TM - May 2008 - (Page 46) Figure 3: Perception of Manager Effectiveness High potentials (agree or strongly agree) Managers (agree or strongly agree) I am confident in my manager’s ability to manage. My manager provides the support (feedback, coaching, etc.) I need to succeed at my job. I believe that my manager accurately assesses my development needs. My manager provides important guidance on development opportunities. My manager appropriately recognizes my efforts and results. My manager understands my skills and expertise. My manager understands my career goals. I believe my manager is helping me achieve my goals. 62% 49% 41% 35% 58% 60% 46% 45% 91% 74% 67% 66% 66% 83% 66% 73% when they can make a clear connection between their work and the company’s strategic direction. Motivator No. 6: Integrity Still affected by the corporate governance scandals that have plagued big business in recent years, high potentials said they want no part of any organization that even hints of acting in an unethical fashion. Their rationale is simple: If they are expected to throw their heads, hearts and souls into their work, the company’s leaders should be willing to be open and transparent about their conduct. Fortunately, 86 percent of managers and 84 percent of high potentials rated their organizations high on integrity. Building Manager Effectiveness One of the most alarming findings from the study is related to managers’ ability to develop, coach and engage top talent. While managers think they are doing a good job, high potentials do not quite agree (Figure 3). Managers rated their abilities much higher than their high-potential employees. For example, 73 percent of managers believe they are helping their top talent achieve their goals, compared to just 45 percent of high potentials. Likewise, 83 percent of managers believe they have a solid grasp on their top talent’s skills and areas of expertise, compared to just 60 percent of employees. Many factors are to blame for these disparities. Some managers are either indifferent or unaware of how to groom and develop individuals. Others are simply Bplayer bosses, who may be hesitant to groom their high potentials out of fear of being replaced by them. Top performers tend to be quite demanding when it comes to the boss-subordinate relationship and can easily get disgruntled if they feel their managers are not investing adequate time and effort in helping them develop and progress in their careers. These differences in perception lead to misguided development efforts that slow or even halt the progress — and often the productivity — of highly valued, high-potential employees. Thus, managers should be trained to play a stronger role in engaging and retaining top talent. Granted, creating an environment that empowers managers takes time, patience, tenacity and, most importantly, strong leadership. But the payback is significant. Improving Your Talent Pulse There is no magic bullet to inspire high potentials to deliver excellence. However, that is not to suggest there’s nothing to be done. The lessons from the study provide a directional approach for successfully identifying what truly drives high potentials, giving leaders the ability to assess and analyze motivational drivers; prioritize and align talent imperatives with underlying organizational objectives; and ultimately recalibrate their existing talent management processes to ensure the organization and managers successfully provide an environment that promotes implementation of these drivers. Successful implementation of a truly effective talent management strategy requires a systematic and holistic approach, one that is on the board’s agenda and woven into the culture of the organization. Then, and only then, will top talent be driven to live up to their true potential and give it their all, thus ensuring their own success and that of the organization. Nidhi Verma is senior consultant of talent and organization consulting, Shelli Greenslade is senior consultant of consulting solutions and Mary Ann Armatys is senior research consultant of consulting solutions at Hewitt Associates. They can be reached at editor@TalentMgt.com. 46 May 2008 talent management magazine www.TalentMgt.com http://www.TalentMgt.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of TM - May 2008 Talent Management - May 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Human Performance Leading Edge Learning Connections Make the Connection: Effective Employee Evaluations Vacation: The Benefit Many Employees Don't Take The Four Pillars of Managing Performance Transform Talent With Deeper Skill Specialization Mentoring's Role in Succession Planning Graybar: Supporting a Long-Term View of Talent Management American Diabetes Association: On a Mission to Improve Employee Health Taking the Talent Pulse: What Drives High Potentials? American Systems Employees Earn a Piece of the Pie Advertisers’ Index Editorial Resources Full Potential TM - May 2008 TM - May 2008 - (Page Intro) TM - May 2008 - Talent Management - May 2008 (Page Cover1) TM - May 2008 - Talent Management - May 2008 (Page Cover2) TM - May 2008 - Talent Management - May 2008 (Page 1) TM - May 2008 - Talent Management - May 2008 (Page 2) TM - May 2008 - Talent Management - May 2008 (Page 3) TM - May 2008 - Editor's Letter (Page 4) TM - May 2008 - Editor's Letter (Page 5) TM - May 2008 - Contents (Page 6) TM - May 2008 - Contents (Page 7) TM - May 2008 - Contents (Page 8) TM - May 2008 - Contents (Page 9) TM - May 2008 - Human Performance (Page 10) TM - May 2008 - Human Performance (Page 11) TM - May 2008 - Leading Edge (Page 12) TM - May 2008 - Leading Edge (Page 13) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 14) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 15) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 16) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 17) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 18) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 19) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 20) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 21) TM - May 2008 - Make the Connection: Effective Employee Evaluations (Page 22) TM - May 2008 - Make the Connection: Effective Employee Evaluations (Page 23) TM - May 2008 - Make the Connection: Effective Employee Evaluations (Page 24) TM - May 2008 - Make the Connection: Effective Employee Evaluations (Page 25) TM - May 2008 - Vacation: The Benefit Many Employees Don't Take (Page 26) TM - May 2008 - Vacation: The Benefit Many Employees Don't Take (Page 27) TM - May 2008 - Vacation: The Benefit Many Employees Don't Take (Page 28) TM - May 2008 - Vacation: The Benefit Many Employees Don't Take (Page 29) TM - May 2008 - The Four Pillars of Managing Performance (Page 30) TM - May 2008 - The Four Pillars of Managing Performance (Page 31) TM - May 2008 - The Four Pillars of Managing Performance (Page 32) TM - May 2008 - The Four Pillars of Managing Performance (Page 33) TM - May 2008 - Transform Talent With Deeper Skill Specialization (Page 34) TM - May 2008 - Transform Talent With Deeper Skill Specialization (Page 35) TM - May 2008 - Mentoring's Role in Succession Planning (Page 36) TM - May 2008 - Mentoring's Role in Succession Planning (Page 37) TM - May 2008 - Mentoring's Role in Succession Planning (Page 38) TM - May 2008 - Mentoring's Role in Succession Planning (Page 39) TM - May 2008 - Graybar: Supporting a Long-Term View of Talent Management (Page 40) TM - May 2008 - Graybar: Supporting a Long-Term View of Talent Management (Page 41) TM - May 2008 - American Diabetes Association: On a Mission to Improve Employee Health (Page 42) TM - May 2008 - American Diabetes Association: On a Mission to Improve Employee Health (Page 43) TM - May 2008 - Taking the Talent Pulse: What Drives High Potentials? (Page 44) TM - May 2008 - Taking the Talent Pulse: What Drives High Potentials? (Page 45) TM - May 2008 - Taking the Talent Pulse: What Drives High Potentials? (Page 46) TM - May 2008 - Taking the Talent Pulse: What Drives High Potentials? (Page 47) TM - May 2008 - American Systems Employees Earn a Piece of the Pie (Page 48) TM - May 2008 - Editorial Resources (Page 49) TM - May 2008 - Editorial Resources (Page 50) TM - May 2008 - Editorial Resources (Page 51) TM - May 2008 - Editorial Resources (Page 52) TM - May 2008 - Editorial Resources (Page Cover3) TM - May 2008 - Editorial Resources (Page Cover4)
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