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Some of the most successful companies are those that grow their talent from within. Of course, the secret is to recruit the talent in the first place. Once you have the talent in place, the next step is to train, support and performance manage this talent to greater heights.

It is critical to get talent to engage with the company and then ensure that the people fully understand what the company expects from them in terms of deliverables. The more senior the people, the more important it is to share the business strategy with them and then immediately set up their scorecard deliverables to show how what they do aligns with the bigger picture.

When Generation “X” (more technology, higher productivity, a global community) entered the job market, they contrasted enormously with the Boom Generation who grew up in the 50s and 60s. Generation Xers are defined by their “want” approach, whereas Boomers focus on what they have, own, drive, wear and live in. Xers are however driven by their appetite for diverse, interesting experiences and are risk takers. Employment for this generation needs to be stimulating, rewarding, balancing and engaging. This is one of the greatest challenges for companies today.

Because Generation “Xers” are much more self confident individuals and will not tolerate the old “telling” style management approach, Predictive Index (PI) - a tool to ensure the right people are matched to the right jobs - can be used to ensure that the “right fit” for the “right position” is achieved. This ensures people do what comes naturally to them. Management needs to understand that people also need to be aligned to jobs where they can live out their passion and see a win for themselves. If not, the commitment will never be there.

While a learning culture will enhance motivation, re-energize and achieve success through people, it is a challenge building and creating a sufficient succession pipeline. As the demand for skills and experience intensifies, job mobility becomes easier, causing head-hunting to grow and fueling higher salaries. Companies therefore need to shift their paradigms and align their human capital strategies in relation to culture, environment and leadership skills as key retention and attraction enablers.

Fit for business

Ensuring your workforce is “fit for business” is one of the most important challenges for a company. An effective employee wellness programme will therefore maximize people’s potential.

Support from the CEO for the HR function is critical to the business and makes the HR executive’s job a lot easier. In turn, the most successful HR executives are those who understand the full scope of the business and not just as it relates to human capital.

Another crucial driver for success in organisations is for managers to acknowledge the people who work for them. Companies that have intensive induction or brand ambassador programmes give their employees deep insight into the culture, values and philosophies of the organisation. This type of investment in people pays off by giving employees a better chance of integrating into the organisation.

It makes sense for every person in the organisation, irrespective of whether they are in sales or not, to participate in a company’s brand ambassador programme because everyone is, after all, a human billboard for the company.

Such a programme can be introduced as a way of engendering a culture of “choose to” people and helping employees understand how their personal behaviour plays a crucial role in the company’s performance and the perceptions of its stakeholders.

Acknowledging that the customer is king means acknowledging that how employees engage with customers will determine repeat business. As a result, all brand ambassadors should be equipped with the tools and skills needed to be able to communicate with confidence, power and presence in their everyday lives.

In addition, a good idea is for brand ambassador programmes to be co-facilitated by senior management, as well as by external facilitators. This gives weight and seriousness to the programme.

At the end of the programme, participants can be asked to make a promise to themselves or a customer, family member or division. This exercise is like switching on every light in a 13-storey

Manhattan

Leadership
For organisations to grow a strong leadership team, they need to make their managers accountable for their work. In addition to being trained, managers should be given the information and tools they need to be able to speak and lead with confidence.

Managers also need to be empowered and managed by end-result and not task. They should see themselves as “owners” of their departments and not just “managers”. They should be empowered enough to feedback to the business what is required to improve and not merely be “instruction-takers”.

Having access to up-to-date, accurate and relevant information gives an organization’s leadership team the resources to be more forward-thinking and better skilled at scenario planning.

The people and the service they deliver will always be the biggest factor of differentiating a company from its competitors. By investing in people through actively and transparently promoting from within, constantly encouraging them to achieve and allowing them to embark on training programmes will make for a much happier and more productive workforce.

Some of my more personal projects in my current role are to empower managers to handle HR issues with confidence and to attract, retain and recruit the right talent to the organisation. After all, employees represent the “coal-face” of the corporate brand. They meet, greet and serve customers in a variety of different ways. Customer relationships depend on their attitude and their loyalty.

In addition, I drive an intensive one-year Management Development Programme (MDP) for internally and externally recruited people. The programme is aimed at importing skills to people with the potential to manage with a view to building a strong pool of managers in the organisation. The focus of the programme is not merely “technical skills” but developing leadership skills inclusive of building delegates’ self confidence levels.

Employee retention

Basic practices for improved employee retention strategies include:

• Hire the right people in the first place by ensuring the correct PI/PRO fit;
• Ensure employees understand their role in the business and what their exact expected deliverables are;
• Empower the employees by giving them the authority to get things done;
• Ensure they have the tools to get the job done;
• Communicate that employees are the most valuable asset of the organisation;
• Have faith in them. Trust them and respect them;
• Provide them with information;
• Keep providing them with feedback on their performance;
• Recognize and appreciate their achievements;
• Constructively and positively discuss areas of concern and encourage the employee to offer the solutions to rectify the problem;
• Keep morale high;
• Create an environment where employees want to work and have fun;
• Ensure open communication through monthly one-on-one sessions, as well as weekly team meetings;
• People need to continually feel that they add value and make a difference – tell them that!
• Continually ask them for their opinions around “continuous improvement” in order to get their buy-in; and
• Treat employees as people and not as “employee number 9919”.