


But CEOs are stretched—they can underestimate the time, commitment, and personal involvement required for talent initiatives.


CEOs can benefit from the expertise that HR can bring to the table.


What guidance do CEOs need most? Here are

things you can share with your CEO.

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Talent Strategy Doesn’t Automatically Support Business Goals

#1

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#1

You may have the positioning, the capital, and the processes to accomplish business outcomes, but without the needed quantity and quality of talent, execution simply won’t happen.

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#1

Start by answering some critical questions: • What future challenges will leaders need

to address?• What kind of leaders do you need and

how many?• What knowledge, skills, experience, and personal

attributes will be critical to their success?


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Talent Management Isn’t (Just) Succession Planning

#2

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Here is how to make the jump with your CEO to a broader talent management strategy.

#2 Talent Management Isn’t (Just) Succession Planning

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Focus on the critical positions and key players to support leadership transitions at every level.


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Direct your energy at building a pipeline of ready leaders, not just matching individuals to specific roles.


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Don’t treat all roles alike—there are business-critical roles that are harder to fill and where lower performance will have the largest consequence.


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Potential Isn’t Everything

#3

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#3 Potential Isn’t Everything

It’s easy to confuse performance, potential,and readiness, so it’s important to note the distinction between them.

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Performance is how someone is performing in their current role.

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Potential is someone’s likelihood for leadership growth.

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Readiness is someone’s fit with a specific role or job.

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Confusing these will lead to bad decisions about talent.

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For example, someone performing successfully in their current job, may not be ready for a role at the next level.

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Identifying someone with potential is only part of the equation—they may still not be ready for the role and will benefit from development to fill those readiness gaps.

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Your Eye for Talent Isn’t That Good

#4

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#4 Your Eye for Talent Isn’t That Good

Your CEO may be very confident about spotting talent. But talent decisions have to be about more than judgment.

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Organizations are complex and CEOs don’t have as many opportunities to work with people as they may have in a prior role. So judgments are made on a few interactions.

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Look for more objective data to uncover talent capability and gaps when it comes to promotion decisions.

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All Leaders Should Be Responsible for Developing Their People—and They Need The Skills To Do It

#5

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#5 All Leaders Should Be Responsible for Developing Their People—and They Need the Skills To Do It

Start by thinking of your leaders as talent advocates.

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They may have bypassed key career transitions, leaving them with leadership skill deficits—so don’t let them place this as a low priority.

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So what should you expect from senior leaders?

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If every leader has the skills to: • Scout for potential• Have meaningful performance discussions• Coach for success• Build creative development plans• Make effective hiring and promotion decisions

Then talent management processes will have momentum of their own.

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LET’S RECAP!

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1. Talent strategy doesn’t automatically support business goals

2. Talent management isn’t (just) succession planning3. Potential isn’t everything4. Your eye for talent isn’t that good5. All leaders should be responsible for developing

their people—and they need the skills to do so

points for your next conversation with the CEO


Questions to

about talent

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Can you articulate your talent strategy and how it supports your business strategy?

Questions to shift your CEO’s thinking about talent

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Where will your senior leaders of tomorrowcome from if you aren’t strong at the front line?


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Do you make talent decisions based on gut instinct?


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How many of your recent promotions have been based on job performance—and how many of them have failed?


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Do you have leaders destined for great things who don’t develop as you need them to?


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As the chief talent champion, the CEO needs to be

behind talent initiatives.

Download the CEO’s Guide to Talent Managementfor more straight talk about Talent Management.

Help them be that champion.

Documents

Helping Your CEO Understand Talent Management - DDI · Here is how to make the jump with your CEO to a broader talent management strategy. #2 Talent Management Isn’t ... Helping