TM - April 2008 - (Page 43) Figure 1 Mid-Level Leader Business-Unit Leader Critical Foundational Traits •Initiative. •Taking charge. •Energy. •Influence. •Independence. Accelerators – Experiences •Successfully responding to inherited problems and challenges. •Providing development to others. •Having support-function experience. •Successfully handling challenging interpersonal situations. •Handling difficult staffing situations. new experiences where he has to lead highly talented teams and rely on others — an accelerator — will help him achieve the organization’s long-term goals. Former GE head Jack Welch, the consummate rebel, made it to the top because the previous CEO, Reg Jones, saw beyond the rough edges and understood Welch had the foundational traits to be enormously successful as GE’s competitive landscape was changing. There is an important lesson in this for large organizations. During the tech boom of the late 1990s, several large, rapidly growing companies were aggressively hiring talented, entrepreneurial, independent leaders. The managers of those free-thinking individuals often asked them to toe the line and do what they were told. The majority of those entrepreneurial spirits became discouraged and left to go out on their own rather than mindlessly conform. A few years later, those companies found themselves desperately searching for strong general manager candidates because so many innovative, take-charge people had left. The point, again, is to take a longer term view of talent. Give the right people the right accelerating experiences and be willing to coach them on their journeys. Who Has the Potential? It isn’t always apparent who has the right foundational traits to be successful down the road. An integrated measurement approach can help. Good assessments measure cognitive ability, behavioral predispositions, past experiences and key motivations to get the full picture of foundational traits and accelerators. Participants are assessed based not only on their results but on what is necessary for the role for which they are being considered. The Basics and Beyond Which traits move the needle and are good predictors of future success? Personnel Decisions International research shows seven traits affect success as managers Critical Foundational Traits •Thought agility. •Innovation. •Adaptability. •Optimism. •Risk taking. Accelerators – Experiences •Being responsible for high-risk situations. •Being involved in critical negotiations. •Having highly critical and visible assignments. •Having financial management responsibilities. •Managing through downturns or failures. advance in an organization. As one moves up, they need more of the following at each level: • Energy. • Influence. • Risk taking. • Thought focus. • Vision. And they need decreasing amounts of these traits: • Micromanaging. • Passive-aggressiveness. As leaders take on more and different responsibilities in higher roles, it is clear they need increased self-management and drive to do their jobs, which are exemplified through the energy, risk taking and power to influence traits mentioned above. They also need to have a greater breadth of thinking — the vision and thought-focus traits. The decreasing tolerance of derailers such as micromanaging and passive-aggressiveness is clear as leaders move up the ladder. Paying attention to all these traits is critical at every level, but the weight each is given depends on the level and role for which someone is being considered. A side-by-side comparison of foundational traits and accelerators for key management positions of mid-level leaders and business-unit leaders provides insight into different priorities, based on the role. A mid-level leader’s role is tactical, with interpersonal challenges at its center, while a business-unit leader’s role is more strategic and requires responding to competitive challenges and market opportunities, as well as aligning the business unit for maximum profits and future success (see Figure 1). Essentially, with different roles come different priorities. LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT continued on page 64 talent management magazine www.TalentMgt.com 43 April 2008 http://www.TalentMgt.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.