1. Your best investment … identifying,
developing and retaining future leaders
Dr Richard Plenty
Managing Director This Is ...
Tuesday 16th April 2013
Back to Basics Seminar
Talent management and Engagement
Espoo, Finland
©2013 This Is Ltd

2. Setting the scene ...
 Organisations face environment of complexity, challenge, competition
They need to be consistent, focused, efficient to survive
 They need the right people of the right quality to do this but there are
o tougher challenges
o changing demographics
o lean organisations
o ineffective development
o insufficient investment
 The need to manage change coherently, rapidly and flexibly requires
leadership capacity and capability at all levels
o Changing strategic direction
o Unexpected crises
o Doing things differently

3. So what can be done to build leadership?
“I believe that the capacity that any organisation needs is for
leadership to appear anywhere it is needed, when it is
needed" Margaret J. Wheatley
How to
identify
How to
develop
How to
retain
©2013 This Is Ltd

4. How to
identify
How to
develop
How to
retain
©2013 This Is Ltd

5. Good performers with a broad view
Starting point is good performance
 But good technical people don’t always make good
managers
 Potential is important as well as performance
Ability to see the big picture
 Sense of perspective, see wood for trees, see
consequences
 Strategic thinking, spotting patterns and linkages
 Vision, energy and ambition

6. People who can manage themselves and others
Personal Leadership
 Lead by example
 Take personal accountability for delivering on promises
Building and sustaining relationships
 Build networks, relationships and partnerships
 Importance of empathy

7. The actual qualities required for leadership
More widespread than we tend to assume IQ +++
 Bright enough N ---
 Conscientious E +/-
O ++
 Emotional stability A --
C +++
And also
 Wanting to make a difference
 The confidence to have a go
 The support to develop the necessary skills
 The experience to be effective
©2013 This Is Ltd

8. But who becomes a leader in practice?
Some personalities seem to do better than others …
 The self confident
 The bold
 The strategic
 The ambitious
 The astute
 The vigilant
 The persistent
 The articulate
©2013 This Is Ltd Source: Prof Adrian Furnham

9. As do those who went to the right school!
Prime Minister
David Cameron
Eton
Chancellor of Exchequer
George Osborne
Eton
Mayor of London
Boris Johnson
Eton
Archbishop of Canterbury
Justin Welby
Eton
©2013 This Is Ltd

10. Organisations should cast the net widely …
Look for people who want to make a difference
 To do a job which is meaningful, challenging, worthwhile
 To have a degree of autonomy
Look for those who - compared with ‘average’ employees
 Have more need for challenging assignments and targets
less need for constant supervision, detailed
direction, ‘mollycoddling’
 Are more adaptable and flexible
less willing to undertake boring predictable and routine work
 Are more able to cope with hardships, difficult situations and people
less tolerant of organisational and managerial incompetence
 Are more focused on opportunities to develop themselves
Continually look fornot noticed, not properlywithin thenot getting development
less likely to stay if emerging talent rewarded or organisation

11. And look for people with the potential to develop
leadership competencies
Big Picture Competencies
•Thinking strategically
•Maximising business opportunities
•Developing a high performance culture
Relationship Competencies
•Building networks and alliances
•Communicating effectively
•Leading others
Self Competencies
•Showing personal leadership
•Managing work
Source: This Is …

12. How to
identify
How to
develop
How to
retain
©2013 This Is Ltd

13. Developing leaders... Practice makes perfect
Planned experience
 Opportunity is crucial
 Progressively challenging roles
 Leadership best learnt through practice
Structured support
 Don’t just leave to sink or swim
 Improve self awareness
 Value of coaching and mentoring
 Formal training to build on experience
©2013 This Is Ltd

