Wickland Westcott Articles

Embedding Talent Management - Thought Leadership

authorlaura.oliver@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Laura Oliver) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:01:01 +0100

Wickland Westcott recently hosted a leadership event, at which the guest speakers were Jackie Lanham from The co-operative and Keith McCambridge who heads our London office. They shared their experiences of how to cultivate talent to ensure a progressive, evolving organisation.

Five core principles for embedding talent management programmes were identified:

Emphasise the context for change – unfreezing existing behavioural patterns is one of the greatest challenges in introducing change, and the economic context (eg. job security, market competitiveness) can be leveraged to trigger senior buy-in, or encourage the adoption of fresh working practices. Although not often identified as a tool, in practice this is an important part of the leader’s armoury.
Tedious process kills engagement – although you will need clear processes backstage in order to underpin an efficient talent or leadership development programme, you should limit the visibility of it. Participants need to feel the emotional essence - that the focus is on their own development – rather than being encumbered by too many steps, procedures or paperwork.
Focus on winning over the ‘well poisoners’ – these are the cynics of the process, and their behaviour is critical to the success and pace of change across the organisation. If they do not believe it will work, they signal this to others enflaming resistance and contaminating the messaging. Rather than distancing them, they should be proactively engaged – work tirelessly to secure their buy-in throughout the design and roll out.
Only focus development on those who are hungry – better to invest in those individuals who are driven to develop their career rather than those who are totally disinterested.
Keep it alive – the succession plan and talent pool should be managed proactively and continually. A documented organisational plan may well be needed to inform decision-making around succession, but the success or failure of the programme will hinge upon whether participants and senior stakeholders perceive there to be a growing pool of future leaders, rather than upon whether the HR function has a spreadsheet with names next to boxes.

Wickland Westcott’s Talent Management group is a thought leadership forum. For more information on the group, or the ideas described above, contact Laura Oliver.

Stargazing - Thought Leadership

authorjulia.norman@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Julia Norman) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:01:01 +0100

Identifying and developing individuals with the potential to lead is crucial to success in any organisation. Growing future leaders has however proved an enduring challenge. This article draws together emerging themes within the area, and explains how to implement a successful high-potential programme.

Identifying Potential

Most organisations use Leadership Frameworks within their Talent Management processes. Such frameworks often span several different organisational levels, and this breadth can limit their effectiveness. Attempting to use the full framework to evaluate whether an individual will make a good leader can therefore be too broad-brush and inaccurate. What is required is a more refined framework - measuring only those characteristics that truly predict. Fortunately, when it comes to leadership capability, research shows there is a small set of powerful indicators.

The Characteristics of Potential

Five clusters consistently emerge as most important:

Interpersonal Effectiveness – Essentially this dimension is underpinned by an individual’s emotional intelligence. It relates to their self-awareness, their ability to manage their impact upon others, as well as emotional resilience, integrity and honesty. Strength here provides the foundations for building powerful relationships, as well as leading, motivating and inspiring others.
Change Orientation – An individual’s comfort within fluid and changeable situations, their appetite for seeking out new ideas and their willingness to change their own behaviour as a result of feedback. Essentially, this is about openness to learning from stretching experiences. This quality provides the foundation for key leadership competencies such as flexibility and transformational leadership.
Reasoning Ability - The ability to process complex information accurately, and to quickly form a holistic picture, simplifying and making sense of abstract data.
Drive – The passion and motivation to lead personal and organisational success. This dimension encompasses an individual’s willingness to expose him/herself to risk of failure and to make personal sacrifices in order to be successful. It correlates with energy, and tenacity.
Functional and Technical Knowledge – having a sound technical specialism that is strategically imperative to the organisation is a good predictor of potential in certain sectors, industries, organisations, functions and roles.

Measuring Potential

Evaluating future leaders against the above Characteristics of Potential is a good place to start. Sound psychometric tools combined with robust interviewing techniques provide the most effective way of tapping these five factors. Ability tests and personality questionnaires can be used in conjunction with structured interviews, and these are often included within assessment centres or 1:1 Executive assessments. Other tools such as observed business simulations and in-depth behavioural interviews can provide an unrivalled opportunity to test participants in a variety of situations under controlled conditions. Good exercises will include opportunities to reliably benchmark candidates. Structured scoring processes backed up by well-trained expert observers add rigour and fairness to the process. Whatever the precise process used, the key is to establish not only the person’s profile of strengths and development areas, but also the reasons why they have developed in this way. This enables us to predict how they will respond to learning opportunities in the future.

Just measuring the above five factors however, whilst absolutely essential, is totally insufficient. A robust measure of potential also needs to take into account the person’s current performance, and also their work experience to date, as the latter serves to amplify (or constrain) the realisation of potential.

Current performance data can be gained by looking at existing appraisal forms, results against KPIs, and manager feedback. Sometimes, however, it can be more difficult than one might imagine to obtain fair, objective current performance data, so other tools can be deployed including the assessment centres or 1:1 Executive assessments described above. 360 degree questionnaires can also play a useful role in capturing insights from colleagues and direct reports.

The person’s work experience to date, and the sets of experience they need in the future to realise their potential, is an area too often neglected. What type and scale of leadership situations has this individual experienced, and how did he/she respond to them? An appreciation of their career journey, and the events and situations they have been exposed to, is crucial in understanding the context in which their behaviour has developed. This can be measured by asking them to produce a detailed CV or to complete a work-history pro-forma. They can be encouraged to highlight particularly challenging or developmental situations they have faced. Then back this up with an interview process, where the assessor probes what the individual has seen, what development they have received and what knowledge and skills they have picked up from these experiences.

Top Tips

If you are thinking of introducing a project to identify and develop leadership potential, these points should help:

How much do the key stakeholders in your organisation recognise this as a critical business imperative? If there is little shared understanding of its importance, build the business case by linking this initiative to the core business strategy and goals. Case studies of organisations that do this well can help build support.
Select a reliable partner to work with you in measuring your people’s potential. This partner must not only reach accurate judgements, but must do so in a sensitive, constructive and inclusive way, so that your most valuable employees are energised by the process – excited about developing themselves into tomorrow’s leaders. We at Wickland Westcott excel in this type of work.
Think carefully about whether you will make public (within the organisation) those people who are high potentials and (therefore, inevitably) those people who are not. This area needs careful handling and again a competent assessment /development partner will be able to guide you in handling this issue.
Ensure you have budget to support the development and growth of those identified with potential. Dependent on your timeframes, you may find you have to fast-track those where there is a critical business need.
Ensure that, as far as is possible, the development solutions you provide to your high-potentials are on-the-job real-time projects that expose them to current, critical business issues. Remember, the right experience helps convert potential into reality.
From the outset, measure the results. Monitor the high-potentials as they progress through the business and seek to evaluate the return on the money invested in them.

Some Honest Answers - Thought Leadership

authorcolin@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Colin Mercer) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:01:01 +0100

Managing Director and Business Psychologist Colin Mercer was recently the guest speaker at a function for private and public sector CEOs. He was asked by the event organisers to give frank, forthright answers to questions from the floor. Extracts from his responses are reproduced below.

What do you look for in a leader?

“Brains are the most important element – the ability to analyse complex information and make sound judgements. Second is hard work – the best leaders put more effort in. Third is emotional resilience – the ability to remain emotionally stable and balanced amid the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. After those three dimensions, interpersonal warmth and openness to new ideas are the next best predictors of executive success.”

Does it vary according to context?

“Yes. In big corporates the CEO needs to manage across scale, and leverage his/her influence through teams of others. In SMEs or PE-backed businesses it is much more about being a jack of all trades and moving at pace. In the public sector process-adherence, inclusion and stakeholder management are more important. But you still need brains, hard work and emotional stability whatever the context”.

How much better is a star than an average performer?

“A star is worth 9 or 10 average performers. If your goal is social justice then spread employment, rewards and attention around. If your goal is optimum performance, then concentrate on recruiting and retaining the very best people. Gear your opportunities, development and remuneration towards them. You don’t want every employee to be a star performer as conflict can arise, but better too many than too few”.

How would you allocate scarce HR resources between selection and development?

“70% to selection and assessment, 30% to learning and development. Getting the right people on the bus is the most important factor.”

How do you ensure future leaders realize their potential?

“The evidence increasingly supports the concept of deliberate practice, which has 5 steps. 1) Exposure to excellence – allow them to work with and observe talented leaders. 2) Encourage them to isolate the key components of the excellence they are seeing. 3) Give future-leaders opportunities to repeatedly practice these different components, followed by timely, honest feedback. 4) Continual stretch – keep raising the bar, keep giving them a coat one size too big. 5) Give your high potentials time to reflect upon their experiences and assimilate what they have learnt. More generally, in the area of employee development it is particularly important to avoid professional fads – there is no silver bullet, no Great Dark Man.”

If you could only do one thing to improve team performance, what would it be?

“I would ensure everyone understood the goals of the team, and reviewed these regularly, for example, every 6 months. The next most important thing is role-clarity – does everyone understand what each of them is there to do?”

Explode some management myths for us.

“The idea that a successful executive career can proceed hand-in-hand with reasonable work-life balance is something I have rarely seen in practice. Also flawed is the notion that cream always rises to the top in organizations. Having the right skills mix is essential but you also need luck, particularly in relation to timing. Finally, some commentators hold the view that the best leaders are very teamy – very consultative. In fact, we have seen many leaders fail by being too inclusive. Their strategy becomes a mushy amalgam of everyone’s ideas, ultimately indistinct and bland. The best leaders do some consulting, and they do some market research, but they also back their own instincts and beliefs – they pick one line and pursue it.”

RBS - Lessons from Failure - Thought Leadership

authorstuart@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Stuart O'Reilly) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:01:01 +0100

Wickland Westcott reviews the Boards of many of the UK’s top organisations. Here, one of our Senior Consultants Stuart O’Reilly, distils the key learning from the failure of RBS.

In October 2008 RBS failed and was part nationalised.The reasons for the failure were much debated in the press, with sentiment largely centring around an ambitious Chief Executive who over reached himself and whose domineering style neutered the Board. Other points of view expressed were that the failure resulted from a weak board with limited banking knowledge combined with a culture of greed, and poor risk management. The FSA report into the failure of RBS provides a comprehensive analysis of the reasons why it had to be rescued by the Government, and identifies six key factors:

Significant weaknesses in the RBS capital position as a result of management decisions and an inadequate regulatory capital framework.
Over reliance on risky short term wholesale funding.
Concerns and uncertainties about RBS’ underlying asset quality.
Substantial losses in credit trading activities which eroded market confidence.
The ABN AMRO acquisition which went ahead without appropriate heed to the risks involved.
An overall systemic crisis in which banks in the worst relative positions were extremely vulnerable to failure.

The report states: “The multiple poor decisions that RBS made suggest moreover that there are likely to have been underlying deficiencies in RBS management, governance and culture which made it prone to make poor decisions.” The FSA considered this as a seventh key factor in explaining RBS’ failure.

It is clear that RBS did make a number of risky decisions, such as keeping RBS lightly capitalised in order to maintain an efficient balance sheet. However, interestingly, the review team concluded that some of these were understandable given the context and period, while others with hindsight were clearly poor decisions. The report has been criticised in some quarters for not providing enough evidence to bring proceedings against key RBS executives and it is true that the report is written in a careful, balanced style, possibly to avoid any potential legal challenge.

In focusing on management, governance and cultural aspects of the failure, the review team asked a number of specific questions. These concerned the effectiveness of the Board’s oversight and challenge as whole, the Board’s supervision of strategy, the CEO’s leadership capability and management style, and quality of risk control and management information. Additionally they looked at the Board’s role in relation to the ABN AMRO acquisition and whether the Board in their desire to make RBS one of the leading banks in the world did not take enough account of the ABN AMRO deal. This acquisition appears to have been the factor that ultimately tipped RBS over the edge.

Other key questions from the review team centre on the incentivisation of the Chief Executive and the business as a whole which made it rational to focus on increasing revenue, profits, assets and leverage as opposed to liquidity and asset quality. It should be noted that this, however, was no different from any other banks.

In answering these questions the review team’s conclusion is that the Board included members whose skills and experience were relevant and who had successful track records. The Chairman took care to allow Board members to state their views and to involve them and that the Board followed formal processes. In this respect there was no evidence of a failing of formal governance processes. However, given that the company ultimately failed and the Board had a responsibility for the stewardship of the company, de facto they did fail. Clearly what this shows is that formal governance alone is not the answer. The FSA are also careful to avoid drawing the conclusion that the absence of poor governance means that the board was in fact well governed.

The review team argue that whilst RBS had an opportunistic strategy, this was not negative in itself. In terms of the dynamics with the Board there does seem to have been very little disagreement on major issues. This is perhaps surprising given the Board contained a number of tough and experienced individuals. In particular there seems to have been very little debate about the extent of the risk associated with the large scale and very complex ABN Amro transaction, and no dissension from any Board member regarding whether they should proceed. This can only be partially explained by the fact that adequate due diligence was prevented by the hostile nature of the takeover. One individual did say that they thought the Board may have been a victim of a groupthink – a syndrome within groups where the desire for harmony outweighs the realistic appraisal of alternatives. This is perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of the report given that with hindsight it can be seen as a calamitous deal with few redeeming features. Even at the time it was criticised outside of the company. There were some views from the Board that RBS’s successful earlier integration of the larger NatWest gave it a level of optimism that it could handle the transaction. Interestingly there is little evidence that the Chief Executive dominated the Board. He is reported to have been courteous, not to have interrupted, and to have followed up on the actions that were given. This said, one individual did say that his mastery of detail and forensic analysis made individuals think carefully before posing questions or putting across points of view. However, despite Board members saying that they were not bullied and that they did effectively challenge the CEO, they could provide few specific examples of where they actually had done this. It was also evident that the FSA’s supervisory team had concerns about the level of dominance exerted by Fred Goodwin as far back as 2003. Additionally, and probably most critically, there were a number of issues with RBS’ risk control and management information. As a result whilst the evidence in not conclusive, there is a suggestion that the Board was not adequately sighted on the aggregation of risk across the Group. No clear conclusions were drawn on the extent to which incentive plans were responsible for focusing the executive team on the wrong outcomes, but the report does question whether the seventeen member Board team may have been too large.

In summary, the review confirms what we know about catastrophic failures, whether nuclear, aeronautical, military or organisational – they are often the result of many inter-related factors which may not have been obvious at the time. Indeed, in isolation many of the decisions taken will seem to have been reasonable ones. It is the cumulative combination of these successive decisions, within a dangerous broader context, that triggers the calamity.

What then can Boards do to guard against failure?

Pay real attention to high level risk issues and ensure that even the unlikely scenarios are considered, particularly those which might impact on the organisation’s reputation.

Drive a ferocious focus on risk management so that the Board is getting top quality, wide ranging data to evaluate the real risks to the business.

Be confident enough to voice concerns even if they are not supported by a comprehensive set of facts and data.

Ensure that enough of the Board have deep sets of experience in key areas which are relevant to the business. This is not to enable the Board to second guess the Executive but to give themselves the best chance of spotting things that might be wrong. Not all of the Board need to have this experience, as over-doing this might impact negatively on the diversity of the Board.

Take great care with remuneration systems for Executives. This has become a highly technical area often clouded in mystery but ultimately the Board needs to be sure that the way it incentivises its Executives results in the right behaviour.

Ensure that the necessary belief that the business can be successful is accompanied by a balanced willingness to confront reality so that appropriate confidence does not turn into ungrounded optimism.

These points also highlight the critical difference between the role of the Executive and the NEDs. The Executive needs to be the optimistic driving force of the business, playing the key role in convincing the staff that the direction is not only the right one but likely to be successful. Whilst they need to be alive to any data that illustrates that strategy needs to be changed they cannot allow themselves to be plagued by doubt. The NEDs therefore need to be the predominant counter-weight to this optimism. To do this they must be equipped with a broad enough set of experience against which to test a range of situations, coupled with influence skills to enable them to challenge the Executive without coming across as the play-it-safe prophets of doom.

For a conversation about Boards, call Stuart O’Reilly on 0207 224 2071.

Driving Behavioural Change - Thought Leadership

authorliz@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Liz Lawson) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:01:01 +0100

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions at the beginning of this year? Did you achieve them, are you still working towards them or did you fail, like most, and revert back to your old behaviour by the second week in January? So, how do we drive real behaviour change in ourselves and our organisations?

Edwin Locke’s (1968) ground-breaking Goal Setting Theory of Motivation has the answers. Outlined below are its main features:

Goals should be specific and clear – don’t be vague or ambiguous, decide exactly what you want to achieve, set yourself a deadline, and put measures in place to assess your progress.
Goals should be realistic and challenging - don’t set yourself up for a fall by deciding to achieve the impossible, but also make sure there is some stretch in there - the more you challenge yourself the greater the likely results and rewards.
You need self-belief and confidence to achieve your goals. Seek confirmation and ongoing feedback from those around you, and discipline yourself to ‘keep the faith’ in moments of weakness.
Make your goals open and known – declare them to your friends, family and colleagues, keep people posted on how you are doing and encourage them to ask you about your progress.
Set your own goals – you are much more likely to stick to those you set yourself rather than those designated to you. (If you manage people and are setting goals for others, ensure they are ‘participatively set’).
Make sure your immediate goals align with the broader themes and aspirations in your life. In business, ensure your personal goals align with the wider organisational objectives and vision.

