Talent: Right Seat on the Bus
Jim Collins (2001), in From Good to Great, clearly describes
the critical importance to organizational success of having the right
people on the bus, and having those people in the right seats based
on their talent. Buckingham and Vosburgh (2001) further explored
this in an article entitled “The 21st Century Human Resources
1.
2.
3.
Function: It’s the Talent, Stupid!” Consider also McKinsey’s classic
1997 report and later book (Michaels, et al, 2001) on The War for
Talent; clearly this is a prime area HR must own and leverage.
Combine increasing talent shortages with looming demographic
trends, the changing work life balance expectations of the up and
coming workforce, and the changes in the organizational “deal”
with employees, and we have a ticking time bomb. Organizations
that understand this evolution and develop unique talent strategies
will win the game, with or without the help of the traditional
HR function in the organization. General managers whose success
depends on meeting client needs with talented employees will
no doubt lead the charge if HR as a function does not step up to
the plate.
If indeed “It’s the Talent, Stupid,” then HR practice needs to
explore more deeply how talent is ignited within organizations.
Lynda Gratton’s recent work on Hot Spots (Gratton, 2007) illumi-
nates why some teams, workplaces, and organizations buzz with
energy and others do not. One can feel the difference when walking
into a place that has it versus one that does not. She gives great
advice on how leaders can help create and support hot spots, where
creativity and energy deliver business results, and how HR can help
design organizations that have people who are (1) eager to cooper-
ate, (2) across boundaries (3) with an igniting purpose—the three
essential elements. This goes well beyond traditional organizational
development practice, with implications for selection, training,
rewards, engagement, and leadership development. It is a wave we
cannot afford to miss.
How can HR better manage talent in an organization?
exHIbIT 7
Aligning HR Strategies to Business Strategies
Leadership: Do we have the leadership in place that can deliver this business strategy? If not, what needs to change? Is the “leadership
structure” right to deliver the strategy? Do employees rate their senior leaders highly on being in touch and effective?
Culture: Does our internal employee culture line up in support of the external customer marketing messages? The two should be a
mirror image. If we promise our customers “speed, agility, and innovation” do we practice that internally as well; e.g., is our culture all
about “speed, agility, and innovation”? How does that show up every day? Have we provided the “vocabulary” of how to talk about
the culture in a way that focused choices can be made that shows up in our mission, vision, and values? Would employees state that our
organization has a clearly defined culture?
Communication & Engagement: Both “top down” and even more importantly, “bottoms up”: Are people feeling actively informed,
involved and engaged? Do employees feel like their voice is heard?
Workforce Planning: Do we have the right numbers of people with the right skill sets in the right place at the right time to deliver on the
business strategy? What needs to change?
Talent: Does the business strategy require some new type of talent? How will we develop or acquire that talent? If we are to develop
the talent, what training and development processes are needed? If we are to acquire talent, what recruitment processes are needed? Do
employees feel that they can use their most valued skills and abilities?
Retention: Will turnover undermine the business strategy? Rather than trying to fix “all turnover,” where is the turnover that will most
affect delivery of the business strategy? What needs to change in leadership, working conditions, or pay to have an impact on retention?
Do employees feel like they are valued and that they make a difference for the company?
Performance Management: Have the tools and processes for performance management been revised to reflect this year’s business strat-
egy? What might that look like? Should everyone in the organization share one or two goals in common? Do people have “line of sight”
between what they do every day and the business strategy? How can HR contribute to large scale performance improvement programs
(such as GE’s Work-Out, Change Acceleration, or Six Sigma programs)?
Team Development: Are the spaces between boundaries being managed well? Is the work within and between teams progressing smoothly?
What could improve effectiveness across the entire cycle of work so the customer notices the difference? Human ResouRce Planning 30.3
Make it a priority but keep it simple. The CEO and senior leaders
need to believe it, talk it, and walk it.
Link talent to business strategies. Show the connection in
multiple compelling ways.
Develop disciplined systems for assessment. Require leaders to
know their people’s talents and conduct regular reviews (e.g.,
quarterly updates) as well as an annual deep dive.
Use the data. Integrate talent assessments and organizational
needs back into internal search or recruitment, retention and
motivation programs, professional and leadership development
programs, performance management, and workforce planning.
First Steps: Strategy, Structure, and Skills
Bottom line, HR’s challenges include delivering the transactional
and administrative services required in a low cost way (requiring
the HR functional knowledge and the business knowledge in the
lower part of the Exhibit 6 pyramid), and delivering the more
transformational business partner and change agent roles that are
depicted in the upper part of the Exhibit 6 pyramid. Technical,
functional, and business skills will always be important and are the
price of admission, but the development of internal consulting skills
is essential to delivering on the total HR promise. These skills will
lead to the development of trusted advisor status for HR.
At least three initial steps can be taken to develop HR as an
internal consulting organization:
HR Strategy Aligned to Business Priorities—As described in the
preceding section.
