"Exploring Key Dimensions of Talent Management"

Talent Management

9th October 2009

Workshop

Professor Brent Davies

brent@leadership1.wanadoo.co.uk

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Leadership Creatures

AWARE

FOX OWL (Clever - Cynics) (Wise Leaders)

CLOSED OPEN

DONKEY SHEEP (Gave up on leading) (Naïve Newcomers)

UNAWARE

Talent management is about identifying and developing outstanding individuals for key leadership roles in a school.

This is particularly important for schools facing the challenge of developing innovative and imaginative leaders to meet the needs of learning transformation.

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Talent management is different from

simple succession planning and filling existing hierarchical leadership

roles that exist today, as it is a process of providing able and

talented people who will create new and different leadership roles in the

future.

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How do we both find and develop enough talented leaders to meet the challenge of providing outstanding

education within academies?

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All organisations have:

A: outstanding individuals

B: very good individualsC: solid performers: backbone of

the school but will not drive change

D: mission incompatibles6

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How do we get more A’s and B’s?

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Talent is considered as a complex mix

of:

skills,

knowledge,

cognitive ability

and potential. CIPD 2006

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Talent Management requires an understanding of:

How you define talent

Who you regard as ‘talented’

The difference between technical ability & leadership potential.

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Performance in one role is not necessarily a good predictor of ability in another.

Excellent teachers do not always make good leaders, senior leaders or Headteachers!

Important to separate idea of performance from the notion of potential.

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HayGroup believe that:

‘being a top performer in current job,

or expressing personal ambition and

drive are not particularly good

predictors of long term potential.’

(Rush to the Top: 2008)

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1. Talent Identification

2. Talent Development

3. Talent Culture

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1. Talent Identification

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Identifying Talented

Individuals

What characteristics would you

include in the identification of

‘potential’?

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i. How a person thinks

Ability to:

Make connections Understand big picture Look for challenge Take initiative Intellectual curiosity Problem solve

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ii. How a person works with others

The ability to ‘create with’ rather than ‘deliver to’

Self confidenceCredibility Inspire othersCare and concern for othersEmpathy Able to learn from othersA passion to make a difference

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iii. How a person is

Resilient

Knows how to finish the taskCraves actionEndures confusion ~ embraces

ambiguityGrasps opportunities

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Head teachers identified ‘early warning signs’ of leadership as:

Confidence and credibility The ability to see the big picture, make connections & think of the whole school

Mastering the basics of their role quickly and looking for more

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Getting involved (doesn’t look the other way or walk past incidents)

Initiative and self motivation ( the sort of people you can’t stop from leading)

Intellectual curiosity and capacity ( sees the common threads)

Resilience and empathy ( to survive the pace of acceleration and learn from others)

(HayGroup – Rush to the top)

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2. Talent Development

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Organisational Dimension

What is in place for the development

of all staff?

Where does talent enablement fit in?

Where does talent prioritisation fit in?

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High performing organisations will

have a well established process for

professional learning of all staff,

which is connected with

performance management and

talent management

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Talent Development

A clearly defined structure of leadership roles which grow in size and impact.

Clarity about the characteristics associated with success at each level.

A steady flow of people through leadership roles.

Open and honest communication about assessments of their potential.

Leaders should check on progress regularly.  

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How a person thinks strategically• Describes a person who has a strategic view, who thinks

through problems from a fresh point of view and is able to explain their thinking to others. A person who is curious, has a passion for ideas and likes to solve problems.

How a person works with others • Describes a person who knows themselves well, who learns

from experiences, treats others constructively, inspires others to perform effectively and exhibits a presence which builds confidence in others.

How a person displays leadership characteristics• Describes a person who achieves results even under tough

conditions, who is resilient under the pressure of changes and who works in a moral and ethical way.

How a person interprets and reflects the schools’ values

• Describes a person who ‘fits’ with the culture of the organisation.

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• Mentor• Coach• Sabbatical• Teaching others• Higher qualification• International visit

• External Course

• Honest observation: 360˚

• Individual work project

• Educational writing• Research project• Guided reading• Job rotation• Work shadow• Action learning• Job swap• Planned moves• Other?

Which professional learning activities would you include to develop an individual with talent?

3. Talent Culture

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In becoming a talent focused

organisation

it is important to consider what factors

help you to be described as

‘employer of choice’?

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Establishing a Talent Management Culture

Commitment from all leaders in the school to

talent development

Define and create shared understanding of

what good leadership is.

Multiple methods for judging leadership

potential and development

Formulate future requirements and align with

talent development

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In a talent culture there are processes which enable the talented individual to answer…

What do I do really well?

What would I like to be better?

Who listens and will inspire me to achieve my

ambitions?

What opportunities will help me realise my

aspirations for advancement?

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Old mindset about people

New talent mindset

Vague notion people most important asset

A deep conviction that better talent leads to better

performance

HR responsible for people management

All managers are accountable for strengthening their talent

pool

We have a two day succession planning exercise once a year

Talent management is an essential part of how we run

I work with the people I inherit I take bold actions to build the talent pool I need

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Among those organisations rated most highly by their peers for leadership, there are a number of common themes.

They attach a strong, public and symbolic importance to leadership; in the best companies CEO spent as much as 50% of their time developing other leaders

They are clear about what effective leadership looks like, and which roles are most critical to organisational success

They are clear about which people have the most potential to advances as leaders

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They ruthlessly prioritise their resources toward the roles & people who will make the most difference

They use a portfolio of different techniques for leadership development, including extensive on-the-job support, rather than relying on external programmes exclusively

They measure the impact of development and hold people accountable for developing other leaders and make use of the training they receive

They are committed for the long term, seeing this as an essential and enduring part of their strategy.

Hay Group: Rush to the Top - 2008

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The Challenge for Schools

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What is an effective grouping for schools to operate a talent management approach?

Three or four schools in the same geographical region with shared values and interests.

This allows joint development framework and activities and planned leadership experiences and moves.

Does each grouping of 3/4 schools need an joint or executive head?

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A Staged Process:

1. Defining values and strategy2. Rigorous performance evaluation3. Challenge performance4. Rewards to match performance?5. Establish powerful professional learning6. Identify longer term needs7. Identify pedagogic & leadership talent8. Become a talent developer and engager9. Integrate TM into whole school processes 10.Establish a talent management culture

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To share your good practice and insights please send any ideas to

Brent Davies:

brent@leadership1.wanadoo.co.uk

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