Within management practice, effective goal setting is critical to employee engagement, motivation and performance. Whether you are involved in appraisals, performance reviews, coaching, or development planning, all of these initiatives are likely to be enhanced if these principles are followed. And once goals have been agreed, feedback is the magic ingredient - as important as rainwater to a seedling. If you would like to discuss how we can support you and your team in reaching your goals and enhancing organisational performance, please contact Liz Lawson.

Management vs Leadership - Thought Leadership

authorcolin@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Colin Mercer) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:01:01 +0100

The terms Management and Leadership typically refer to different, albeit related, concepts.

The main distinction is usually around the initiation of change – management is primarily concerned with transactional activity, leadership with transformational activity:

*Management*	*Leadership*
Taking care of business process, planning, delivery, quality, productivity	Inspiring, enlivening employees, colleagues, customers
Tending to regular and emerging business needs	Setting direction, communicating, painting a compelling picture
Handling the details of business	Building the culture, capturing imagination, propagating learning, role-modelling excellence
Ensuring order, co-ordination and alignment	Ensuring organisational performance and sustainability
Stabilise of the system	Energise the system
“Do things right”	“Do the right things”

Which is more important depends on the nature of the role, and the level of seniority. In the roughest of senses, Management most closely aligns with operational activity, and Leadership with strategy. But of course there are plenty of roles that demand both, especially in small or medium sized enterprises.

Do you get both sets of skills in the same individual? In our experience, most executives tend to gravitate towards a more operational, process focus (a COO type) or a more strategic, opportunity focus (a CEO type). Much of this preference relates to personality, and is quite identifiable through sound psychometrics.

What are the consequences of having one without the other at the top of the organisation?

Management

Leadership

Consequences

Yes

Lack of ambition, un-exciting, slowness or inertia, incremental improvement but not paradigm-shift innovation, little sense of mission

Yes

Delivery failures, lack or role-clarity, poor co-ordination, initiative-fatigue, dashed-hopes ie. early excitement that sours into employee disaffection

The good news is that there are a limited number of individuals who seem adept at both. Even these people however, will tend to display a leaning. In the true spirit of Wickland Westcott, we will nail our colours to the mast. Clearly it depends on the role, but ceteris paribus, we recommend going for a top-notch implementer with some strategic skills, ahead of a top-notch strategist with some operational skills. We do not subscribe to the view, implied in some quarters, that Leadership is sexy whereas Management is boring and mundane. B-grade strategy with A-grade implementation always trumps A-grade strategy with B-grade implementation.

The other key implication, of course, is to ensure you have a mix of these different skills in the top team.

Women on the Board - Thought Leadership

authorjohn.dodd@wickland-westcott.co.uk (John Dodd) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:01:01 +0100

Attracting and retaining talented women is a strategic imperative for growing companies. The latest figures from Cranfield School of Management (October ‘11) show that women currently make up 14.2% of FTSE 100 Directors, up from 12.5% in 2010. The picture is less rosy amongst FTSE 250 Directors, with 8.9% being women, albeit up from 7.8% in 2010. This is not just a gender issue of course – research into high performing teams suggest those containing a diverse mix of individuals make tangibly better decisions than teams made up of individuals with similar backgrounds and mindsets.

The Davies Report rightly specifies a voluntary code rather than mandatory quotas, but this brings with it a responsibility for both organisations and headhunters to act quickly and decisively to make improvements. Wickland Westcott was one of the first Search firms to embrace these recommendations, and we have a specific code of conduct in relation to board appointments. But we do not believe that increasing female board representation is simply a matter of will. Rather, we believe it requires concerted effort, action and re-enforcement across a number of fronts. Change, like charity, should start at home, so here we detail the steps we (Wickland Westcott) are taking:

Business imperative

When working with client organisations we invest time to understand their strategy, goals, challenges, and opportunities. We then seek identify and articulate clear links between developing women and key deliverables, so that these key messages can be integrated into our search process. Of course, ideally this needs to be driven at a strategic level with the full commitment and support of the board, especially the CEO and Chair. Increasingly we find boards are already thinking in this way, and if not they are receptive to being challenged in this area. Opening dialogues with high profile women Directors in other sectors can also help the recruiting organisation deepen their own understanding of relevant issues (and occasionally can also turn up candidates).

Search within

It is important to articulate these diversity intentions both internally as well as externally. Often we find that the act of initiating a headhunt brings gender considerations to mind, and whilst Boards are open to recruiting women from outside, some are not always as focused or vocal about promoting women from within. Indeed, research suggests that women CEOs are nearly twice as likely to have been appointed from outside the organisation as from within it. We know that internally promoted CEOs tend to do better over time, so going internally whenever possible has to be the best policy.

Challenge

Like every other Search firm, we are keen to do business, keen to retain existing clients as well as win new ones. But in these challenging times desperate suppliers can become too conservative in their desire to win the business - too accepting of what is said to them, and insufficiently challenging. Our preference is to retain an independent, albeit respectful perspective. We will challenge clients if we feel their requests are unfair, or equally important, sub-optimal for them over the longer term.

Maintain standards

Incompetent women are as damaging to a board as incompetent men. The desire for greater female representation should not be distorted into a lowering of standards – this is both commercially dangerous and, frankly, patronising towards women directors. The benefits of investing in a rigorous competency and behavioural assessment are well documented – and in senior positions, where the cost of getting it wrong is great – the return on investment from a sound process can easily run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. This process should be fair, robust, and leave the candidate feeling challenged and with a better idea of what the job actually involves. Ideally the assessment process should include an external expert (such as a Wickland Westcott commercial psychologist) who can bring an unbiased perspective to the table.

Open mind

Encouraging clients to avoid being overly-rigid in the candidate specification is also an important role we can play. A willingness to relax some of the technical/experience criteria in favour of potential allows greater scope in developing the candidate pool. The historical tendency to want ‘every box ticked’ on the candidate specification narrows the potential field of candidates and, inevitably, works against diversity, so we encourage clients and ourselves to be bolder and more adventurous in the choice of candidates.

Flexible approach

By practicing diversity in its truest sense and embracing difference, organisations can gain a competitive advantage. In practice, this can involve introducing and (genuinely) welcoming flexible working arrangements, and also tailoring support packages to the needs and wants of the individual - often an important part of the job offer for candidates. This is not necessarily about the quantity of workload per se. The more successful executives tend to work harder, and for longer periods (whatever work-life balance advocates might say). So, good candidates (male and female) are not looking for an easy ride, but they do need to fit in their home and personal lives, and any flexibility around location, or set-hours is very helpful. Again, we encourage recruiting organisations to do what they can here, within the bounds of customer need and operational requirements.

Supportive ethos

Access to mentors and role models who are able to support, inspire and grow a network of talented women can make a significant difference. We encourage the recruiting organisation to make such support networks available early to new recruits. Again, not a gender specific recommendation – there is growing research evidence of the importance of mentoring in the development of all tomorrow’s stars.

If you are keen to work with a Search firm that takes diversity seriously, or you simply want to see our code of conduct in board recruitment, please call John Dodd or Melissa Davies on 01625 508100.

Collaborative Leadership - Thought Leadership

authorjohn@wickland-westcott.co.uk (John Milsom) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:01:01 +0100

Wickland Westcott runs regular Talent Management breakfast events, each featuring a ‘thought leadership’ presentation and discussion. A recent guest speaker was Marie Mohan of Common Purpose, an international not-for-profit leadership development organisation. Marie shared her experiences of developing international leaders, and specifically an approach to developing Collaborative Leadership skills.

Marie opened her talk by highlighting the importance for leaders to be able to inspire people beyond their official authority. She described how the challenges faced by leaders are far more complex and interconnected than ever before, and illustrated the impact leaders can have by forging alliances beyond previous boundaries.

A key indicator is to look for somebody who responds to tasks by asking: “Who do I need to involve?” before considering what they need to do. Whilst an appetite for responsibility is also important, this needs to be combined with an interest in others and a willingness to trust people. In addition, Collaborative Leaders are defined as people who:

Invest time understanding the broader context they are working in
Demonstrate a “humble curiosity” – asking questions to understand
Listen
Are comfortable appreciating differences of opinion and perspective
Seek out challenges and take on things that make them feel uncomfortable
Capitalise on experience
Act decisively to build coalitions rather than consensus or compromise

Using the summer riots as an example, Marie singled out the response of Garry Shewan, the Assistant Chief Constable of Greater Manager Police, as somebody who demonstrates these qualities. As the GMP picked up intelligence that unrest was likely to spread from London to Manchester on Tuesday 9th August, throughout the day they sought to engage with community leaders, local agencies and not-for-profit organisations, urging them to play their part in limiting the impact by keeping people off the streets and away from the city centre. During the night itself Garry very calmly and publically communicated through the media to make the same requests, continually emphasising the role of the community in controlling events and bringing those involved to justice. Whilst trouble was not prevented, the level of looting and antisocial behaviour was less than had been feared, and in contrast with similar situations, the unrest in Manchester led to an increase in cohesion between the police and community groups rather than a breakdown in relations.

In moving on to discuss how Collaborative Leaders may be developed, Marie highlighted the importance of encouraging people during their formative managerial years to understand the wider picture they work within. Exposing them to different opinions, value sets and organisational challenges is central to the development of collaborative skills. To illustrate how these may be achieved Marie described a recent initiative where a group of over 100 emerging leaders from the UK and India were brought together in Bangalore and set the challenge of finding a way of reducing the cost of standard heart surgery to just $1000. Whilst the group has not yet succeeded in this task, the experience of working together provided participants with a varied set of experiences, and gave an opportunity to practice collaborating on a real project within a genuinely diverse group.

One aspect of the plenary discussion following Marie’s talk concerned the challenge of ensuring young/developing managers maintain an appetite for progression once they have attended development programmes. Several talent professionals said they had noticed ‘high potentials’ losing interest in programmes over time. Recommendations discussed by the group included ensuring that people were selected based on their aspirations rather than ability (“You’ve got to invest in people with real desire not the high performers”), and a suggestion that development should not simply be laid on a plate for people as this can make them complacent (“Give people tough assignments and make them earn their next move rather than make it easy”). The importance of providing role-models was also highlighted, and the recommendation made to invest in developing a small number of leaders with genuine potential, rather merely filling development programmes just because there are spaces.

Overall, another interesting and stimulating event. Wickland Westcott would like to thank Marie Mohan and Common Purpose for their support.

Wickland Westcott’s Talent Management group is run as a networking and thought leadership forum for talent professionals. For more information on the group, or the ideas described above, contact John Milsom, Head of Talent – North.

Do Your Leaders Have the X Factor? - Thought Leadership

authormelissa.davis@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Melissa Davis) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 23:01:01 +0100

The live shows are upon us once again. We are left debating who will make it all the way to the finish line, proving that they have what it takes to win over the public. Unbeknown to the current cohort, they will need to show some similar qualities to those seen in top leaders, if they are to make it all the way to the Christmas final. What qualities are these? Some cite charisma as key, or maybe an ability to persuade? I would argue that one of the most important factors predicting sticking power in our leaders of today – and the X Factor cohort – is resilience: the ability to cope with the slings and arrows that are going to be hurled at them on a daily basis. We can already see that one of the final 16 (Kitty Brucknell) is going to find the journey particularly tough, given her nervous disposition, the public criticism she has received and the fact that the media are having a field day uncovering her colourful past.

The importance of resilience in leadership was highlighted back in February, when it was cited as one of four key leadership attributes needed to weather the storm of recession (see the full article HERE). Based on Mervyn King’s recent comments that the UK is facing the most serious financial crisis we’ve seen since the 1930’s, and potentially ever – it looks set that resilience will continue to be critical in our leaders.

So - what we know is that organisations require leaders who possess the personal attributes and tools to cope with, and steer employees through, a storm. Contrary to widespread opinion, pressure in itself is no bad thing – in fact, quite the opposite. Research tells us that organisations under pressure can benefit from a sense of shared purpose and intent, unifying teams and galvanising organisational commitment. On an individual level, putting people under the right level of pressure is motivating, driving productivity and ensuring that you get the most out of your employees. The key, therefore, is to ensure that this level of pressure is appropriate for the individual, so that it does not become strain and ultimately, burnout.

How are we doing in the UK then? A recent survey found that 41% of employees are currently ‘stressed’ or ‘very stressed’, with one third feeling that this is due to greater focus on budget restrictions. Where does this stress come from? There are six main sources of pressure for employees:

Demand – this includes issues such as workload, work patterns and the work environment.

Control – how much control a person has in the way in which they carry out their work.

Support – the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues.

Relationships – this includes promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour.

Role – lack of understanding of own role, or conflicts within the role deliverables.

Change – how organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in the organisation.

An estimated 20% of employees have at some point called in sick due to feeling stressed. However, the stigma attached to the label of ’stress’ means that very few employees are likely to admit feeling this way. The same percentage feel that they may lose their jobs if they admit feeling the strain, meaning that employees are far more likely to blame a stomach upset or migraine. The result is that the vast majority of employers may not have an accurate gauge on the mental state of employees and could erroneously conclude that there is no problem. The resulting cost to organisations is enormous – the Health and Safety Executive estimate that half of all working days are lost every year due to stress and mental illness, at a cost of approximately £26bn a year.

How then, can we build a resilient workplace? Firstly, a robust selection process can help us to ensure that we place individuals into roles and organisations that fit their skills, capabilities (including tolerance of stress) and values. We encourage organisations to create open dialogue with employees on issues affecting them, and employee surveys can be a useful way of gathering anonymous data on the ‘stress hotspots’ facing employees – so long as the information is then used to create tangible changes to the work environment. Initiatives that provide individuals with personal tools and coping mechanisms can also be useful, and resilience training is becoming increasingly popular. This training can increase awareness of the causes and symptoms of stress, educate employees as to the individual differences that can put them at risk, and provide a toolkit for managing their symptoms. Managers need to be provided with the training, autonomy and support that they need in order to mitigate the effects of increasing pressure on employees and ensure that they are not inadvertently creating additional stressors for their team. Here – 360 degree tools can be a way of gathering data and gauging effectiveness. Finally, individual coaching sessions can provide longer term, tailored support to leaders through key periods.

It would be great to think that the producers of X Factor will be providing the contestants with some of the above, even though a few public meltdowns will probably do their viewing figures no end of good. Will Kitty make it? I’m not holding my breath.

We are currently working with senior leaders to develop their capacity to cope with the ever changing environment in which they find themselves. If you would like to understand more about this work, or have any questions, please call Melissa Davis on 01625 508100.

Does coaching make you too risky? - Thought Leadership

authorjohn@wickland-westcott.co.uk (John Milsom) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 23:01:01 +0100

One of the ways we try to add value at Wickland Westcott is by spotting leading-edge developments, and applying these to the world of talent management. Here we explore a potential pitfall for people being coached, and suggest ways to side-step it.

A recent study(1) shows that when people are given pills they believe contain vitamins, this leads them to engage in unhealthy activities, for example smoking more, exercising less or eating badly. Additionally, taking such pills also leads them to perceive themselves as significantly less vulnerable to everyday dangers, such as being injured in an accident or being taken ill. This ‘licensing effect’ has also been flagged as a pitfall for gym users, who use their virtuous fitness session to legitimise doing something unhealthy – eating chocolate or having a glass of wine.

Another relevant psychological effect is known as ‘optimism bias’ - the tendency for many of us to be systematically and consistently over-optimistic about the outcomes of our plans. When these themes are combined, the implication is clear: believing that we have done something healthy makes us treat genuine, concrete, real-world risks less seriously and makes us likely to act in ways that are more dangerous. How could this be relevant to coaching?

Working with a coach or internal mentor could have a similar effect to a vitamin pill or a gym session. It is plausible that following (even a high quality) coaching intervention, where a crucial aspect of work or performance is discussed, the coachee might subsequently feel excited and/or virtuous, and overestimate their own capabilities. The danger is that they then do something risky within another area of their work. For example they might push the boundaries on a topic or issue not previously explored, without considering the options as carefully as they would normally. Worst case, this behaviour could involve deciding to do something potentially damaging to themselves or their organisation. In the gym scenario people may apply an ‘offset strategy’ – trading a physical workout for a cream cake – without too much downside risk. At work however, the impact may go unmitigated – that is, there is nothing to offset or balance out these more risky decisions.

This threat is compounded, of course, where the coaching intervention is neutral or of poor quality, that is, it makes no positive contribution to the coachee’s decision-making processes and behaviour. In this instance the coachee may walk away from their coaching session feeling virtuous and invincible, but in real terms they have gained little from the coaching other than a misplaced sense of self-confidence.

In summary, we see this as a potential risk in certain circumstances – in particular where the coachee is impressionable – more likely to get caught up in the excitement of the possible. In practice, most executives have a series of safety catches or reality mechanisms that kick in (either during or) once they have exited the rarefied atmosphere of a coaching session, brainstorm or strategy day.

