By Jim Hotaling on Mar 30, 2020 12:58 am
I recently had the privilege of speaking with Mehdi Tazi Chief Executive Officer at Beassur Marsh, a Morrocan based insurance brokerage during our global leadership tour. We discussed the global issue of talent gaps within organizations and what he believed was the cause and possible solutions to the problem.
Interview Summary JH: In a recent international leadership survey, over 80% of CEOs answered that they do not have the talent to execute their current corporate strategy. What is your opinion on how such a staggering statistic could come out of the leadership survey, and what would be some possible solutions? MT: The world is moving so fast. People that you find within your organization may not have the skillsets required to execute your corporate strategy because they are stuck in past practices and education. For instance, IT was a big topic 20 years ago. I used to have a computer, and the "IT system" that we all worried about was the complexity of email and honestly that it was quite easy. But today, it is entirely different when you consider transforming your company from old methodologies to emerging technologies; you need skillsets that you won't necessarily find within the organization talent pool you currently have. JH: As a leader, what are some of the things you think of when trying to avoid stagnation in development? MT: From a global perspective, the location of employees is something to consider when thinking about retention and job satisfaction. For example, I know that in the United States, new generations of employees may average changing jobs up tp to eleven times in a career. In Europe, for instance, in France, and even in North Africa, changing jobs is only three to four times in a career. From a diversity of experience perspective, I think the U.S. has it right. In Europe and North Africa, with limited employee changeover, there can be consequences. The unintended consequences mean that they could stay in one job for 10 to 15 years. Go back 10 to 15 years from now and think of how we used to do business was the context of leadership and required experiences. JH: What is a core message you would give leaders to avoid becoming a part of this problem CEO's face today? MT: Someone who does not attend professional development every few years will find themselves unable to understand and execute on what anything that a CEO would require in conducting a corporate strategy based on current business conditions. Another point to consider is that many CEOs may not have the skills themselves to handle today's dynamic environment. Do CEO's have an understanding of what's happening today and how things will move forward? The failure of Kodak senior executive's ability to see the changing landscape is a classic example of why organizations need to consistently look forward and develop the team with a next practice mindset. JH: You can summarize this by saying there's a danger of having a fixed mindset instead of a growth mindset. And it's a dangerous thing for CEO's to become comfortable; we find the successful ones continue to grow every day. MT: But no one can today say that whatever business you are in, whether it's banking, telecom, insurance, energy, you name it, everything will change over the coming years. Change is the only constant. The future is being pulled forward at a rapid pace, unlike ever before me. You have just got to be ready for it. Key Leadership Takeaways: - Understand that if you have a global footprint, your employees will see career stability differently (culturally and generationally), adjust professional development plans accordingly.
- As a leader, learn and understand failures from the past so that you are not prone to the same mistakes.
Leader Action Plan: - Next practices: Do not fall into "best practices" but instead look out onto the horizon and discover the "next practice" mindset. (attach a MM, next practice article, link here?)
- Future fill: Because of the talent gaps we are facing today, do not backfill your positions, but maintain a growth mindset and future fill for your talent.
What are your thoughts on the talent gap issue? Post your comments below and let us begin building a tribe of people who have a passion for followership, mentorship, and leading! The post Leadership Interview: Mehdi Tazi, CEO at Beassur Marsh Shares His Perspective on Talent Gaps appeared first on N2Growth.
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By Kevin Bijas on Mar 24, 2020 06:30 pm
I am no stranger to the challenges of candidate management during a crisis. I started my career in executive search right out of college over 13 years ago, so recruiting is work that I've always done and always loved. While in the second year of my profession the great recession hit and had a significant impact on my area of expertise including venture capital, and private equity-backed technology companies. Now 13 years into my career, all of us will have to re-learn how to navigate recruiting during a severe global pandemic that is unprecedented in magnitude. Most companies have decentralized their teams due to social distancing, measures directed by state and federal governments to keep people home and prevent further spread of the disease. Businesses are taking proactive measures to protect cashflow and ultimately this is impacting the workforce. These two things combined have frozen our economy and halted hiring up and down all levels of organizations across many industries and sectors. The reality is there were ongoing searches when the global economy came to a stop, and all of those candidates are probably still wondering whether they will have a chance to join your company. In order for companies and hiring executives to maintain the reputation of being an employer of choice with their most important candidates, they must be empathetic about what those people are going through and keep the process moving towards an outcome (hire, pause, or pass) wherever possible. Consider the following recommendations for effective candidate management during a crisis: - Empathize: In a situation like this, it is human nature to think about one's own health, safety, career, and expenses first. Similarly, during a search, clients often default to thinking about their needs rather than those of the candidates engaged in their process. The first step to great candidate management is thinking about what he/she is going through psychologically and emotionally at any point in the interview process. While a candidate may seem distant or like they are only moderately interested in your role, he/she may actually be wildly excited and have a family that is hoping they get the job. So, if your hiring process is paused, that could cause a much more significant inconvenience in that person's life than you may think. Step back and think about how this pandemic and resulting process holdup may be causing worry to the candidate and his/her family.
- Strategically Communicate: Communicating with candidates is child's play at a conceptual level. What I am recommending is a highly strategic communication plan to help maintain a candidate's interest in your role and respect for your company. This means thinking carefully about the frequency of communication, modalities, engagement, proper updates, explanations, subtle selling, trust-building, company information sharing, organizational changes, evolution or expected evolution of the role, and changes in compensation structure, to name several. General expectation setting and maintenance is paramount to any recruitment process and especially so in a tumultuous market environment.
- Ask Questions: Because people generally love the companies they work for, hiring managers are inclined to think candidates should be and are super excited about their opportunities and can't wait to get an offer. But on the flip side of the scenario described in Number 1, candidates may begin to drift during a pause in your search process. Further, in an unsettling economic environment, executives may begin appreciating their current situation more and value their roles, compensation, and co-workers more than they had prior to the crisis. So if your goal is to ensure that the same great candidates that engaged before the crisis are still viable candidates when you flick on the switch in a few months, you need to make sure you know exactly where their head is on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Ask the hard questions you don't want to such as, "Are you still excited about this role and our company?" Or, "Has anything changed in your decision-making criteria since we first spoke?" It can be uncomfortable, but it is critical in properly managing candidates, especially when everything around you is changing.
Social psychologist, Philip Zimbardo said, "Situational variables can exert powerful influences over human behavior, more so that we recognize or acknowledge." With such paradigm-shifting variables like those associated with the Coronavirus pandemic, we must identify changes in how we think and operate, and similarly how candidates interact with our search processes. This will allow all of us to retain the attention and interest of our best candidates, and in turn, maintain a reputation as being an employer of choice when this all passes. The post Candidate Management During a Crisis appeared first on N2Growth.
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