HR Structure via Centers of Excellence—The structure to deliver
the lower pyramid transactional issues are described in the
operational excellence section, in which leverage is on self-ser-
vice, efficiency, and scalability. The structure to deliver internal
consulting in the content areas defined here might best be
addressed by centers of excellence related to each content area.
HR Skills Related to Internal Consulting—Explored in more
detail later.
Successful external consultants do some things that are equally
important for internal consultants, which represent the upper pyramid
part of the HR accountabilities. One must show:
Knowledge and understanding of the industry and the
organization;
Quality of ideas;
Ability to solve major business problems;
High quality work;
Ability to develop creative solutions to difficult problems;
Ability to complete projects on time and on budget.
In addition, rapport building is essential. Critical in establishing
credibility is willingness to listen: Demonstrate knowledge and
understanding by the questions asked. One knows intuitively that:
Talking more than you listen is the quickest way to lose your
internal client.
You must acknowledge that the client’s situation is personal and
unique and be willing to listen to their story.
You demonstrate how well you listen by asking appropriate
clarifying questions; you show that you have “done your home-
work” on the issue.
It is helpful to relate similar first-hand experiences with successful
outcomes.
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
1.
2.
3.
4.
One also needs to understand the client’s frame of reference,
meaning the background, experiences, and personal biases that
influence how he or she thinks about issues. It is important to
develop an understanding of their communications preferences: Do
they prefer detailed factual arguments or one great symbolic story?
Understanding the client’s frame of reference allows one to take the
next step, which is to build empathy. This can be done by:
Paying attention to the emotion around the factual issues.
Reflecting back that you understand how important this is to
them, and that you care also.
Specifically asking “why do you care so deeply about this
issue?”
Finally, to become a good internal consultant one must distin-
guish oneself. Rather than “push an HR agenda,” simply help the
client solve a difficult problem that is important to them. One can:
Provide key information to help solve a problem.
Make him or her look good in front of management and peers.
Bail him or her out of a tight spot.
Leverage resources to demonstrate the willingness to “invest” in
the relationship.
Ultimately, successful internal consultants show predictable
characteristics. They:
Are predisposed to focus on the client, rather than on
themselves.
Focus on the client as an individual, not as a person fulfilling
a role.
Believe that a continued focus on problem definition and resolu-
tion is more important than technical or content mastery.
Show a strong competitive drive aimed not at competitors, but
at constantly finding new wa
Talent: Right Seat on the Bus
Jim Collins (2001), in From Good to Great, clearly describes
the critical importance to organizational success of having the right
people on the bus, and having those people in the right seats based
on their talent. Buckingham and Vosburgh (2001) further explored
this in an article entitled “The 21st Century Human Resources
1.
2.
3.
Function: It’s the Talent, Stupid!” Consider also McKinsey’s classic
1997 report and later book (Michaels, et al, 2001) on The War for
Talent; clearly this is a prime area HR must own and leverage.
Combine increasing talent shortages with looming demographic
trends, the changing work life balance expectations of the up and
coming workforce, and the changes in the organizational “deal”
with employees, and we have a ticking time bomb. Organizations
that understand this evolution and develop unique talent strategies
will win the game, with or without the help of the traditional
HR function in the organization. General managers whose success
depends on meeting client needs with talented employees will
no doubt lead the charge if HR as a function does not step up to
the plate.
If indeed “It’s the Talent, Stupid,” then HR practice needs to
explore more deeply how talent is ignited within organizations.
Lynda Gratton’s recent work on Hot Spots (Gratton, 2007) illumi-
nates why some teams, workplaces, and organizations buzz with
energy and others do not. One can feel the difference when walking
into a place that has it versus one that does not. She gives great
advice on how leaders can help create and support hot spots, where
creativity and energy deliver business results, and how HR can help
design organizations that have people who are (1) eager to cooper-
ate, (2) across boundaries (3) with an igniting purpose—the three
essential elements. This goes well beyond traditional organizational
development practice, with implications for selection, training,
rewards, engagement, and leadership development. It is a wave we
cannot afford to miss.
How can HR better manage talent in an organization?
exHIbIT 7
Aligning HR Strategies to Business Strategies
Leadership: Do we have the leadership in place that can deliver this business strategy? If not, what needs to change? Is the “leadership
structure” right to deliver the strategy? Do employees rate their senior leaders highly on being in touch and effective?
Culture: Does our internal employee culture line up in support of the external customer marketing messages? The two should be a
mirror image. If we promise our customers “speed, agility, and innovation” do we practice that internally as well; e.g., is our culture all
about “speed, agility, and innovation”? How does that show up every day? Have we provided the “vocabulary” of how to talk about
the culture in a way that focused choices can be made that shows up in our mission, vision, and values? Would employees state that our
organization has a clearly defined culture?