This area nevertheless requires subtle handling, especially as an increase in self confidence is often a desirable, or even an intended outcome from coaching. The watch-out is that coaches need to be aware of just how far-reaching their interactions can be, and act accordingly. Coaches should be mindful of the risks of their work, and can usefully deploy a grounding process/exercise at the conclusion of coaching sessions to introduce realistic perspective. This is something we include in our own range of coaching methodologies at Wickland Westcott.

Organisations, for their part, need to select coaches with the skills to manage their own impact proportionately, and should be especially wary of facilitating internal or external coaching relationships that do not include such safeguards.

(1) Wen-Bin Chiou, Chao-Chin Yang, Chin-Sheng Wan (2011) “Ironic Effects of Dietary Supplementation: Illusory Invulnerability Created by Taking Dietary Supplements Licenses Health-Risk Behaviors” Psychological Science August 2011 vol. 22 no. 8 1081-1086.

Transparency with Candidates - Thought Leadership

authorjohn@wickland-westcott.co.uk (John Milsom) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 23:01:01 +0100

Should you tell candidates the skills you are looking for?

Should you tell candidates what you are looking for, or does this give the game away? We have worked with clients with strong views in either direction. Whilst academics have debated the effect of transparency upon the accuracy of assessments, as practitioners we know the question also impacts on the candidate experience, and therefore employer branding and the demonstration of core values such as integrity, trust and honesty. Here we list the arguments for and against transparency, and explain our own preferred approach.

Arguments For

Telling candidates in advance what qualities and characteristics are being assessed has been found to reduce nerves and feelings of anxiety – a key factor that can interfere with the accuracy of interviews or test performance.
Being clear upfront about what is being assessed has been found to facilitate the acceptance and understanding of feedback post assessment. For example, if you know that your influencing style, commercial acumen and leadership capabilities are being evaluated then you will be prepared to receive feedback on these areas, and more able to integrate any messages with your existing self perceptions.
Explaining what is being looked for encourages candidates to demonstrate their ‘maximum ability’. Maximum ability is contrasted with people’s ‘typical’ or ‘preferred’ approach. The key implication here is that by disclosing what you are measuring you are raising candidate’s awareness of your expectations, and therefore testing their true ability to demonstrate certain specific behaviours. If you don’t tell people what is expected and somebody doesn’t demonstrate a required competency, is this because they can’t, or because they didn’t know it was required and so didn’t try?

Arguments Against

The counter argument is that disclosing assessment criteria makes it easy for people to put on an act or just tell assessors what they want to hear. In this school of thought, being transparent reduces the likelihood that you will see typical behaviour – instead you get to see atypical behaviour that is not the real person.

This is likely to be a particular issue when seeking to measure those competencies that are personality or value-driven (eg customer sensitivity, emotional intelligence). The candidate may be motivated to ‘switch these on’ when told they are required in the formal assessment, but may not subsequently do so when undertaking the job.

Our View

The unhelpful reality is that there is research evidence to support both of the above perspectives. So what do we do in practice?

At Wickland Westcott we prefer to be open, and take an adult-adult approach to our interactions with candidates. This means being frank and explaining what is expected, identifying the target qualities that are being looked for. This needs to be done in a balanced and constructive manner, and often involves translating organisational competencies or values from management speak into plain English.

This transparency is particularly important where nerves are likely to have a significant influence on behaviour – for example when candidates are at risk of displacement if unsuccessful. Another important context is when the assessment process is being used to support organisational change (e.g. by highlighting how new behaviours may be relevant to future roles). Again, transparency is particularly important here, and we may even share a sample of interview questions in advance to enable candidates to prepare their initial answers (which are then probed further in the interview).

Being open does put additional onus on assessors to work harder and dig beneath the general impression candidates may attempt to project. This is achieved through rigorous exercise design, standardisation, clear training and the utilisation of an appropriate combination of psychometric tests and questionnaires tailored to individual roles. Candidate self promotion is controlled by providing the assessor with structured tools for probing beneath initial responses.

In conclusion, there are pros and cons to each approach, but we believe the risks of being open and honest can be mitigated through solid assessment process design and professional administration. We also believe transparency is fairer and provides a basis for a trusting relationship between employee and employer.

If you’ve got an experience you’d like to share concerning how you brief your candidates, or if you’d like to discuss how to get the best out of your selection methods, please get in touch and join the debate.

Blinkers off - recruiting from other sectors - Thought Leadership

authorjerome@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Jerome Bull) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 23:01:01 +0100

For many employers, recruiting from within their industry is preferable to appointing a candidate from outside the sector. They believe that this specific knowledge is a prerequisite for success, and that candidates without this insight present an unnecessary risk.

In Wickland Westcott’s Industrial Practice however, our experience is that certain Managing Directors, General Managers and senior operations executives are able to successfully switch sectors, and that these individuals often bring a fresh perspective along with the ability to add value beyond the application of existing industry knowledge.

Those able to make the transition, however, do come with a specific set of skills and characteristics, and Wickland Westcott has recently completed a research project to identify them:

An aptitude for learning – In order to successfully switch sectors, individuals need to quickly familiarise themselves with new products, processes and industry terminology. This learning may also extend to specific regulatory and marketplace requirements. The ability to make sense of a new environment at both a conceptual and operational level is, therefore, critical to establishing credibility and making an early impact. According to Duncan Martin who has worked at senior level in fmcg, waste management, nuclear energy and multi-sector private equity-backed manufacturing environments: “this requires a logical mind and the ability to acquire and assimilate new information”. It is not about becoming an expert in everything, but rather having the ability to grasp the fundamentals by simplifying complexity.

A developed understanding of manufacturing systems technology – Participants in our research consistently reported that, in order to shift from one industry to another, it is essential to have a reliable operating framework to work from, and to understand the key principles of manufacturing.

Stephen Forbes, MD Explore Manufacturing (part of the Laing O’Rourke Group) explains the need for: "a set of appropriate KPIs, typically including safety, productivity, cost, quality and customer service, via which you manage performance. When moving industry you need the ability to interpret KPIs and to adapt them to the environment that you are working in".

High levels of performance are also underlined through the adaptation and application of continuous improvement tools and techniques. Keith Broadbent, an Operations Director who has worked in the automotive, telecoms, luxury yacht and electronics sectors, commented: "You need to break down the principles of manufacturing – structures, KPIs and good people; the building blocks are common. The overall manufacturing process is essentially made up of a linear sequence of activities which can be measured, manipulated and improved".

Leadership capability - Success in any senior role is largely dependent on the ability to gain the support and commitment of the team. This requirement is intensified when moving into a new sector where a lack of market knowledge, and the absence of an installed base of contacts, has the potential to undermine credibility in the short term. The key to gaining respect in the first instance is a willingness to show humility, demonstrate interest in other people and to listen and learn. Credibility is also likely to be achieved by correctly identifying and addressing the priority issues.

Beyond this, the attainment of results is based on an ability to get the best out of other people. This is characterised by a visionary outlook and the capacity to align others behind a common set of goals. Specific attributes contributing to success in this area include an open and participative approach, enough courage to make and act on tough decisions and a willingness to manage performance, both good and bad. Communication is also vital here.

Business skills – The ability of senior managers to anchor their efforts back to the goals and objectives of the broader business is obviously key. Tom Carpenter, a CEO who has worked in the electronics, pharma and cable manufacturing sectors, comments: "you will not survive without good business skills; commercial acumen is therefore a prerequisite".

Tenacity – Many participants in our research identified determination and tenacity as crucial to achieving success. There is much talk in modern management literature about the need for innovation – at Wickland Westcott we believe that perseverance and discipline are at least as important. More than this, success is about having a well thought-through plan and being prepared to work to it.

Contributors in this area commented on the importance of:

"Remaining focused in your efforts...............identifying the priorities and using your metrics to guide you"
"Having a clear plan to work to"
"Being able to cope with setbacks"
"Having a level of determination that enables you to deal with opposition and adversity"

Adaptability – Individuals that fail to make the leap from one sector to another were consistently reported as being too rigid or inflexible in the way they applied their tools and techniques. Typically, they were too prescriptive and kept trying to do what they have always done, rigidly implementing what had worked for them in the past. Julian Allen, a senior executive in the fmcg and building products sectors observed: "you cannot afford to be too slavish to one particular style".

In short, the above capabilities can go a long way towards mitigating the risks of appointing an unsuitable candidate from outside (or indeed inside) of the sector. Organisations should be encouraged to remove sector-specific blinkers and bring in fresh, paradigm-shifting executives, as long as the candidate they are looking for has the above skills.

Building on this research, Wickland Westcott has developed an assessment toolkit to support recruiting companies in their decision making in this area.To find out more contact Jerome Bull on 01625 508100.

Delivering Change at Severn Trent - Thought Leadership

authorstuart@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Stuart O'Reilly) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 23:01:01 +0100

Tony Wray has been Chief Executive of Severn Trent Water Plc since 2007. When he joined the organisation was still in the process of recovering from the reputational damage caused by a ‘whistleblower’ and the subsequent charges laid by the Serious Fraud Office. In this candid interview Tony speaks to Wickland Westcott Consultant Stuart O’Reilly about implementing change at Severn Trent.

Stuart
What was the background to the changes at Severn Trent?

Tony
Two things - I think the whistleblower event, and all that this created, but also the influx of a significant number of new people with fresh outlooks. You know it is pretty unprecedented in that the board changed completely, the executive of the business was completely new.

With those two things going on you had that burning platform crisis, whatever you want to call it, which was (a) we have got to fix a lot of basic things, (b) we have got to figure out what we are and what we want to be. This gave us potentially a great opportunity for renewal which we set about doing in a number respects by fairly conventional means – we did a strategic review – and you do a little tacit comparison – you get your advisors in and figure out where the value is – you do an operational and process review – does the machine work? – yes or no – and you start figuring out the sorts of things that you have to do. So that component of it was pretty conventional. The unconventional bit which the whistle-blower case helped us into, was gaining an early understanding that, as well as all of the functional, structural, organisational strategic stuff there was an awful lot of behavioural overlay to this. It wasn’t just that things didn’t work, but that people were believing in the wrong things. So that led us into the unconventional element which was that we ended up tackling structure and procedure, but also behavioural grounds. That is why we started working with you guys because it registered in our minds that actually we needed people who could not only do things, but we also needed people that signed up for a certain set of beliefs and values - such as working with people and encouraging them - this was just as important as joining two bits of pipe together.

Stuart
How did you start to challenge people on their behaviour and get acceptance that some of the things they believed, and had believed for a long time, were fundamentally wrong?

Tony
Well, a big part of that was holding a mirror to people and actually showing them. A great deal of confrontation – not negative confrontation – but through putting data on the table – a sense of reality – and it still goes on in our organisation today. We knew that we had fundamentally great people, passionate about what they did and yet they would do some fairly perverse things for whatever reason. Let me give you an example. I was at a sewage treatment works and this is one of our pretty tired old places that doesn’t work very well and yesterday I was walking around part of the site and being the nosey individual that I am, I opened the door and looked into the cabin and in the corner I found a scythe – a very old scythe a very well worn scythe – that is clearly used because it was good and sharp. I enquired and what is happening is that in an attempt to keep the vegetation down, occasionally our guys are going out with a scythe. Now, what does that tell you? It tells us we have got passionate people, committed to keeping that works going. What is the problem? Well intentioned people have come up with completely the wrong solution because the solution should have been – hang on why are we getting vegetation growing on this filter bed when it is not designed to be that way? What is it that is not working that is allowing that vegetation to grow? Have we got the wrong maintenance regime? So the result is that we have got a well intentioned person putting themselves at risk and therefore putting the company at risk rather than having the skill, the capability, the problem solving tools and a local culture that says – hey we have got a problem here, how do we figure out the correct way to fix it? So you know even now those deeply ingrained behaviours are still there that we have to overcome.

What were the things that were around this organisation that stopped those sorts of thoughts and conversations going on? Well, crudely it was a form of fear so you had to change that to a place where it’s safe to speak – why did we have the whistleblower? Because it wasn’t safe to speak up. If you did speak up were you listened to with respect? You need an environment where somebody’s ideas are respected, their right to make suggestions is respected, so that requires a form of leadership that is capable of listening rather than dictating, it requires a management style that is far more inclusive. It starts to suggest a completely different way of behaving which is why, again going back to the how did we do all of this, there came a point where we thought we had understood enough – and tried it enough times – to be brave enough to write it down. So then we produced our leadership and our behavioural model to say we think – because it will change over time – but right here and now – these are the things that characterise the right behaviours which ought to lead to a better place to be and a more efficient business and a better place to work.

Stuart
You were looking to change some of the behaviour in your staff and challenge them but the first thing you needed to do was actually get a different approach from the managers.

Tony
We are still going through that transition now. If you are going to change all of those things you have to change it top down and bottom up. Now you know this is a big organisation we could not get rid of everybody and start again. We did have to get rid of – a very pejorative term – we did have to get rid of quite a lot of management because they were incapable of switching their behaviours. So we did bring a lot of people in. We spent a lot of time helping people change though – where they could – and some of them did it very successfully and some of them didn’t and either they elected to go, or we moved them. Unless you change the (management) in the middle the organisation doesn’t actually change so you really had to do that as well and go through those crises of confidence because there were times where we the executive had said something, our frontline staff said yeah we agree with that but then the management in the middle still behaved the way that they did in the past. So we had a lot of false starts and a lot of rejections because our frontline staff said well no actually in truth they are just the same as the old lot. They talk about it but they don’t make it happen.

Stuart
What were the signs for you that you were starting to get some traction in that middle group, that you had started to change them?

Tony
We had the hard metrics, that is, we delivered the business performance, improvement on a whole bunch of metrics. Our employee motivation stayed really high by all the benchmarks that we could measure by. We didn’t have industrial unrest. Our reputation improved and our reputation improves because people are engaged. A lot of people ended up doing, and (sought) out different jobs and different roles – a lot of people got promoted and we are getting to a place where that history is being shed and it is being talked about less and less. Now it is not about fixing stuff that we inherited, it’s about improving stuff that we do. People have moved on and are now more engaged in current state and in looking forward, rather than in rescue. Driving through Leicester a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon I came to some road works, all the roads closed off, down to one lane, traffic lights, Severn Trent signs all over the place and thinking – I hope this is going to be finished really quick – and there are two of our guys on the other side of the barriers. Whilst I was stopped at the red light I wound the window down – they didn’t know the car – and I said “Guys how is it going?” I didn’t know their names – and the two guys looked across and said – “Tony! How is it going – great” and they immediately launched into: “We had a 24 inch burst main here last night – because it is 24 inch we got it zoned off down the road, we got the subbie (subcontractor) out with the specialist kit – we got it all back on supply now”. They were just checking that everything was done before moving on to the next job. That all came at me; I didn’t have to prompt it. What does it tell me? It tells me that they are perfectly happy talking to me. It tells me they are really proud about what they are doing, the way that they convey all of that tells me they are professional, they know what they are doing, they are on the case.

Stuart
I’m interested in the pace of change. When I spoke to a number of your people one of the things they said was that the pace of change is fast. I am curious as to how deliberate this was, as some leaders use pace as a kind of forcing mechanism.

Tony
The injection of pace was quite deliberate because the organisation needed a wake up. It was quite deliberate because there were some external events that meant that we did not have lot of choice over timing, and because as a leader, as a manager, as a supervisor, you have to be doing more than one thing at a time. As a leader – and my definition of a leader is that as soon as you become responsible for people, even if it is only two people, at any given point in time, you’ve got the process to run, you’ve got their welfare to manage, you’ve got the outputs to deliver to the customer and you’ve got a real commercial financial world to live in. You don’t get the choice of which of those you are going to do because if you choose to do only one, you’ll get it wrong. If you are entirely driven by the P&L, you’ll end up compromising something for customer, employee or shareholder. If you are entirely driven by a deadline to achieve a task, you’ll end up taking some risks that you shouldn’t take with health and safety. So that was that. As we started to kick things off, we did get a huge push-back and we still do get a view that: “it’s busy, busy, busy – if you could just let things settle”. To an extent we listened to that, because we did accept that we were not doing well in a) explaining what we were doing and b) making sure that the things were joined up appropriately. We addressed this in our usual thoughtful mechanistic way and said “well let’s manage it”. Let’s decide consciously, rather than subconsciously, how many critical big change things there are. There were 10 and we said ok – if we are going to do all 10, we had better make a better job at managing them. So we didn’t take over any of the projects or the programmes, but we created, for ourselves, a programme management office – just to become knowledgeable because then you start to test. We had these different programmes all calling on the same individual, the individual has only 220 working days available and actually we’ve got a programme here for 350, well that’s not going to work – so we started to get more disciplined about that, which we’ve kept going actually. Then we started managing the dependencies and that got us into the phase of rather than just doing stuff, actually forcing us to explain it. That’s where we started to create our language around high standards, lowest charges, great people. We’ve still got to get better at explaining change – preparing people for the change, executing the change and then making the change stick because you could never get it absolutely right.

Stuart
In many organisations the external drivers for changes are most prominent, they seem to have been less significant in this case.