14. Practice makes perfect: 2007 Czech Junior Hockey Team
Number Player BirthDate Position
1 David Kveton Jan 3 1988 Forward
2 Jiri Suchy Jan 3 1988 Defense
3 Michael Kolarz Jan 12 1987 Defense
4 Jakub Vojta Feb 8 1987 Defense
5 Jakub Kindl Feb 10 1987 Forward
6 Michael Frolik Feb 17 1989 Forward
7 Martin Hanzal Feb 20 1987 Forward
8 Tomas Svoboda Feb 24 1987 Forward
9 Jakub Cerny Mar 5 1987 Forward
10 Tomas Kudelka Mar 10 1987 Defense
11 Jaroslav Barton Mar 26 1987 Defense
12 H.O.Pozivil Apr 22 1987 Defense
13 Daniel Rakos May 25 1987 Forward
14 David Kuchedja Jun 12 1987 Forward
15 Vladimir Sobotka Jul 2 1987 Forward
16 Jakub Kovar Jul19 1988 Netminder
17 Lukas Vantuch Jul 20 1987 Forward
18 Jakub Voarcek Aug 15 1989 Forward
19 Tomas Pospisil Aug 25 1987 Forward
20 Ondrej Pavelec Aug 31 1987 Netminder
21 Tomas Kana Nov 29 1987 Forward
22 Michael Repik Dec 31 1988 Forward
Source: Malcolm Gladwell
©2013 This Is Ltd

15. Practice makes perfect: Impact of selection,
streaming and differentiated experience
Individual B
Challenge 3
More opportunities
Challenge 2 More experience
More intensity
Better colleagues
Challenge 1 Tougher challenges
Initial Higher expectations
Streaming More competition
More coaching
‘10000 hours’
Individual A

16. Practice makes perfect: 2007 Czech Junior Football Team
Number Player Birthdate Position
1 Marcel Gecov Jan 1 1988 MF
2 Ludek Frydrych Jan 3 1987 GK
3 Petr Janda Jan 5 1987 MF
4 Jakub Dohnalek Jan 12 1988 DF
5 Jakub Mares Jan 26 1987 MF
6 Michal Held Jan 27 1987 DF
7 Merek Strestik Feb 1 1987 FW
8 Jiri Valenta Feb 14 1988 MF
9 Jan Simunek Feb 20 1987 DF
10 Tomas Oklestek Feb 21 1987 DF
11 Lubas Kalouda Feb 21 1987 MF
12 Radek Petr Feb 24 1987 GK
13 Ondrej Mazuch Mar 15 1987 DF
14 Ondrej Kudela Mar 26 1987 MF
15 Marek Suchy Mar 29 1988 DF
16 Martin Fenin Apr 16 1987 FW
17 Tomas Pekhart May 26 1989 FW
18 Lukas Kuban Jun 22 1987 DF
19 Tomas Cihlar Jun 24 1987 DF
20 Tomas Frystak Aug 18 1987 GK
21 Tomas Micola Sep 26 1988 MF
©2013 This Is Ltd

17. Practice makes perfect: DAA Change Network
Major change programme 2005-2012
 Little leadership bench strength
 People ‘languishing’ in technical jobs
 Change network 25-40 members
 Most middle level of the organisation
 Opportunity to develop leadership skills
Support given
 Sponsored by CEO
 Developed soft as well as hard skills
 Clear strategic relevant assignments
 Individual coaching and support
 Structured formal development
©2013 This Is Ltd

18. DAA Change network outcomes …
Individual Development
 Leadership bench strength greatly increased
 3 members have become Directors
Organisation Development
 Organisation cultural benchmark up 27 percentile points
 Passenger satisfaction greatly improved
©2013 This Is Ltd

19. How to
identify
How to
develop
How to
retain
©2013 This Is Ltd

20. Build a high performance culture - a combination
of leadership, performance ethos & commitment!
Leadership Performance Commitment
Ethos
ORGANISATION EMPLOYER
COMPANY STRATEGIC CULTURE
LEADERSHIP IMAGE
PEOPLE
DEPARTMENT EFFICIENCY TEAM WORK
MANAGEMENT
OWN WORK EMPOWERMENT PREREQUISITES JOB MOTIVATION
Source: Corporate Spirit

21. Retaining leaders: build a high
performance and engaging culture
Provides a good case study
 Clearly communicate vision and values
 Promote a high performance ethos
 Provide challenging assignments
 Give overview of career path options
 Ensure potential leaders feel valued
 Give honest feedback on performance
 Recognise good performance by career
progression
 Be prepared to release people if it
doesn’t work out

22. In summary
• Leadership at all levels is critical for success
• Invest in building leadership capability and capacity
– Cast the net widely
– Provide people with challenging opportunities
– Give them structured support
– Build a high performance organisation culture
 You will get immediate results AND
©2013 This Is Ltd

23. … ensure in the long run you will not face
problems with leadership succession!
©2013 This Is Ltd

24. Thank you
Any Questions?
©2013 This Is Ltd