Communication & Engagement: Both “top down” and even more importantly, “bottoms up”: Are people feeling actively informed,
involved and engaged? Do employees feel like their voice is heard?
Workforce Planning: Do we have the right numbers of people with the right skill sets in the right place at the right time to deliver on the
business strategy? What needs to change?
Talent: Does the business strategy require some new type of talent? How will we develop or acquire that talent? If we are to develop
the talent, what training and development processes are needed? If we are to acquire talent, what recruitment processes are needed? Do
employees feel that they can use their most valued skills and abilities?
Retention: Will turnover undermine the business strategy? Rather than trying to fix “all turnover,” where is the turnover that will most
affect delivery of the business strategy? What needs to change in leadership, working conditions, or pay to have an impact on retention?
Do employees feel like they are valued and that they make a difference for the company?
Performance Management: Have the tools and processes for performance management been revised to reflect this year’s business strat-
egy? What might that look like? Should everyone in the organization share one or two goals in common? Do people have “line of sight”
between what they do every day and the business strategy? How can HR contribute to large scale performance improvement programs
(such as GE’s Work-Out, Change Acceleration, or Six Sigma programs)?
Team Development: Are the spaces between boundaries being managed well? Is the work within and between teams progressing smoothly?
What could improve effectiveness across the entire cycle of work so the customer notices the difference? Human ResouRce Planning 30.3
Make it a priority but keep it simple. The CEO and senior leaders
need to believe it, talk it, and walk it.
Link talent to business strategies. Show the connection in
multiple compelling ways.
Develop disciplined systems for assessment. Require leaders to
know their people’s talents and conduct regular reviews (e.g.,
quarterly updates) as well as an annual deep dive.
Use the data. Integrate talent assessments and organizational
needs back into internal search or recruitment, retention and
motivation programs, professional and leadership development
programs, performance management, and workforce planning.
First Steps: Strategy, Structure, and Skills
Bottom line, HR’s challenges include delivering the transactional
and administrative services required in a low cost way (requiring
the HR functional knowledge and the business knowledge in the
lower part of the Exhibit 6 pyramid), and delivering the more
transformational business partner and change agent roles that are
depicted in the upper part of the Exhibit 6 pyramid. Technical,
functional, and business skills will always be important and are the
price of admission, but the development of internal consulting skills
is essential to delivering on the total HR promise. These skills will
lead to the development of trusted advisor status for HR.
At least three initial steps can be taken to develop HR as an
internal consulting organization:
HR Strategy Aligned to Business Priorities—As described in the
preceding section.
HR Structure via Centers of Excellence—The structure to deliver
the lower pyramid transactional issues are described in the
operational excellence section, in which leverage is on self-ser-
vice, efficiency, and scalability. The structure to deliver internal
consulting in the content areas defined here might best be
addressed by centers of excellence related to each content area.
HR Skills Related to Internal Consulting—Explored in more
detail later.
Successful external consultants do some things that are equally
important for internal consultants, which represent the upper pyramid
part of the HR accountabilities. One must show:
Knowledge and understanding of the industry and the
organization;
Quality of ideas;
Ability to solve major business problems;
High quality work;
Ability to develop creative solutions to difficult problems;
Ability to complete projects on time and on budget.
In addition, rapport building is essential. Critical in establishing
credibility is willingness to listen: Demonstrate knowledge and
understanding by the questions asked. One knows intuitively that:
Talking more than you listen is the quickest way to lose your
internal client.
You must acknowledge that the client’s situation is personal and
unique and be willing to listen to their story.
You demonstrate how well you listen by asking appropriate
clarifying questions; you show that you have “done your home-
work” on the issue.
It is helpful to relate similar first-hand experiences with successful
outcomes.
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
1.
2.
3.
4.
One also needs to understand the client’s frame of reference,
meaning the background, experiences, and personal biases that
influence how he or she thinks about issues. It is important to
develop an understanding of their communications preferences: Do
they prefer detailed factual arguments or one great symbolic story?
Understanding the client’s frame of reference allows one to take the
next step, which is to build empathy. This can be done by:
Paying attention to the emotion around the factual issues.
Reflecting back that you understand how important this is to
them, and that you care also.
Specifically asking “why do you care so deeply about this
issue?”
Finally, to become a good internal consultant one must distin-
guish oneself. Rather than “push an HR agenda,” simply help the
client solve a difficult problem that is important to them. One can:
Provide key information to help solve a problem.
Make him or her look good in front of management and peers.
Bail him or her out of a tight spot.
Leverage resources to demonstrate the willingness to “invest” in
the relationship.
Ultimately, successful internal consultants show predictable
characteristics. They:
Are predisposed to focus on the client, rather than on
themselves.
Focus on the client as an individual, not as a person fulfilling
a role.
Believe that a continued focus on problem definition and resolu-
tion is more important than technical or content mastery.
Show a strong competitive drive aimed not at competitors, but
at constantly finding new wa
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