Tony
You have to be aware of this point. If it’s not there, I believe you have to create it and then you have to get it in the organisation in a way they understand. So whilst we were doing all of this other stuff the other part of our strategy was getting out there and being the thought-leader and driver in the sector, so all the talk you hear now from the environment agency on the Today programme about these ideas of trading water and about the increasing competition, are all the ideas we originated and drove. Now what does that do for our people? On the one hand it absolutely presents us with an external challenge that we are going to have competition, that’s why we need the high standards and lowest charges and great people because that makes customers sticky to us. If we are going to have water trading, we will need sufficient network, so that’s why we are spending £120 million putting more capacity on the Derwent Valley. We need to make it real for people and to give it an edge as well because unless we do it, others will come and do it. Look at gas, look at electricity, look at telecommunications, look at rail, look at buses, look at taxis, look at your mobile phone – you create that notion and sufficient understanding of change such that people feel the need to engage – they might not like it and in fact in many instances they don’t like it, but they engage.

Stuart
Did you think you were getting people to appreciate this external threat around competition?

Tony
More of our people now would understand the threat of competition – more of our people would understand the need for efficiency and the balance between shareholders, customers and employees, rather than just favouring one party and I think more of them share an ambition to be more than Severn Trent Water.

Stuart
What might that growth for Severn Trent look like?

Tony
There are 22 water companies in the UK and there should be about between 6 and 8. There will be consolidation and it’s not just because of using the ideas we have been pushing – if you put economics with efficiency and price – the growing rarity of water with changing weather patterns – it’s all of those things to add up – this nation’s infrastructure in 22 different pockets is ridiculous, it will change or it will breakdown – there will be changes of ownership, private equity buys in then exits, and then there needs to be somebody else picking it up. The fashion, because that’s what it is, will move away from private equity back to listed – there might even be some more mutuals like the Welsh model. There will be change if there is going to be change, you have a choice – you can be part of the change or you can be a victim of the change.

Stuart
What have you learnt about change?

Tony
We put our first release of SAP in back in December 2009. So on a day in December, we switched on SAP, all of our back-office activities – Finance, HR, Procurement and a month later we closed our accounts successfully on the first month. Two months on we let 1200 people go and three months later all of those processes were operated bang on. Oh and by the way it went live on the day that we said at the price that we said with the functionality that we said. Unheard of – utterly unheard of in the world of SAP implementations. So how was it that we were able to do that? There are millions of organisations that have put SAP in with a varying degree of success. Part of our ability to get that right was that we had spent a lot of time before we even envisaged SAP, getting our people back to standard processes because we had to get the quality control and the processes right. We spent a lot of time with people figuring out what the right processes were and how to do that. When we came to do our blue-printing for our SAP design, our people behaviourally were already in the right place. Is there any one thing? No. I think what we’ve learnt, and what we’ve tried to do, is that whatever change we are trying to drive through we try with people, process and technology.

Stuart
So in practice it’s all interlinked and actually you have to drive it on a wide front – you have to tackle all the components ....... you have to tackle processes, you have to have the right leaders and you have to put the technology in.

Tony
I think that you can introduce change or you can inflict change. If you introduce change, you stand a chance of getting better implementation. If you inflict change, you will only be partially successful. You will make a difference, but will you make enough difference and will it be sustainable?

Stuart
I guess the second phase of change – a market oriented water business - is going to be a lot harder to deliver.

Tony
Yes – you have to be a lot more patient than you might otherwise be. The truth is in organisations, people make a choice about whether they are going to go with you or not and they make that choice based on - are you going to explain to me why and how are you going to convince me - and that I think is the difficult bit – turning your instincts and your intuition into something that your organisation as a whole, not just one or two people in your organisation, but your organisation as whole can say – yeah – I get that now. I was over in Leicester with our distribution team and one of our managers said: “Do you know what? I’ve been thinking about it - it all makes sense to me now. You’ve given us the right kit, you’ve given us the right vehicles so we look professional, me and my team train on how to solve problems, you’ve sorted out the pay nonsense. I get it all now”. On the one hand I was thinking oh fantastic he’s got it, and then as I was walking away, I was thinking – it would have been better if I had done a much better job of explaining that at the start!

Diversity - Make it work for your Board - Thought Leadership

authorjohn.dodd@wickland-westcott.co.uk (John Dodd) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 23:01:01 +0100

With uncertainty in the Eurozone, turbulence on the financial markets, high unemployment figures and minimal growth, the UK economy is once again facing a challenging time. Many companies have spent the past three years downsizing, driving efficiency plans, reducing their cost base and reining back on most forms of investment. In this turbulent economic environment, diversity can slip down the priority list. But could companies be missing a trick to accelerate their commercial performance? There is growing evidence that Boards with diverse talent outperform those with a more homogenous make up. Diverse, inclusive and representative Boards benefit from fresher perspectives, new ideas and broader experiences, and are more likely to be truly reflective of the people they serve, and therefore better able to understand their needs.

How can companies ensure they get value for money when working with search consultants to achieve a greater level of diversity and inclusion on their Board?

Challenge your own principles – Board members of similar age, gender and ethnic background can bring homogeneity, shared values and an efficiency of operation. But on the downside such teams can be narrower in their thinking, with limited challenge and less creative dissatisfaction (and therefore innovative insight). The benefit of a broader range of experience is that it often leads to a more enriched discussion of ideas, thoughts, solutions and perceptions. This is especially the case when contributors are drawn from different professions with contrasting perspectives developed in different contexts and under different paradigms. We are starting to see the composition of the Non Executives change, with more first time Non Executives who also retain their executive role in another organisation. We are also seeing an increase in the number of women NEDs, although there is still much work to be done in this area. Many Boards need to start thinking about their composition from a different perspective – they need to be complementary not similar - in order to provide a robust leadership and governance mechanism.

Work with your search consultant to plan the composition of your Board - This can be achieved with a root and branch review of the structure of your Board, addressing current skills, the strategic focus going forward and what knowledge, experience and personalities are needed to facilitate this. It is important at the outset that you build in the diverse competencies needed, rather than shoehorning in diversity which can ultimately be counterproductive.

Be flexible with the parameters of the brief to widen the candidate pool – Organisations need to seriously target non traditional backgrounds, be flexible in terms of time commitments, and use technologies that will attract a more diverse candidate base. They also need to network more effectively in different sectors. Head-hunters have their part to play by pushing back against conventional thinking, ensuring Boards are more flexible when scoping a role and by looking outside traditional boundaries. This is about risk and reward; often the non conforming candidates add the greatest value or have the biggest positive impact.

Ensure a transparent process – The private sector can learn from the public sector in terms of the transparency of Board appointments. Public sector Chief Executive and Non Executive appointments are regulated by OCPA (Office of the Commission for Public Appointments) to ensure the probity and transparency of the recruitment process. Such auditable processes including documented sifting, competence based interviews, formal shortlisting as well as psychometric testing, to ensure that the Chair or selection board make a more informed decision against tangible criteria, not simply relying on an informal chat over dinner or a friendly recommendation, no matter how well intentioned. Such rigorous processes also enable organisations to pinpoint core attributes and behavioural traits that will be essential to the composition of any new or changing Board. This transparency is good practice, and aids better governance, especially where shareholder value is concerned.

Onboarding to assist transition of Non Executive Directors – This starts during the recruitment process, ensuring candidates have full access to the information needed to make an informed decision – the challenges faced by the organisation, the financial structure of the business as well as access to other Non Executives. It is essential to ensure there is a good cultural fit and that all parties can work together for the benefit of the business, whilst challenging and holding each other to account. It is also important to afford new Non Executives time in the business, getting to know the operational environment with the opportunity to engage with relevant members of the executive team.

Choose a search partner with the right connections – Seek to build relationships with search partners that can access a diverse range of networks to ensure you get the very best talent across a number of sectors. Today’s market is all about value for money and ensuring you get an appropriate return on investment from your search partner. By putting in place clearer expectations as to the diversity of your shortlist, you will have a better chance of achieving this.
If you would like to discuss the above content in more detail, please feel free to call John Dodd on 01625 508100

The Value of Innovation - Thought Leadership

authorlaura.oliver@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Laura Oliver) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 23:01:01 +0100

Wickland Westcott Consultant Laura Oliver has been working in partnership with Manchester Airports Group (MAG) to research the link between employees’ personal values and their level of engagement.
Employees were asked to rate the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with statements linked with Manchester Airports’ six Corporate Values. These included ‘Customer Experience’, ‘Innovation’ and ‘Working with Colleagues’. The results from these ratings were then compared with objective measures of employee engagement, commitment, satisfaction and emotional intelligence. The study provided clear evidence that alignment between personal and organisational values does have a measurable, positive impact on key employment indices. Further, certain corporate values were found to have a more significant impact than others. For example, the extent to which people felt comfortable with the MAG Corporate Value ‘Innovation’ was found to have the most significant impact on employee engagement.

Why might this be?

MAG has been successfully creating and empowering Customer First Teams within the airport, in order to raise the levels of service provided to all customers. So why has ‘Customer Experience’ not emerged as value that has the strongest impact? On closer analysis we identified that these Customer First Teams concentrate upon stimulating innovative thinking and idea-generation amongst staff, encouraging them to take ownership of issues that may impact on customer satisfaction and proactively implementing solutions. It is this focus on creative problem-solving and looking to improve things for customers that appears to be having the biggest impact on satisfaction, engagement and commitment.

What do we conclude?

These results provide hard evidence that employees whose personal values match those of their employer will be more engaged, more committed and more satisfied by their work. The implication is that organisations should, therefore, consider assessing candidates’ values, as well as measuring the commoner areas of technical and interpersonal competence. Additionally, the complex link between values and the variables measured indicates that as priorities shift within organisation (e.g. within culture-change initiatives) the impact of people’s personal values on their continued engagement should not be ignored or taken for granted.

What should organisations be doing?

In addition to considering the personal/organisation values fit during recruitment (see our work with Purina Petfoods), we also recommend that organisations remember the three C’s.
Leaders need to Consider the current values held by the organisation and identify which they feel are fundamental to specific roles within their own team. They then need to Communicate and role model these values to their direct reports, so that they understand how they apply to them. Finally they need to embark on continual Collaborative discussions with their people to ensure that the values remain relevant and front-of-mind.

For more information, or if you would like to discuss how your organisation could capitalise on its values to improve satisfaction and performance, contact Laura Oliver, tel: 01625 508100, laura.oliver@wickland-westcott.co.uk.

The Shared Value of Internships - Thought Leadership

authorlaura.oliver@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Laura Oliver) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 23:01:01 +0100

The prevalence of undergraduate and graduate internships has increased significantly over recent years. This has happened for a variety of reasons including the need for organisations to find leaner and more reliable ways of engaging with high potential graduates. However, the provision of internships remains sensitive (for example the discussion in the Houses of Parliament around the issue of nepotism), and many students remain concerned that companies are simply looking to get them on the cheap.

Crucially, internships do provide a great opportunity for organisations to:

Secure the best graduates prior to making an offer.
Assess candidates more deeply.
Ensure graduates ‘hit the ground running’.
Reduce the risk of making a bad hire.
Build an employer brand amongst the graduate population.

We know through our work developing and designing graduate assessment processes that leading organisations want to recruit candidates who can evidence both their academic ability and a commercial/broader understanding. In a week where thousands of A Level students are hoping to get the qualifications they need to secure a place at their preferred University, we present our thoughts on how to create an internship programme that will provide shared value, both for the organisation and the interns.

Build relationships with the target audience – University alumni groups and career events will give you access to those students who have a real interest in developing their business knowledge. By understanding student needs and aspirations you will be able to build an internship programme that gives value back to your interns.
Be clear on what you’re offering – It is important for you to spend time thinking about what you want to achieve and what benefits you can offer the students. Our research suggests that some students feel disheartened by the current economic situation and are choosing not to apply for such opportunities, assuming that they will be unsuccessful. You should of course be upbeat when advertising the scheme, but equally honest about what is actually on offer.
Know what you’re looking for – When developing a graduate or internship process it is crucial that you are clear on what behaviours and values you want from your interns. You will reap what you sow. Our work with clients developing similar processes has begun by defining high potential indicators which can be assessed throughout the internship, e.g. commercial appetite, capacity to develop, drive, initiative, agility, ability to learn and academic excellence.
Make it challenging – Graduates today thrive on being thrown into the deep end, being given meaningful challenges and the chance to stretch themselves. As well as developing the individual, doing this will enable you to truly see the potential of the intern and the value they can add to your business if selected for a paid role. Your interns should be assessed continually in a structured and objective way.
Engagement of key stakeholders – To allow interns the opportunity to develop their business awareness and add value, the support of relevant stakeholders is crucial. Interns can add real value to senior leaders in need of intelligent additional resource. They also enable managers to practice their coaching skills, but they will require an investment of time. The managers should therefore be engaged during the design of the internship, be fully briefed on the assessment and be involved in the final selection.

If you are interested in hearing more about our work on Graduate Programmes, Undergraduate Internships, and in particular the factors that predict graduate success, please contact Laura Oliver on 01625 508100, laura.oliver@wickland-westcott.co.uk.

The Future of Leadership - Thought Leadership

authorjohn@wickland-westcott.co.uk (John Milsom) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:01:01 +0100

Wickland Westcott runs regular Talent Management seminars, and at the most recent event delegates were invited to consider the demands facing future leaders. The guest speaker was Paul Sigsworth of Nestlé UK, who shared the preliminary results of their ground-breaking work in this area.

The starting point for the session was a recognition that whilst the world is changing more quickly than ever, contemporary leadership thinking is not keeping pace. If we are to find leaders genuinely capable of living up to that title, we need to move the leadership agenda off the back foot, and more clearly define the future requirements of leaders in greater detail. Paul outlined how his analysis of current thinking has led him to identify several key themes that are now starting to shape the challenges faced by tomorrow’s leaders.

Specifically, the increased complexity and ambiguity of the external environment, combined with pressures to be creative and deliver within ever shorter timeframes, has led Paul to identify four emerging themes for future leaders. He believes that leaders will need a higher level of external awareness, combined with heightened capabilities in the skills associated with Perceiving, Interpreting and Connecting. All of these areas relate to the death of the “heroic” leader, and the growing need for “authentic” leaders – people capable of providing clarity and simplicity within complex situations, and motivated to engage those around them rather to provide all of the answers themselves.

As well as the commonly accepted (but certainly not commonplace) leadership skills of visioning, strategy, communication, leading change and execution, the future leadership development agenda therefore needs to support people in harnessing diversity, managing ambiguity, building networks, leading virtual teams, and managing their own fitness and wellbeing.

There was particular interest among the delegates in the importance of developing resilience in leaders in order to help them cope with the demands of the role, whilst providing energy to others. A number of delegates highlighted the ongoing efforts they are currently making to accommodate this theme within their own leadership development programmes. Finally, several commented that the increasing focus on authenticity is bringing their organisation’s alignment with its own values into sharp relief - there is now no place for a leader who says one thing but does another.

Wickland Westcott would like to thank Paul Sigsworth and Nestlé UK for supporting this event, and the delegates for their participation in the open discussion.

Wickland Westcott’s Talent Management group is run as a networking and thought leadership forum for those responsible for building and sourcing Talent. For more information on the group, or the ideas described above, contact John Milsom, Head of Talent – North.

The Fall of Rebekah Brooks - Thought Leadership

authormelissa.davis@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Melissa Davis) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:01:01 +0100

Illustrating the dangers of the ‘untouchable’ leader

So Rebekah Brooks has resigned. Whilst a minority has come out in support of the former News of the World editor, it’s probably safe to say that the vast majority of people feel that this is a necessary end to a week of controversy and damage limitation for News International.

So where did it all go so horribly wrong? Certainly a major criticism has been the shocking level of judgement displayed by Ms Brooks in developing a culture of success (in this case selling papers) at all costs – no matter who the victim or the potential damage to reputation. However interestingly, what seems to have been making people most angry of late is the unwillingness of this leader to be accountable or apologise for any personal wrongdoing. By refusing to assume responsibility early on, Rebekah was demonstrating a major weakness in her leadership – a total lack of humility.

This illustrates what Occupational Psychologists have known for a long time – that whereas in the past good leaders were hailed as ‘heroes’ – untouchables who could do no wrong – today’s leaders of successful organisations carry themselves with a realistic perspective of themselves, their organisation and the environment. Today, a humble leader is a critical strength for organisations – and an arrogant leader a perilous weakness. The term ‘Level 5 leadership’ has been coined to describe leaders who combine ambition with a central focus of success for the organisation rather than themselves. This means it is possible to be both daringly competitive and humble at the same time.
So what makes a humble leader? According to Vera et al (2004), a total of 13 characteristics describe such a person:

being open to new paradigms;
being eager to learn from others;
understanding his or her limitations, and attempting to correct them;
accepting failure with pragmatism;
asking for advice;
developing others;
having a genuine desire to serve;
respecting others;
sharing honours and recognition with collaborators;
accepting success with simplicity;
lacking narcissism and repelling adulation;
avoiding self-complacency;
and being careful with money.

From this list we can sum up what makes a humble leader good for the bottom line of an organisation. Firstly, a high level of humility influences leaders to behave in a way that is mostly concerned with enhancing others, rather than themselves. Secondly, it protects leaders from needing the attention and adulation of the public. Finally, it encourages a culture of learning and organisational resilience.

So - Tom Mockridge has been announced as the new CEO of News International. Whether he will demonstrate the humility required to gain the confidence of his team and the public remains to be seen, however one thing can be certain – he will need to demonstrate courage and resilience in the months to come.

If you would like to find out more about the work we have done with Senior Leaders and Executive Boards, please call us on 01625 508100.

The Non Executive Catch 22 - Thought Leadership

authormike@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Mike Spurr) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 23:01:01 +0100

Evolving from a full-time career as an executive to a portfolio career of non-executive work can be frustrating. With a lifetime of senior business experience it feels like it should be easy to find a seat on the board of a business that will benefit from your knowledge, experience and expertise. However, to be in the running for a non-executive directorship, you ideally need to have one already, as this demonstrates your capability and understanding of how to add value in the role. It is a classic ‘catch 22’ situation. To break out of this, here are a few basic steps you can take.

Start planning early. Transitioning from a full-on executive career to a non-executive portfolio takes time and arriving at the door of the headhunter a month before you leave your executive post is too late. A planning horizon of at least 12 -18 months before you move out of your executive role will give you time to work out what might suit you, and spread the message to those in your network who could help find your first position. During this period, it is important to demonstrate your commitment by involving yourself in something other than your immediate business. If you have never developed any interests outside of your executive responsibilities, it can be hard to persuade a nominations committee that you now intend to take a wider view. For example, taking a trusteeship on a charity board, or with an arts organisation perhaps, even though it is not a fully-fledged non-executive role, will provide you with some basic skills, a track record, and act as a ‘bridge’ out of your executive career.

Be very clear about what you can offer. Someone who says that their experience would be attractive to any business actually makes it harder for their potential to be recognised. This is because non-executive briefs have become more specific as businesses have become risk averse during the downturn. Highlighting areas of valuable knowledge can help overcome your lack of track record – for example, experience of family businesses, a history of working with joint ventures and start-ups, international experience within particular geographies, working within regulated sectors, or success in business turnarounds – these are hot buttons for different organisations looking to add weight to their boards.

Network and build your profile. For many people this can be one of the most difficult aspects of finding non-executive positions, but it is also one of the most important. You need to make people aware of your plans so that you are front of mind when they are asked for recommendations. Who should you tell? Anyone who might be in a position to assist you, whether it is a headhunter, a chairman of a business, a non-executive, or a professional adviser. It is not necessary to present a detailed personal plan, just rehearse a few words that you feel comfortable dropping into the conversation outlining your intentions, asking that they bear it in mind. You might also ask their advice on who else they think you should speak to. Make sure also that you have your CV prepared and ready to fire off – it is the first thing that people will ask for, and the act of preparing it also serves as a catalyst in helping focus your thoughts on what you can offer, and would be interested in.

Don’t be too ambitious in the early days. When setting out on the non-executive road, some people target a seat on the board of a high profile plc. Without experience or an extremely high personal profile, this can be hard to achieve. Ask yourself honestly: “If I was a member of their nominations committee, would I hire me into the position?” Also bear in mind that if your first appointment does not go well, the damage to your reputation can take a long time to heal and, for a non-executive director, reputation is everything. Success can often be surer, more safely managed and enjoyable by taking a more modest position in the early days, with a business you understand, that will allow you develop your capability in a more familiar environment, equipping you with a track record and skills for the big opportunities in the future.

Make sure you understand what it means to be a non-executive and speak the language. When candidates are considered for non-executive roles, a demonstrable understanding of the nuances of the role is as important as anything written in the CV. The ability to act as a ‘critical friend’ to the executive team is an often-used description and it is vital to ensure that the interviewing committee feels you understand this. Danger signals for them would be a sense that someone is too strident, too passive, too operational or, perhaps has a tendency to interfere. To understand the key attributes and behaviours that characterise good non-executive directors, take the time to meet and network with those whom you know, respect and regard as successful. A number of professional services firms, including Wickland Westcott, run non-executive networks - consider joining one of these to increase your profile and contacts.

Brainpower Vital - Supply Chain Professionals - Thought Leadership

authorkeith.miller@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Keith Miller) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:01:01 +0100

Wickland Westcott has undertaken a number of global supply chain assignments over the last three years. The demand for supply chain executives is a clear indication of the function’s importance to business performance. Over the last two quarters, however, we have identified a subtle shift in thinking concerning the key priorities and challenges in such roles.

We define supply chain as the end to end process from design, SIOP through manufacturing/processing to delivery to customer. The trends we are seeing are as follows:

Weathering the storm of the global financial crisis has been the focus of over the last three years. The best supply chain executives are able to demonstrate significant cost-down initiatives, bringing leaner practices into play resulting in measurable efficiency improvements.
Unpredictability of customer demand has been a key challenge. Unlike previous post-recession recoveries it is as yet hard to detect a steadying of growth and demand trends. There are few signs of any consistency emerging, and managing this ambiguity will continue to differentiate the best executives from the also-rans.
Volatility of raw material and other input prices adds further complexity to the mix, as does recent political instability in economies that are major raw material and energy producers, or are regarded as good low-cost production options.
Increased pressure from global competition, combined with more stringent regulatory compliance in certain territories is a further dilemma.
Although the global recession has shifted some emphasis onto the commercials and away from green considerations, there is an expectation that environmental concerns will again rise up the priority list in the near future.
Product and service quality, and speed of response, continue to be the primary commercial drivers for businesses. Supply chain executives who have taken progressive steps to align their systems and processes with customer and market demands have been smart. Those that have packaged and represented these changes in a way that enables their commercial function to use them as a source of competitive advantage have been smarter still.
A few companies are beginning to talk about Business Winning and Order Fulfilment as the two main ‘Super Functions’ of the future, whereby the supply chain and operations functions will merge to form the Order Fulfilment component. Those executives that are open to such changes, and have clear ideas about how to initiate and embed such cross-functional collaboration are at the leading edge.

In summary, the growing complexity of the issues surrounding supply chain management requires an increasing level of intellectual rigour. More than ever before, a wide range of functional and commercial considerations now underpin successful supply chain execution. Executives with these talents can be found, but you need to look in the right places, talk their language, and promise them a voice in the strategic and commercial debates.

Becoming an NED - Look Before You Leap - Thought Leadership

authormike@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Mike Spurr) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:01:01 +0100

Non-executive directorships are often seen as a natural step for those seeking to build a portfolio of career interests later in life. Non-executive work can certainly be satisfying and fulfilling, yet the nature of the role means that it is not always easy to fully understand the operation and risks associated with the business and, when things go wrong, non- executive directors are increasingly in the firing line. To decide if it is right for you, consider the following 7 factors:

Why do you want to be an NED? Surprisingly few executives ask themselves this question. Ensure it is something you really want to do, rather than something that you feel you should do (eg because your peers are doing it). Review your plans for the future; how much time do you wish to give to this role? If not thought-through you risk taking on too much and moving into a phase that is even busier than your executive career. Do not plan on an NED role as a direct financial replacement for your salaried career, as building a portfolio specifically to maintain income can compromise your independence of thought, particularly if you become reliant on the fees.
Are you really suited to the role? Although non-executive directors establish working relationships with the executive team they are not full members of that team and must maintain a distance. This requirement for independence can make it an isolated existence, acting as a ‘critical friend’ on the board, challenging the executives when appropriate, and ensuring that relevant checks and balances are in place. This requires the confidence and strength of character to stand by your principles and offer constructive challenge, even if it is unpopular and you are a lone voice. In very difficult circumstances, for example where there is a major issue over a point of law or regulation, you may even be in a position where you have to consider resignation.
Research the responsibilities and risks. Non-executives carry a considerable burden of financial and legal duties. Ensure you understand what these are, be clear that you are willing to take them on and that the company has the appropriate level of insurance in place. As an enlighted non-executive director, you cannot merely read the papers and turn up for the board meetings. Every business has issues and risk elements to it. You cannot expect to sit in the board room and get all the answers there – it is important to invest time, particularly in the early days, to get out and about, visit the senior management team, to build your confidence that the right things are happening on the ground.
Understand what sort of organisation would suit you best. Non-executive roles can be found across the spectrum of business activity and public life, ranging from large, listed corporates through mid-range plcs, large private companies, private equity, entrepreneurial and start-up businesses and public/private bodies. The nature of the role depends on the environment; Plc roles typically come nearest to a ‘pure’ non-executive position, focused principally on governance. At the other end of the spectrum, a non-executive director in a small business may have more involvement, almost to the extent of being a part-time executive. Clearly, if you enjoy contributing and becoming involved in operational matters, it may be sensible to gravitate towards smaller businesses. Although the principal responsibilities of non-executives should always be the same, the dividing line line between the executive and non-executive is slightly different in every organisation and needs to be understood before taking on the appointment.
Plan ahead. Waiting until the last days of your executive career is often too late, as finding your first non-executive role will not be easy, particularly if you have previously demonstrated little interest in organisations outside of your immediate executive responsibilities. You should aim to initiate some early activity perhaps two years ahead of your move out of an executive position. Don’t be too ambitious in your choice of first role; make sure it is in a field you are familiar with and where the risks are therefore more understandable. If coming from the private sector it may be easier to begin with a public sector organisation or charity where private sector commercial skills are always welcome. This will provide you with a track record and act as a solid bridge into a higher profile, commercial role at a later date.
Don’t just take the first thing that comes along. As a non-executive, your biggest asset is your reputation and, if your first appointment does not go well, it will make it very difficult to find another one. Ensure that you understand the company’s strategy and risk profile and apply extensive due diligence. Speak to existing non-executive and executive directors in the business, consult their professional advisors and analyse your own experience and skills to make sure that they complement those of others on the board. Above all, how do you feel about the people on the board – is the chemistry likely to be good or do you sense divisions and difficulties between the directors which could make for regular confrontation and uncomfortable board meetings? Will you relish this, or rather avoid it?
Invest time and effort in finding the right role. There is considerable competition for non-executive roles between aspiring non-executive directors looking for their first role and experienced portfolio directors replacing directorships when they rotate off one of their boards. Although some of this is attributable to supply and demand, there has been a shift in NED recruitment towards greater specificity in role specifications - for example, a demand for certain aspects of market sector expertise or geographical experience. Another trend is the reduced visibility of opportunities, with search (headhunting) and networking playing a much more pivotal role in the process than traditional advertising. Personal networking therefore needs to be high on your list of activities, whether you enjoy it or not. Develop the habit of regularly mentioning your plans to your business contacts and professional advisers and help them to understand your unique skills and experiences, and most critically your value-add.

Above all, remember that this should be a time when you have the ability to make choices that are enjoyable and fit with your interests and values. Talk to people you know and trust, ask them their views and how they would see this working for you to ensure that the organisation you join benefits fully from your expertise and you, in turn, contribute meaningfully to the leadership and strategic agenda.

It's a Two Way Street - Thought Leadership

authorjerome@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Jerome Bull) — Tue, 31 May 2011 23:01:01 +0100

Accepting a job with a new employer represents a significant and often daunting decision. Whilst employers tend to be increasingly thorough and scientific in the way they assess candidate suitability, how do you satisfy yourself that the job opportunity is right for you?

Recruiting companies use a range of techniques to assess job applicants for any given role. They often require candidates to go through a multistage process involving interviews with a variety of people and, increasingly, the completion of psychometric tests and/or simulation exercises. This extensive data-gathering enables organisations to make well-informed, high quality decisions about the individuals they recruit.

Having successfully reached the end of a challenging selection process, candidates understandably tend to be delighted to receive a job offer, particularly in a competitive marketplace. Relatively few, however, invest the same level of effort to research whether the opportunity is absolutely right for them. In undertaking their due diligence, we recommend that candidates address the following questions before making the leap:

Is the role clearly defined?
It is important to understand the background to any appointment, and to ensure that the role is well defined with a clear set of deliverables. If expectations are not set appropriately at an early stage in the relationship, it is difficult to measure your contribution and thereby satisfy your employer that you are delivering.
Is the company’s strategy well thought-through, commonly understood and realistic?
Most companies will have a mission and vision including a set of clearly stated aims. It is worth discussing at interview how the strategy was formulated, who was involved and what measures are in place. You need to be satisfied that the strategy is robust and achievable, and that the required resources are available to deliver success.
Does the company have a successful track record?
Company accounts for PLCs tend to be readily available on their website, providing full details of their financial performance. Whilst it is less easy to research organisations not publicly listed, details are accessible via Companies House, and it is worth searching for on-line press releases. You should aim to identify and explore trends associated with company performance to understand the health of the business.
How will the move be interpreted by future employers?
This is particularly relevant when candidates are faced with the prospect of changing sector, moving from a large to a small company and/or shifting from a functional role to a generalist post (or vice versa). Under these circumstances you should consider your long-term career aims and reflect on any gaps in your CV before reconciling this with the skills and experience you will gain from making the move. Is there a match?
Can the organisation offer longer term career prospects?
It may be worthwhile exploring the organisation’s people development policies to establish whether or not future career prospects are likely. Candidates with aspirations beyond the role offered should seek evidence of people moving up through the organisation.
Is the chemistry/culture fit right?
It is critical to meet a representative sample of people including a range of prospective colleagues to ensure that there is fit from a cultural perspective. Many organisations will have a set of explicitly stated values and these are helpful, but a more realistic feel for the business can be gained by directly experiencing the working environment. Is it busy? How do people dress? Is it open plan? Do people appear enthusiastic and upbeat? Are ideas welcomed?
Was the selection process professionally managed?
The recruitment process, and the way it is managed, often tell you a lot about a company – speed, for example, tends to indicate a positive intention to fill the role. How long did the process take? Was it structured? Who was involved? Were you kept informed? Was it two-way? Were promises delivered on?
Is the remuneration fair?
In a competitive and ever-changing marketplace, it is sometimes difficult to gauge the value of a role in terms of salary and benefits package. Given the current economic climate, candidates are more inclined to make compromises in the belief that the dynamics of the market are against them. This is not necessarily true, however, as good people are always in demand. Make use of contacts and on-line resources to benchmark salaries and always believe in the value that you bring.

If you are considering a job offer and would like to discuss the relative merits of the opportunity, please contact Jerome Bull on 01625 508100

New Media in Recruitment - Thought Leadership

authorian@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Ian Richardson) — Thu, 26 May 2011 23:01:01 +0100

Seven or eight years ago the common view among many senior recruitment consultants was that online recruitment would never be an effective tool for sourcing top level candidates. A quick look at national newspapers today demonstrates how flawed this view was – whereas the Sunday Times would once have had 10 to 12 pages of senior vacancies, the Appointments section is now typically 4 or 5 pages long. Of course, the recession has played its part in constraining newspaper advertising, but this alone does not explain the shortfall. Rather, the changes are systemic – the recruitment advertising market has shifted.

For those wishing to supplement targeted search activity with an approach to a wider audience, online advertising now offers a genuine alternative, and at a fraction of the price previously paid for national newspaper advertising. For the last 5 years, Wickland Westcott has been using selective online advertising, coupled with innovative search campaigns through platforms such as LinkedIn, to generate high quality candidates. Just one example; we recently used these techniques to fill three Finance Director roles – the advertising costs came to £1200 per vacancy – approximately one fifth of what it would have cost in the traditional printed media.

As with any emerging marketplace there are many pitfalls and dead-ends to be avoided. Here we share the benefits of our experience, in the form of 7 tips for online candidate sourcing.

You can broadly categorise online recruitment media into two camps: job boards which advertise jobs, and networking media which can be used to identify and approach potential candidates. Establish the objectives for your recruitment campaign, and then determine which of these options (possibly both) you want to utilise.
There are hundreds of job boards, databases and packages available. Ensure you understand exactly which audience(s) each targets, and that this audience is applicable to the target role.
Also evaluate how ‘response-conscious’ each particular site is – some sites sift using quite sophisticated criteria, others are much less granular, for example searching only by job title. Ensure you select a site, or combination of sites, that will access a manageable number of the right people.
The volume issue: a carelessly placed online advert can yield several thousand responses, most from entirely inappropriate candidates. Someone has to work through these responses, and if you value your employer brand, respond to them. Better to target the right people in the first place. Think through your response-handling process before embarking on the campaign.
Soup to nuts: plan in advance what the subsequent stages of the recruitment process will be. Who is to do the interviewing and have their diaries been booked? Online advertising can bring an immediate response – you need to be ready to handle it and appear professional and organised.
Ensure your own organisation’s website is current and candidate-friendly. It is almost certain that candidates sourced through online media (indeed, through any media) will spend at least a few minutes on your website. This needs to turn them on, or at least not turn them off.
Monitor what works: at the end of the recruitment process, review it to identify which media yielded the best quality candidates. Capture this learning for next time.

Of course, using a consultancy like Wickland Westcott that really understands this marketplace is a quick and cost-effective shortcut.

Adopting Commercial Values - Thought Leadership

authorlaurence@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Laurence Jackson) — Mon, 16 May 2011 23:01:01 +0100

Faced with an austerity agenda from central government, UK public sector organisations are being urged to take a more commercial approach and adopt the values and mindset of the private sector. But what exactly does this mean? And how practical is it for a local authority, health trust or university to behave in this way?

Some public sector bodies see themselves as already highly commercial in their approach, striking innovative deals with private partners to deliver services that were once the exclusive province of public sector bodies, and transforming access to services through the implementation of technology. Elsewhere, the byzantine processes of many public sector functions are far from streamlined and cost-effective.

The push from the government is to take services out of the direct control of the public sector into some form of social enterprise or employee-owned mutual, in order to create organisations that are more nimble and responsive to client needs. However, national uncertainty about what forms of new enterprise should develop is reflected at a local level. A number of innovative approaches are nevertheless starting to surface, including a proposed merger of three London boroughs planned to save £35m over three years, the exploration of a radical new ownership and governance model for FE colleges, converting existing bodies (e.g. British Waterways) into a charitable trust, and a wide range of consortia and joint ventures aiming to fill the void left by the abolition of traditional support frameworks.

To drive the necessary changes, progressive leadership skills will be essential. Organisations will value those distinctive people who demonstrate resilience and strategic vision, and critically, will have the courage to see through unpopular but necessary changes. There is a palpable need to abandon more traditional managerial approaches, and embrace those individuals that have the skill and guts for the road ahead.

Specific leadership attributes will emphasise productivity, innovation and an entrepreneurial outlook, taking ownership for outcomes – and for most this means a significant cultural shift within the organisation. Ultimately it is hoped that a new breed of social entrepreneurs will emerge. Such leaders will demonstrate flexible thinking, willingness to enter into partnerships, a change in thinking from ‘outputs’ to ‘outcomes’, empowering management style, and the willingness to embrace and champion a consumer-driven ethos. These attributes match the findings of a recent Wickland Westcott study into transformational leadership in the public sector – Trailblazers.

Where will these skills come from? Bringing in commercial expertise from the private sector is part, but only a small part, of the solution. Internal employee development, with an emphasis on support and encouragement, will be critical. This must be allied to fast-track learning through partnership and associations, including with suppliers. Those public sector organisations retaining consultancy support over the coming years will be emphasising knowledge-transfer and legacy benefits, as well as value-for-money.

Surviving in Tough Times - Thought Leadership

authorlaurence@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Laurence Jackson) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:01:01 +0100

The UK public sector is facing unprecedented challenges: striving to maintain service levels while making deep cuts in budgets, rethinking the whole nature of organisations, addressing the new ‘localism’ agenda and dealing with the impact of these dynamics on the workforce. Following the Government’s publication of expenditure plans to 2015, the scale of the economies required has become clear. Wickland Westcott, through its work in the public sector, has identified four clear themes:

The challenges facing local authorities, health, education, emergency services and the third sector will require all organisations to change the way they think, operate and deliver services.
Senior executives have a responsibility to seek innovative solutions and ensure that organisations and individuals survive, rather than become victims of cutbacks. This calls for a ‘trailblazer’ mentality.
The current workforce is unlikely to be attuned to the challenges ahead, and needs support in rising to these, at the same time recognising the need for strategies to selectively import the necessary skills and talent from the private sector.
Identifying potential is a key task – future leaders must be identified, encouraged and supported so that they are not tempted to leave the organisation.

The situation is made more complex by the need to devise strategies against a ‘moving target’ of Government initiatives, and the emergence of new bodies. The message of the Big Society is to reduce central control and encourage localism; consequently, a totally fresh mindset is needed to identify and wrestle with the new imperatives. After 13 years of central government guidelines and directives, the new freedoms represent a challenge for all public sector and not-for-profit organisations. They need to re-think their approach, be more commercial in exploring options, be more collegiate internally and in working with stakeholders and encourage innovation through partnership working, outsourcing, and the development of shared services.

Doing more with less

With the massive budget reductions, ‘doing more with less’ is now a reality. The impact on organisations is seismic; most are continuing to operate on a historical model, out of tune with the new imperatives. Those that succeed will find ways of leveraging resources and ensuring that essential facilities and public amenities are protected and social equity maintained. A necessary consequence of this is a healthy blurring of public and private sector thinking and interaction in delivering services. It is clear that public sector organisations are moving increasingly from being a provider of services to being a supplier or commissioner, interacting with third parties. Customers have more freedom over purchasing decisions; hence service offerings need to reflect customer needs rather than provider convenience.

Reviewing the people dimensions of change, there is a growing understanding of the need to communicate more effectively with staff and engage them with a vision for the future. Inevitably, some will see themselves as ‘victims’ with the changes being ‘done to them’. The trick is to be ahead of the curve, encourage innovative approaches and embrace the possibilities offered by the new structures and relationships.

Talent spotting

Identifying potential within the organisation is paramount, especially at a time when external recruitment is vetoed and promotion paths blocked for the foreseeable future. Recent work on identifying high performers indicates that a very small proportion of the workforce combines high potential with high performance; these are the ‘rising stars’ who will secure future success. Most organisations have a high proportion of ‘solid performers’; the balance comprising people who are disengaged or in the wrong job, or who should be exited as quickly as possible. There is a greater need for visibility of this top echelon, who will shape the future. By allowing them to take on increased levels of responsibility, careers can accelerate at a faster pace and not be lost to the private sector. Where appropriate, skills and talents will be imported from the private sector. This presents significant challenges, not least in ensuring cultural fit and providing rewarding career development.

Across the public sector, there is a clear need to empower staff and develop skills internally so that leaders can be encouraged and fostered. The public sector needs leaders that demonstrate a powerful vision, align resources behind objectives, refuse to be diverted or demoralised, are comfortable grappling with complexity, are prepared to take calculated risks, and are willing to break rules in order to overcome the inertia in the system.

Survivors

There is no doubt that ‘survival skills’ will be added to the lexicon of competence for public sector leaders. Recent research suggests that, in tough times, leaders emerge that combine personal resilience with courage, visibility and a keen eye for developments in the external environment. For example, in terms of personal resilience, the speed with which leaders are prepared to let go of outdated ways of thinking and start searching for new strategies to cope with changing demands is a key driver of survival within danger situations (eg being marooned at sea).

A recent review undertaken by Wickland Westcott of senior and middle managers in the public sector revealed significant strengths in delivering to set objectives, prioritising and planning. There was less evidence of capacity to drive change or focus on customer needs. The areas which showed the greatest gaps were influencing and strategic leadership – the very attributes needed to initiate and gain support for change initiatives. In a similar exercise, where the competency of over 100 senior managers was assessed against ‘world class’ standards, most of the workforce were rated as ‘competent’, with only 2% emerging as ‘very strong’. If these organisations are to move forward, it is vital to recognise those with leadership potential and encourage the behaviours which drive the vision and objectives.

Ultimately good leaders drive necessary change. The impetus for change requires leaders who are driven by a powerful vision, bordering at times on religious zeal, and the urge to do ‘good things’. Is your organisation geared up to address the challenges and develop the leaders of the future?

Psychological Assessment - Thought Leadership

authorstuart@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Stuart O'Reilly) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:01:01 +0100

Executive assessment is changing, and here we outline the latest trends. The traditional one-to-one assessment model deploys a number of questionnaires and aptitude tests to build a deep understanding of the individual. There are usually two participants in the process, the person being assessed and the assessor, who is often, but not always, a psychologist. Broad-based personality questionnaires such as the Occupational Personality Questionnaire or the16PF are often used, and these may be supplemented by measures such as Myers-Briggs, Firo B and Belbin's Team Type questionnaire. Verbal and Numerical reasoning aptitude tests are also common.

The results from these psychometrics are usually discussed with the participant, and are sometimes incorporated into an extensive interview where the individual is questioned about their life experiences from schooling through to the present day. Across all these tools, the assessor is looking for common themes and recurring patterns of behaviour in the individual’s life. Based on these insights, a report is produced, summarising the person's performance on each instrument, and their likely strengths and development areas.

This model is thorough, well-established, and provides valuable data that would not otherwise be available. However, leading-edge executive assessment is evolving in six key ways:

New tools: New psychometric instruments become available each year. Some of these are poor, making grand claims that are not substantiated by validity data. However, a number of sound, interesting new tools have emerged that add real value, for example in the areas of creativity and management judgement. Another trend is the increased use of business case-study exercises. Properly designed, face-valid exercises provide vital ‘sample’ data to enhance the ‘sign’ data obtained from psychometrics.
Benchmarking: Assessor credibility and experience is always important to the client – it enables them to trust the outputs of the process. Client confidence is further re-enforced by the use of relevant, current benchmarking data, enabling participants to be rated against meaningful comparison groups. Good assessment firms build and utilise such benchmark databases, enabling them to capture and quantify their combined experiences for the client’s benefit.
Integrated, tailored reports: Bland assessment reports that simply detail how a candidate has performed in each test are quick to produce, but offer limited value to the client. The best reports integrate data from across all the instruments, and are tailored to the particular skills, competencies and business context that the client is most interested in. They make confident, authoritative and accurate statements enabling the reader to reach clear conclusions. The more progressive assessment firms are willing to make clear recommendations.
Group Analysis: Once a client has assessed several of their executives, it is fascinating to analyse the data across the group of respondents. This can show, for example, that a particular team has clear strengths or gaps, or even that a whole tier of managers is more task than people-focused. Such information is invaluable in planning development activities, in cultural change initiatives, or for example in helping PE firms build a comprehensive picture of the management team.
Strategy and Context Led: Assessment activity must dovetail with the client organisation’s business strategy, current organisational challenges and, where one exists, Talent Management strategy. This ensures the work is aligned and consistent with the organisation’s direction of travel and key deliverables. And critically, the understanding of individuals’ capability needs to sit in context. There are a limited number of stars around, but there are plenty of people who can perform excellently in certain roles/contexts. Too much assessment just looks at generic capabilities, rather than providing a granular understanding of how the person will perform within specific work environments.
Driving personal development: Assessment processes are increasingly used to trigger and drive self-development. Underpinning this approach is the recognition that self-awareness is a vital component in leadership development. In true development assessment the individual is not being assessed for a job or a promotion, rather the focus is upon establishing development needs, and building a development plan. In this application, the outcomes are self-insight, leading to personally led self-development.

Wickland Westcott has a high level of expertise and credibility in one-to-one assessments, both in the context of placing individuals in particular roles and in helping people to develop and grow. We can also provide an interesting blend of insights by pairing psychologists with Search Consultants to produce a report combining behavioural analysis with an understanding of how the individual’s experience stacks up in the marketplace.

Survival Leadership - Thought Leadership

authorjohn@wickland-westcott.co.uk (John Milsom) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 00:01:01 +0100

In a brief respite from the doom and gloom surrounding the current economic situation, Intel announced their global profits were up 48% for the last quarter of 2010. They also reported a rise in revenues beyond market expectations, stating that 2010 had been the organisation’s best ever year. Some organisations seem to thrive during recessions. We believe that style of leadership will be a critical factor in determining who the winners and losers will be, and outline here four qualities that will be of particular importance over the next 12-24 months.

Resilience

Whilst this might have been ‘a given’ during the better times, it has now moved up the agenda in terms of its importance. As the economic waters have become more perilous, so has the pressure on leaders. We have less time to make a larger number of crucial decisions, and have to do so in a harsher environment. The ability to personally cope has become even more important. Recent evidence from the survival psychology (the study of how people react in life and death situations such as plane crashes, getting lost in the wilderness, shipwrecks etc.) indicates that survival is dependent on the psychological characteristics of the individuals concerned, as much as their physical well-being or resources available to them. There are countless examples documented of perfectly healthy people giving up and dying (‘losing the will to live’) while other, more obdurate characters survive. How many healthy organisations will suffer the same fate?

The interesting question from survival psychology concerns why people die when they don’t need to. Crucially, the research points to survival being driven by the ability to recognise the need to adapt to new circumstances. In other words, survivors quickly accept that things have changed and different strategies are required. Resilience is also associated with the willingness to take personal responsibility for survival. Less resilient people freeze, bury their heads in the sand or simply give up. Psychologists term this a drop in goal directed behaviour and, unfortunately, it almost always precipitates physical demise. A third strand to resilience stems from the analysis of anecdotes from survivors of prisoner of war camps, who describe the importance of maintaining a realistic perspective on their predicament. POW survivors report that those who kept themselves going by holding onto unrealistic short term beliefs (eg “We’ll be rescued by Christmas”) often didn’t live much beyond these timescales, as their hopes were dashed and their spirits consequently crushed.

Survival therefore appears to be linked to maintaining an unshakable belief that you will prevail, combined with a crystal clear focus upon the realities of the situation. This empowers people to take action and keep control of their own destiny. These factors are at play in organisations today. Those leaders who are surviving and thriving have kept their hopes alive in a grounded and realistic manner. They react quicker to changes in the environment, and are coping with the pressure they are under more positively. This is proving to be a crucial platform from which to lead others.

Courage

Whilst strong judgement naturally remains critical, the consequences of failing to make a decision when one is required can be equally terminal. The differentiator in survival situations is the willingness of leaders to continue to make bold decisions. Leaders with the ability to make the right calls will therefore remain valuable, but only when this is accompanied by the courage to use this judgement. As Frank Zappa sang, “without deviation from the norm, there can be no progress”.

Many leaders will choose to sit tight and ride out the storm, consciously deciding to miss a few boats rather than risk sinking the one they are in. However, bold decisions don’t have to involve putting everything at risk. Whilst it might be right to take fewer, more calculated chances, this shouldn’t mean none are taken at all.

We see a clear distinction between leaders prepared to back their own judgement, and those who are reluctant to do this. Survival psychology suggests that doing nothing is usually only slightly preferable to blind panic. Leaders need to be looking both for the big ideas and the incremental adjustments that will improve performance and/or efficiency. They must also not allow fear of failure to interfere with their willingness to delegate and empower. The people who are most likely to lead successfully within the current tough times will be those who are prepared to create, direct and maintain “goal directed behaviour” rather than simply waiting to be rescued (or die). Fear of sinking the boat should not prevent leaders from trimming the sails, changing its course or trusting the crew to sail it.

Visibility

Napoleon famously described leaders as “dealers in hope”, and convincing research evidence reinforces the importance of doing this, particularly within dangerous situations. One fascinating (albeit macabre) study showed that when drowning rats were lifted from the water for a short time before being put back, they would swim for three times longer before giving up than those not given the ‘hope’ of rescue by being lifted out. As leaders, it is up to us to find ways of providing such hope to those around us.

This does not mean trying to be a superhero, or presenting staff with unrealistic expectations that everything will be back to ‘normal’ again soon. The days of leaders having all the answers are over. Instead, leaders should be expected to provide honest, authentic communication, inspiring belief in those around them.

Jonny Wilkinson describes an example of this in his book Winning Tackles. Recounting captain Martin Johnson’s words as Australia drew level 95 seconds before the end of extra time during the 2003 rugby world cup final, Wilkinson remembers that, as Elton Flatley converted the penalty to make the scores 17 all, Johnson called the team together: “Don’t panic. There is no need to panic. We still have plenty of time. We will win this game”. Poor leaders are hiding right now, they are conspicuous by their absence from the shop floor. The best leaders are visible and available.

External Awareness

Customer needs are changing faster than ever. Great leaders are staying closer than ever to these market shifts, and the factors that are driving them. This external awareness is the fuel that drives the other three characteristics. Resilience depends on noticing what has changed and how we need to adapt. Courage is dangerous without informed judgement, and a leader can’t hope to relate to those around them without an empathy for what is affecting them as individuals. It is therefore critical not to let internal concerns disrupt the flow of external insight. Just as great tennis players need an intimate knowledge of the ball they about to hit (direction, spin, velocity, bounce, court position) leaders need to keep their eye on their customers’ needs in order to stay ahead.

So What?

The stakes are high these days: a wrong move will not be punished with a neutral outcome, it cannot always be counterbalanced by the results of many other more successful decisions. The paradox is that survival within a new environment requires us to adapt and keep moving forwards while the natural reaction of many is to retreat, retrench or just do nothing. Resilience, Courage, Visibility and External Awareness provide a platform for moving forward, allowing the leader to put their organisation in the best possible position to survive and thrive.

Practical Tips

Resilience

Review your situation honestly, identifying the positives without getting carried away and losing touch with reality
Regularly challenge your perceptions of your situation, whether previous assumptions are still valid today, and the validity of your actions
Motivate yourself by setting goals that are within your control (not by clinging to unrealistic short-term fantasies)

Courage

Concentrate on continually moving forwards (demonstrating "goal-directed behaviour")
Aim to take fewer and more measured risks (not none at all) and commit yourself to them
Continue to trust others, delegate and empower - you haven't got time to command and control

Visibility

Spend time with your staff and make sure other senior leaders do the same
Communicate the situation and way ahead positively but honestly
Reinforce hope whenever possible, recognising 'wins' and progress whenever you can

External Awareness

Don't allow internal concerns to dominate your day
Rigorously gather and interpret external information (network, analyse customer feedback, monitor developments in relevant arenas e.g. technology)
Keep your customer/consumer/citizens in the room when making important decisions

Private Equity - Have You Got What it Takes? - Thought Leadership

authorross@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Ross Webster) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:01:01 +0100

Heading-up a Private Equity backed business is not everyone’s cup of tea. Corporate animals in particular can struggle to adapt to the demands of such an environment. Here, Head of our Private Equity Practice Ross Webster details the 10 factors that demonstrate suitability.

It is different: roughly 1 in 10 Executives in a corporate organisation can successfully make the move into a PE-backed business. Has he/she genuinely thought about the differences, and tried to anticipate what the transition will feel like?
How to scale: always, the challenge is how to scale the business over a finite time-period. The candidate must be able to articulate the necessary building blocks to enable this to happen.
Entrepreneurialism: a key motivator will be to create capital for themselves. This ensures they have skin in the game, and implies a similar mindset to their backers.
Growth appetite: high levels of ambition, and the readiness to pursue challenging sales and profit targets are important hallmarks.
Paddles own canoe: whilst there will be a team to support them, there is rarely the infrastructure they might have enjoyed in a corporate role. Ross comments: "When they talk about bringing their PA with them, it’s a red flag".
Pace: Typically a PE deal is 3 to 5 years. Timelines are condensed and the ability to work at pace is fundamental.
Strategic insight: the incoming CEO must develop his/her own strategy, rather than inheriting someone else’s. They need to analyse the data, formulate a plan, and get buy in from the team.
Stakeholder management: in most situations there is a matrix of interested parties who need to be informed, influenced, challenged and engaged. The ability to manage both internal and external stakeholders is essential.
Versatility: if the situation demands it, the CEO needs to roll-up their sleeves and pack the product in order to get it out of the door. If someone instinctively feels ‘that is not my role’, then they won’t be successful in this environment.
Cultural fit: This is critical and often over-looked. If there is a disconnect, the business and the deal will suffer.

In summary, we look for credibility, dynamism, low status-needs and a willingness to back themselves. PE-backed businesses are neither better nor worse than corporate entities, but they are different. Of the 10 dimensions above, which is most important? "Cultural fit – don’t set sail without this" concludes Ross.

Come Home, All is Forgiven - Thought Leadership

authorkeith.miller@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Keith Miller) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:01:01 +0100

With the growth of the BRIC economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China – the search is on for Executives who have hands-on experience in these developing markets. Attempts to roll-out UK or US-centric business models into these regions have met with mixed success. Where problems occur, they stem from misunderstandings across four dimensions:

Market Dynamics: the geography and infrastructure of the territory are given insufficient consideration. For example, Russia’s physical scale is often a barrier to market penetration and the logistics of supply.

Business Practice: how and why people buy products and services varies widely – that’s obvious. But the nuances of how business is conducted and transacted within legal frameworks can vary not only from country to country but also within a country – India and China being prime examples.

Business Structure: some markets do lend themselves to a direct presence, and one can import the personnel, systems and branding of the parent business. In many others however, an indirect route is better in order to capitalise upon established distribution channels. Elsewhere, a joint-venture will be the optimum model, enabling you to ally your innovative products with local market knowledge, underpinned by sustainable delivery capability.

Culture: we know from commercial experience, and from the work of Trompenaars et al*, that people in different countries vary in profound ways, including attitudes towards status, personal relationships, individualism, and the way we relate to nature. Misunderstand these dynamics and your business venture is likely to fail.

For Western companies looking to expand into these regions, the solution has usually been to recruit foreign nationals, supported by expatriates in key positions. However, the sheer volume of professional emigration over the last few decades is often underestimated, and now presents a clear opportunity for recruiters.

Consider the volume. According to the landmark ‘Brits Abroad’ project run by the Institute for Public Policy Research, over the last 40 years some 67,500 more people have left the UK than have returned, including a significant proportion of professional/managerial level (40% in 2004). There are now approximately 84,000 British citizens living in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, with 36,000 thought to be living in China.

If yours is a business that requires scarce international skills, there are now significant pockets of Executive talent that can be targeted, utilising progressive recruiters like Wickland Westcott. Expats interested in working in the UK can be tempted with the proposition of returning to their roots, or if they are to be based locally, the allure of joining a progressive, expanding Western brand. Likewise, foreign nationals with an interest in Western culture can be identified and attracted. Winning in the BRIC countries involves addressing the challenges in a confident, constructive and authentic manner, and this will demand deep marketplace understanding at Executive level.

*Riding the Waves of Culture, F.Trompenaars and C.Hampden-Turner, 1997

Standing Out From The Crowd - Thought Leadership

authorjerome@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Jerome Bull) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:01:01 +0100

Creating the right impression in a busy candidate marketplace is a particular challenge for today’s job seeker. Here we provide some guidelines on how to maximise the impact of a CV.

Whilst obvious to most job-seekers (but clearly not all) the CV needs to include the name and contact details of the applicant. The best candidates give the full range of contact options including email address, home and mobile telephone numbers and, whilst less commonly used for correspondence, the postal address. Whether at the beginning or the end of the document, this information needs to appear in the main body of the CV, not just the associated email or covering letter.

The most relevant aspect of the CV will be the candidate’s work experience and this should take pride of place. Starting with the current/most recent period of employment and working in reverse chronological order, good CVs provide brief information about each position held. This should include the company i.e. what they do, their key markets, turnover, number of employees – do not assume that the recruiter will have heard of your employer or will know as much as you do about their activities. Also include the roles undertaken (including job title in meaningful language, purpose and main responsibilities) and tangible achievements, quantified where possible. This latter part is commonly omitted, but is vital as it indicates actual capability and helps the recruiter to differentiate between candidates. In particular, be clear about what you have delivered of significance in your current/most recent role.

Relevant qualifications and professional training should also feature in a CV, particularly where they are specified as a requirement for the role. Usually however, these will be of less interest to the reader than current work experience, and can therefore be listed towards the back of the document.

Although it is generally held that a CV should be ‘no longer than two pages’ the layout and appearance is more important per se than the length. A 3 page CV which is clearly presented is more likely to be read than a shorter, cluttered equivalent. And this is the key point – creating a document that immediately engages the busy recruiter. A combination of free text and bullet points helps give the document structure and clarity and will make it easier to read and digest. Good CV writers avoid the use of fancy fonts and quirky graphics, as they rarely add value and tend to detract from the content of the document.

Finally, the covering letter can be as important as the CV in terms of capturing the reader’s attention. It should be tailored specifically for each application, summarising how the experience of the candidate meets the requirements of the role, and providing any additional information requested such as salary, geographic flexibility and notice period. As ever, a candidate who can demonstrate that he/she has listened to what is being asked for (eg in the job advert) will give themselves a head-start.

Recruitment - Ensuring it Really is a Buyers Market - Thought Leadership

authorjohnf@wickland-westcott.co.uk (John Fortescue) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 23:01:01 +0100

In the current economic climate, with the private and public sectors experiencing re-organisations and redundancies, one might expect there to be a surplus of quality candidates – it should be easy to fill the few good vacancies in the market.

However, competition for top flight individuals has always been intense, and continues to be so. This may be due to a mismatch in expectations between the candidate and the recruiting organisation, coupled with a general cautiousness on both sides. In recessionary times many good candidates prefer to remain with the devil they know, where job security is perceived to be greater. Unless they are convinced that the recruiting company’s finances, strategy and senior team are rock solid, and that the offer is compelling, they tend to stay put. Organisations are operating in an environment where every penny counts, and fear making an expensive mistake. They are therefore slower in their decision-making, and are more than ever focused upon finding individuals whose skills and experience fit the exact vacancy, rather than considering higher potential candidates who have development needs or are new to the sector. There is also a reticence to pay the necessary remuneration to attract a game-changer. Organisations perceive they are in a buyer’s-market, and can therefore pick and choose. Alas, the best talent does not see it that way.

There may also be structural forces at work. At Wickland Westcott, recent assignments indicate a shortage of individuals with the experience and skills to step up from leading a function to taking on a general management role. In some larger organisations delayering and mergers, designed to obtain economies of scale, have created business environments where there is a gulf in ability between those heading up specialisms and their business unit directors. At the same time, there is less spare capacity and funds to provide the training and development moves that will expose them to, for example, other functions, international markets or strategic projects to grow their breadth of expertise. In a number of organisations the drive for standardisation and management through system and process, coupled with a cost-focus rather than a top-line focus, has removed the incentive for entrepreneurial flair – a commodity much in demand as we all look for the upswing. In short, there is currently less natural cultivation of future leadership skills.

Against this backdrop, the search for the finished article who is desperate to join will continue to be difficult, at least in the short term for the vast majority of organisations whose brand does not command an immediate premium in the market place. So how can we help? Over the last two years our Search Consultants have worked hand-in-hand with our internal occupational psychologists to create a service that gives clients the confidence to consider a wider, more diverse range of applicants. The starting point is proper, detailed job analysis to define the precise skills and knowledge needed in the role. We challenge the recruiting organisation to really confront how important sector expertise is, and whether some aspects of this are transferable from allied environments. The next stage is to develop a candidate sourcing strategy that uses innovative methods beyond the standard advert or headhunt. New technologies, imaginative thinking and established sector relationships are critical here. Having generated a pool of candidates, we invest real time and effort to engage them in the journey the recruiting organisation is going through. (If we can’t excite candidates in this mission, we do not pursue them). Finally, we provide the recruiting organisation with tailor-made tools, designed (and often objectively administered) by commercial psychologists to determine if the short-listed individuals will succeed in the role and within the culture of the organisation. The package is being well received by clients and candidates alike, and has achieved some notable successes. A final component is detailed, high quality feedback to the shortlisted candidates, successful and otherwise, so that the employer brand is enhanced and amplified in the increasingly connected recruitment marketplace.

There is one further development that has proved fruitful in helping client organisations access scarce talent when they need it – starting to look early. If the organisation has even a vague idea of the kind of recruits it might need in 12 or 24 months time, it can flag this (obligation-free) to Wickland Westcott, so that potential candidates can be spotted and kept warm. Essentially, this is about redefining the relationship with the head-hunter, from distressed purchase ('find me someone now') to one of strategic human resource partner. Not all organisations want to go this way, but some that have are enjoying positive results.

Hard, Soft or About Right? - Thought Leadership

authorstuart@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Stuart O'Reilly) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 23:01:01 +0100

Making judgements about people has been at the heart of management thinking for over 100 years. A landmark 1903 paper by Frederick Taylor focused upon how to identify "first class men" on the grounds that "a first class man can do between 2-4 times as much work as can be done by an average man".

Since then a series of tools and techniques have been devised to help managers make judgements about their staff, and thereby improve individual and organisational performance. Some have sought to utilise new technology to improve these people systems and processes, with the result that sophisticated IT systems are now available to analyse data in order to drive promotion decisions, development initiatives and to inform leadership succession.

Too often however, users of talent or succession management systems forget that the most fundamental building block is the quality of judgement about the person – that is, the soundness of the assessments that are fed into the system.

The quality of an assessment can be measured in two ways: is it accurate and is it consistent? Most attempts at improving people decisions, such as introducing better psychometric tests and performance management training, tend to emphasise accuracy. However, consistency of measurement is equally important. If you can make the judgements about people in your organisation more consistent you will increase the likelihood of making them more accurate. This is because consistency (reliability) of measurement sets a ceiling on accuracy (validity) of measurement.

The table on the right gives an illustration. It is possible that Daniel has seen a group of poorer leaders, Ravi has seen a large group of better leaders, and Eileen has seen a small group whose leadership skills are relatively well distributed. However, the balance of probability is that Daniel is too severe in his judgements, Ravi is too lenient, whereas Eileen is getting it about right.If this data was used to drive an organisation’s talent management system we would probably be overestimating the capability of some leaders and underestimating the capability of others. This will result in some poor senior appointments, and may lead to scarce development resources being invested in the wrong people.

In this situation (which is not atypical) the organisation would be wise to direct effort to ensure the three assessors' judgements are more consistent with each other. Too often we see money wasted on the easier option - purchasing a software system to collate the data.

It is worth noting that although the above judgements may not be consistent with each other, all three may well be accurate in the relative rankings they have given to their people.

What simple things can an organisation do to tighten up their judgements?

Look at the data you have on your people and assess whether there is a problem or not. Typically, a large proportion of the data will be too lenient, i.e. it will overestimate capability in some way.
Help managers understand in more detail what good looks like. For example, behaviourally anchored rating scale (BARS) can help them make more consistent and appropriate judgements. Do this by building on the manager’s own experiences - good facilitators can do this in short workshops of around two hours.
Ensure managers spend time discussing their people with each other, to encourage calibration.
Give managers a common language to make judgements about the individuals in the organisation. This probably means a competency set that is consistently used, well understood and related to the day-to-day work of the organisation.
Take a lesson from manufacturing - use real data to continuously improve the consistency of the judgements year on year.

In summary, if you want to make a significant improvement in the accuracy of your people decisions, start by trying to make them more consistent.

Are You a Velvety Merlot or a Complex Cabernet? - Thought Leadership

authorjohn@wickland-westcott.co.uk (John Milsom) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 23:01:01 +0100

Behavioural competencies are widely used and well understood. The idea has been around for several decades. But what next? Is there any other way of thinking that could move us forward?

Wickland Westcott has been at the forefront of developing and using competencies for over 20 years, serving clients and publishing extensively. In this time we have observed that whilst competencies are applied almost universally, there is a sense that the approach is far from perfect.

So here’s a thought. What would happen if we stopped thinking about competencies as independent 'dimensions' akin to the traits displayed on a personality profile chart? We know that this way of thinking is imperfect since there is no ultimate set of criteria, and when we assess executives we always find development needs that impact across several competencies.

As an alternative, we can start profiling people in the way vintners describe wines. This encourages a more flexible and creative approach to defining their characteristics. Rather than searching for individual deficiencies within a small number of criteria, we instead focus our attention on identifying and describing the 'flavours' that make up the person’s character.

Wine buffs knit together observations about taste with information about raw materials (e.g. grape, geography and soil type) and experience (such as the weather each year). This enables the potential purchaser to understand what to expect from any given bottle. Such an approach fits with Malcolm Gladwell’s perspective in his book Outliers – specifically the idea that we should be looking more closely at people’s background and experience in order to understand their true potential.

Where might this line of thought lead us? We don’t know yet, but we are exploring it internally and with our clients. It’s not about generating the next fad, rather we are trying to look at people in the round, avoiding overly-reductive approaches that lose the essence or spirit of the person. When used carefully and professionally competencies are a powerful tool. But we can add even more value by thinking creatively about the way we describe and develop people’s personality, experience, culture, values and abilities.

If you have some thoughts on our idea, or are interested in how Wickland Westcott’s 'wine theory' might help Talent Management within your organisation, do get in touch.

New Look, Original Values - Thought Leadership

authorcolin@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Colin Mercer) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 23:01:01 +0100

Our new website is built to help clients, convey a sense of our brand values, and introduce the different people that work for Wickland Westcott. What are the features of our new site, and how do they benefit clients?

Thought Leadership: dozens of articles from our Consultants, many of which have been published in best practice journals. Read and download these free of charge in order to stay up to date with the latest thinking.
Ease of use: content can be accessed easily through leading-edge site design and navigation - RSS feeds will automatically email clients with the latest articles.
'Choose to use': quickly identify the expertise, ethos and track-record of Wickland Westcott. Understand where we are active, and where we are not.
Your kind of people? Our 'Walk With' section allows you to make judgements about the style and suitability of each of our Consultants.
Who is Wickland Westcott? We are a well-kept secret, yet many top quality brands retain us. Find out who and why.
Candidate experience: our candidate application and management processes are simple and transparent, increasing the volume and calibre of the candidate pool.
Employer brand ambassadors: we represent clients in the marketplace and influence how their employer brand is perceived. Our behaviour needs to be exemplary, and our look fresh and contemporary.

If you have feedback on our website, or any other aspect of our service, contact Directors Colin Mercer or Ian Richardson via the 'Walk With' page.

Executive Search and Corporate Reputation - Thought Leadership

authormike@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Mike Spurr) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 23:01:01 +0100

After a few minutes thought, most people can probably recall job interviews they have experienced throughout their career. They'll remember whether they were good, bad or indifferent and the chances are they'll have at least one horror story to tell. In every case the experience will have coloured their view of the headhunter and, by association, the recruiting organisation.

The way senior executives are treated during a recruitment process is transmitted to the market through the 'bush telegraph'. Where the candidate experience is good the client's corporate reputation is enhanced, drawing the best talent towards those organisations. Unfortunately, the reverse is also true, and poor experiences make it harder to attract good people in future.

Wickland Westcott has gathered candidate feedback over the last 5 years and has studied the results in detail. So, what is the secret to creating an outstanding experience for potential hires and ensuring that even those who are unsuccessful walk away feeling well-treated? To find the answer to this question, you have to 'walk with' a candidate through the journey of a job application.

When approached, most search candidates are already in some form of employment, and all will have a series of responsibilities and commitments that will need to be modified if a new role is taken on. Considering a new job requires careful thought, and maybe preliminary conversations with the family. So the first thing a search candidate wants is honesty: is this a real role that the client is genuinely looking to fill, or is this simply a procedural exercise before the client appoints the internal candidate who has already been earmarked? Search candidates quickly detect if they are involved in a benchmark exercise and the hiring of a 'surprise' internal candidate at the last stage is annoying for all involved - denting corporate reputation and causing candidates to view any future approach with suspicion.

During the selection process search candidates rightly demand regular feedback and communication. They also expect a reasonably frank appraisal of how they sit in relation to the other candidates you are speaking to. For example, are they one of three candidates the client is meeting, or are there more names in the frame?

As the search nears completion, emotions and expectations begin to run high and it is important for the client organisation to act decisively so that candidates know where they stand. Asking the search Consultant to 'keep people warm' whilst negotiations proceed with the preferred candidate is damaging, as the rest of the shortlist intuitively detect what is happening. In any case, hiring organisations rarely take their 'number two' candidate from the list, preferring to start again. Client organisations should expect to be challenged by the Wickland Westcott in these situations – this is done first and foremost to protect the client’s reputation.

Unsuccessful candidates, handled badly, have very long memories. We have a main board client who was headhunted for a role seven years ago. He was unsuccessful at the shortlist stage but the hiring firm failed to stand him down. He mentions it whenever he is retaining us on a new role, and is highly uncomplimentary about the search firm concerned, and more importantly, the client organisation. How many other people does he mention it to?

At the culmination of the selection process, the candidate will be successful or unsuccessful in securing the role. But if the journey ends there, most candidates will be unhappy. Having invested time into the process, they have a (not unreasonable) expectation of receiving meaningful feedback.

Often this is not forthcoming. The lack of feedback may be because the client is too busy, or is uncomfortable delivering bad news. This is where good headhunters earn their corn. The role of a search Consultant largely involves managing expectations and delivering disappointing news, as only one individual is appointed for each search. All too often, the runners-up are told that “it was a very close thing, you were second on the list and the other candidate was a little closer to the specification”. This leaves them with nothing to learn from the experience and no way to improve their approach. It is therefore critical to provide honest, prompt, sensitive and specific feedback. In most cases, candidates are highly appreciative, and take a positive view of the recruiting organisation and the headhunter.

In summary, each and every search should be regarded as an opportunity for the organisation to enhance the market’s view of their leadership qualities, values, and employer brand. If organisations fail to consider the candidate journey and simply treat the search as a mechanical process, the supply of talent willing to join the Board or senior team could dry when it is most needed.

How does Wickland Westcott stack-up in this area? The latest candidate data (September 2010) based on nearly 2000 anonymous responses, rates our interview experience as follows: Excellent 90%, Reasonable 9.7%, Less Than Satisfactory 0.3%, Very Poor 0%.

What Happens When the Honeymoon is Over? - Thought Leadership

authorlaura.oliver@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Laura Oliver) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 23:01:01 +0100

Clearly, the appointment of a new executive is a critical investment decision for any organisation. Some new appointees go on to great success, whereas others experience difficulties. To what extent can problems encountered be traced back to failures during the transition period? How crucial is it to provide structured induction and support in the early stages at the most senior level? And what can organisations do in 'onboarding' new executives in order to ensure the success of a new appointment?

Wickland Westcott Research

As a long-standing executive search and talent business, Wickland Westcott has recently undertaken a research project to explore the success of recent appointments and to establish how candidates we have placed have fared in their new roles. We did this to increase our understanding of the factors that enable a successful career transition, and we gathered information on induction processes, subsequent training, and how recent recruits had familiarised themselves with the sector.

The results provide very useful insights about the elements which can enhance, support and drive career transition, in addition to distinguishing those specific factors that support an individual within their new role.

Methodology

We identified selected clients in both the public sector (local government, housing, regional development agencies and joint bodies) and the private sector (manufacturing, services, venture capital and retail) and then collected data on candidates placed within the previous 18 months. Telephone and face-to-face discussions were held with the client organisation to establish how they felt the candidate was doing in the new role, and the candidates themselves were interviewed to understand their perceptions on the success of their career move.

Client Perspective

Most candidates had adapted extremely well; this was attributed primarily to their ability to ‘hit the ground running', maximise relationships with colleagues and customers, and show tenacity and proactivity in seizing opportunities. These people demonstrated a clear focus on effective engagement with their various stakeholders. Conversely, one or two had encountered difficulties. Reasons for this were given as: difficulty in adapting to the culture of the organisation (especially where moving sectors), problems communicating internally with colleagues and team, and adapting to changes in the role.

Candidate Perspective

A significant majority of candidates felt they had fitted in very well. Such successful transitions were attributed to learning as much about the company/organisation as possible before joining, speaking to contacts within the industry to gain further insights and building strong relationships: "getting out there and meeting people". Once in the job, they made it their business to make significant contributions to work/projects, took advantage of opportunities and cultivated the relationship with their line manager. A small number felt that their transition had been less successful. They attributed this to differences between their original understanding of the role and the job in reality, projects not going as well as expected, and time needed to adapt to a different culture, again especially for those moving across sectors.

Onboarding

This term refers to the process of helping new employees to become productive members of an organisation. In this sense, it goes beyond induction, which classically stops at familiarisation with new systems and procedures and introductions to new colleagues.

In practice most organisations, having gone through a rigorous selection process, will breathe a sigh of relief and assume that the new appointment will prove to be a great success. In fact, the first few months represent a most critical time - a make or break period as the new employee passes through the honeymoon phase and integrates him/herself into the organisation. As they become assimilated into the culture, unexpected insights occur and potentially damaging issues are confronted. How well these moments are handled can have a lasting legacy for the recruit and the organisation.

This research shows that a critical factor in successful transition is the creation of solid, constructive relationships, and in particular establishing an early rapport between boss and new recruit. Learning as much as possible about the new company/organisation before joining is also a useful foundation. Other factors that increase the likelihood of success include taking full advantage of techniques such as 'buddy systems', induction plans, mentoring, coaching and networking opportunities. Most of the executives we recruit for client firms join with some type of change agenda – this research suggests they are wise to begin by establishing a platform of reasonably deep relationships, which they can then use as a basis for driving transformation.

Even within a particular sector the operating systems, leadership styles and values of different organisations can be vary greatly. These differences can be even more dramatic when crossing into a different sector, or moving between a commercial enterprise and a not-for-profit organisation. Onboarding support to help the new employee find their feet and gain traction is a wise investment at any time, and most certainly where the scale of transition is larger.

Spotting Potential in Organisations - Thought Leadership

authorstuart@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Stuart O'Reilly) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 23:01:01 +0100

Increasingly, organisations are trying to identify tomorrow’s leaders, so that support and development can be directed towards them. Psychologist Stuart O’Reilly explains current thinking in this vital area.

At its simplest level, potential is a prediction of how likely an individual is to progress within their organisation or chosen field. Arguably, the first serious work in this area involved assessment centres - Bray and Grant (1966) showed that assessment centres could predict potential advancement in organisations. But what is the current thinking? Much contemporary work has been carried out by larger organisations in partnership with consultancies, and is focused on describing the underlying factors of executive potential. Most models contain the following components.

Basic components of potential

1. level of drive and ambition
2. the focus of this drive and ambition, i.e. whether it is engaged or not
3. an intellectual component often described as the ability to learn
4. certain specific competencies,especially those associated withleadership

Accelerators of potential

5. experience
6. development interventions

Therefore, there are some bedrock components that the executive needs if he/she is to progress - brains, drive, engagement in their work - but it is these components in combination with the right experiences and development support that ultimately triggers the realisation of potential.

Measuring Potential

Typically, organisations apply a range of approaches to measure the above components, and these separate elements are then combined to provide an overall ‘potential score’. Sometimes this is done subjectively, in other cases through statistical techniques such as regression analysis. Common measurement tools range from psychometric tests, to 360° ratings about an individual’s leadership ability.

The Relationship Between Job Performance and Potential

According to the Peter Principle, individuals are promoted based on their job performance until they reach a point where they cannot perform anymore – their level of incompetence. Current job performance therefore does give insight into future (more senior) job performance, but on it’s own is insufficient as a basis for prediction. Wickland Westcott believes that this gap is primarily to do with the ability to handle complexity (both operational and strategic) along with the ability to scale up one’s leadership skills over progressively larger remits.

The Role of Experience

The importance of experience in realising potential is often overlooked, with human resource practitioners concentrating instead on building the skills of the individual. However, research indicates that the most successful senior executives have usually taken on early responsibility, particularly leadership experience and ownership of the P&L. Daniel Goleman emphasises the importance of early experience in developing emotional intelligence in leaders. Experience therefore interacts with potential, effectively amplifying or retarding it. Of course, experience per se is not a predictor, but rather is a prerequisite of advancement – in other words, experience is absolutely essential in realising potential, but totally insufficient.

Managing Potential - What Organisations Need to Do

Based on the above thinking, and our experience of helping organisations identify and realise potential in their people, Wickland Westcott makes the following recommendations:

Ensure that all the important factors (eg ability to learn, willingness to learn, ability to handle complexity, engagement) are measured in realistic and stretching ways.
Gather data and refine it over time. Use information about your high performers to improve your ability to spot them. You don’t have to be a statistical wizard to do this,even simple rules of thumb are better than nothing.
Combine your measurement into one overall predictive factor. This keeps you focused on what you are trying to do i.e. spot and develop talent.
Recognise that any judgement of potential is simply a prediction. It will contain error, just like any other prediction. You will need to revisit your list of high potentials, as some will fall away and late runners will come through. What does this teach you?
Identify the optimum development experiences and opportunities available within your organisation, and use them to enhance the capability of your key people.
Recognise that you need to be brave, intervening in the careers of high potential individuals in order to provide them with the optimum development experiences.

In summary, picking and developing winners involves understanding, focused study, careful intervention, and continual review.

Finance Directors Need Chameleon Skills - Thought Leadership

authormike@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Mike Spurr) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 23:01:01 +0100

Jobless figures have charted the uncomfortable and damaging course of recession at employee level. The casualty rate in the executive suite is more difficult to identify, but it has been extensive. "In the boardrooms it has been more savage and deeper than we have ever experienced," said Mike Spurr, a management recruitment consultant with the experience of two recessions behind him.

Scores of directors and non-executive directors have paid the price for the slump in business and profits and the need to cut costs. The appointment of a new chief executive has also had a knock-on effect with the early departure of many finance directors.

Spurr, a senior consultant with Wickland Westcott, estimates the arrival of a new chief executive has resulted in the money men leaving within a year in 80% of cases. He believes the change reflects the critical nature of the working relationship between the two top executives and the need to have "absolute trust and confidence in the stewardship of the finance function". The recession groundswell coupled with the outcry about bank salaries and bonuses and executive responsibility is influencing other changes in corporate behaviour. The appointment of non-executive directors is being subjected to much closer scrutiny, while new remuneration schemes and incentives are taking more time to get boardroom approval.

Spurr said: "There doesn't seem to be much difference between the processes of appointing an executive or non-executive director to the board. The brief for a non-executive is now almost the same as the one for a permanent director to minimise risk." He takes the long rather than short-term approach to gauging the length and impact of recession: "I've been through two recessions before and they've both stretched over three years. It takes a year going into recession, then 18 months on the bottom and another year coming out the other side." Spurr is targeting the first quarter next year for a pickup in recruitment and had been anticipating stronger signs of improvement in the current quarter but the election has produced a pause and a "let's wait and see" response from a number of businesses in the market to fill key vacancies.

Recession has been more difficult to handle for businesses with young boards who have experienced nothing but growth and has emphasised the need for strong leadership. Spurr recalls one experienced chairman telling him two years ago that he had been asked by a young member of his board: "Will it be over by the end of summer?"

The recession cycle has given the finance job the characteristics of a chameleon. "At different points in the cycle people want different things from finance directors," says Spurr. "In the early stages the emphasis is on cost-cutting, bean-counting and someone who is red hot on numbers. Now the need is for a more commercially-oriented finance director."

Executive boundaries have changed with finance chiefs finding it easier to make the transition to chief executive or take on the role of chief operating officer. The upshot is that head hunters are finding it more difficult to persuade them to fly the nest.

"Persuading potential candidates even to discuss the possibility of a move has been difficult," says Spurr. "Successful finance directors are well looked after. They understand the potential, challenges and risks to their business and know where the bodies are buried."

"They are rarely motivated to move for positive or 'pull' reasons such as increased responsibility or higher pay. Some finance directors really love numbers and don't want to become generalists."

The Coaching Surgery - Thought Leadership

authorjohn@wickland-westcott.co.uk (John Milsom) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:01:01 +0100

Today's economic climate means most businesses have been forced to review leadership development spend. Whilst developing and retaining top talent is more critical than ever, organisations are looking for creative and cost effective ways of doing this. One-to-One Coaching is widely recognised as one of the most effective tools in developing leadership capability and helping organisations build competitive advantage. However, the required investment can be prohibitive; this typically means access to coaching is restricted to very small numbers of senior employees. Many high potentials and middle management, as well as Executives lack the support they need to realise their full potential. At what cost for the future?

This challenge has led Wickland Westcott to develop the Coaching Surgery. A new product aimed at offering our clients the flexibility to provide the dedicated coaching support to senior line management, normally reserved for the Executive team.

Aimed at key groups of individuals who would benefit from one-to-one developmental support
One-to-one executive coaching for 3 delegates for the same level of investment as a single full coaching programme
Affordable, commercial and best practice support over a year long period
Bespoke tailored development, opposed to a 'one-size-fits-all' programme
Delivered by executive calibre coaches, maximising the opportunity to learn and effect

"My business had a big problem with succession planning. There was a large gap in experience between director level and the level below. We needed to develop key high potential individuals to ensure that gap was filled. We considered a generic leadership programme but decided the needs were diverse and ideally wanted to take a tailored individual approach within an affordable budget. Coaching Surgeries by Wickland Westcott was the perfect solution. Ten individuals were identified to undertake the Coaching Surgery, including myself. I can't recommend it highly enough; the feedback from all participants was superb. The support provided made a real impact on day to day business and equipped us all for the more senior roles we secured at a later date - absolutely brilliant!"

Dawn Brown, Head of HR, Kingfisher Group

How to Spot a Public Sector Trailblazer - Thought Leadership

authorlaurence@wickland-westcott.co.uk (Laurence Jackson) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:01:01 +0100

With public sector cutbacks looming, there is a need for leaders who can deliver cost-effective change. In-depth interviews with 30 leading public-sector executives have identified what makes a 'trailblazer' - someone who drives transformation in public services and delivers results.

HR must get these trailblazers on board, keep them motivated and ensure the organisation gets the most from their dynamism and commitment. That way, transformations will yield tangible benefits to local communities.

Basic tenets will have to be rethought though. There is no classic career background for trailblazers. They will challenge your norms, find unorthodox ways around obstacles and they will not follow rules. So what characterises them? Wickland Westcott carried out the Trailblazers research with support from Manchester Business School.

1. Appetite for Responsibility

Trailblazers favour action over deliberation and have demonstrated it in their first few roles. They put themselves in harm's way, back their own judgement, and stick to their guns even when doubted. Trailblazers seize chances rather than engaging in extensive consultation.

2. Powerful Visionaries

Trailblazers know what they want to achieve. They are imbued with a tangible desire to help others and make a difference to people's lives. They mobilise and align resources behind objectives, and refuse to be put off by opposition or bureaucracy.

3. A Sense of Vocation

What sets trailblazers apart from the cream of private-sector talent is their burning sense of vocation - a desire to help others and make a difference to people's lives. Their strengths lie in strategic leadership, managing transformational change and teamwork. When faced with tough decisions they act in line with their values, even when it might have been easier to do otherwise. Private-sector stars are stronger in rigorous analysis, commercial appreciation and implementation.

4. Personally Driven

Trailblazers are hard workers. They have put in the hours and overcome adversity and obstacles, all the while demonstrating a desire to learn from life. Career paths have been erratic, full of opportunism and courage. They know what it feels like to be the underdog, and that spirit has stayed with them.

5. Infectiously Optimistic

They look to the upside and keep a smile on their face. Classically, trailblazers have faced career setbacks and were doubted by others. But all it did was galvanise them, causing them to dig deeper. This brought about above-average levels of tenacity and persistence.

6. Rule Breakers

Typically unconventional, and unconstrained by established practices, trailblazers know which rules must be followed and which can be bent, or pushed to the limit. They are constantly in search of better or quicker ways of doing things. They show the ability to grapple with complexity; they prioritise ruthlessly and innovate constantly in order to cut a path through the jungle of inertia created by the democratic context. Trailblazers find a way through, where others, despite the best intentions, become marooned.

7. An Understanding of People

Trailblazers know how to influence others, working out what motivates them, their hopes and fears. They delegate and trust, knowing they will only achieve audacious goals through leveraging the talents of others as well. Above all, they stay humble, attributing their success to those around them.

KEY POINTS

Trailblazers have a powerful vision for what they want to achieve; they refuse to be diverted by opposition or bureaucracy.
They differ from high-flyers in the private sector through their sense of vocation, strategic leadership and insistence on acting in line with their values.
They succeed by understanding and trusting others.
In these difficult times, the challenge for HR is to identify, attract and develop these rare talents.