I spoke on this topic on the HR Summit 2009 organized by InForm Slovakia company in Bratislava. The main message of this presentation is to get the idea of true talent. You can find talents in anyone in your organization - if you want to. Talent by itself is colourless, not visible until you create the nourishing environment to reveal and - color! - it.

1. TALENT MANAGEMENT
“Talent by itself is colorless
and acquires color only when
[properly] used”
M. Saltykov-Schedrin,
outstanding Russian writer
BRATISLAVA, SEP ’09
by NATALIE ZVEREVA, Ukraine

2. Page  1
CONTENTS

3. Page  2
CONCERNS IN UA HR MANAGEMENT: GENERAL OVERVIEW
•Wide-scale staff reduction
•High unemployment ratio
•Lots of professionals “thrown
overboard”
•Scarce activities in recruitment
•Money is the main motivating
factor
•“Cheating” by employers
Caused by financial crisis:

4. Page  3
CONCERNS IN UA HR MANAGEMENT: GENERAL OVERVIEW
•Low level of education, critical
significance of “on-the-job” training
•Pool of qualified specialists in
production industry is drastically small
– deficite of professionals
•Lots of “job hoppers”
•Concentration of professionals in big
cities
•Low opportunities for professional
self-development for specialists in
regions
Caused by demographic situation:

5. Page  4
CONCERNS IN UA HR MANAGEMENT: GENERAL OVERVIEW
•Unrevealed high
potentials
•Unrealized employee’s
expectations
•High turnover ratio
•Low quality of training &
development outsourced
service
•Low attention to
adaptation of newcomers
•Scarce cooperation with
graduates & young
specialists
•Low involvement level - low results output
•Not effective business processes
Caused by insufficient activities in employees’ development:

6. Page  5
UA LABOR MARKET TO WORK WITH: FORECAST FOR 2010…
•Younger
•More impudent – absorbed current
principles of “freedom & democracy”
•Demanding & self-assured –
reacted to the pre-crisis “War for
Talents” tools & approaches
•Impatient – got used to job-hopping
for higher salary
•Highly mobile
•Less (or even Not-) professional –
due to low-quality of regular education
•Loss in knowledge due to low
opportunity to pass experience of
professionals of 45+ to the youngsters
It is not earlier than by 2011-12 the labor market quality increase
will start to become apparent…

7. Page  6
OUR REALITY: OUTLINING THE PROBLEM
TALENT
MANAGEMENT
Financial
crisis
Lots of
people
unemployed
Low
productivity
Lack of
professionals

8. Page  7
Outside the
Company
(recruitment)
Inside the
Company
(staff development)
WHICH WAY TO GO?
Balanced HR
strategy :
INFLUENCE is more
preferable than
ACTION
•Make the Company
image more attractive
•Make selection more
careful & purposeful
•Always search for
internal Talents &
develop them
BEST
CANDIDATE

9. Page  8
• Wide choice of
candidates
• Low salary
expectations
• Saving money on
recruitment
agencies
Unemployme
nt makes the
recruitment
process
easier
• Such CVs aren’t
revised
• Such applicants
are not trusted
Those who
lost their jobs
within the
crisis period
are bad
specialists
• Within this crisis
period people can
be easily controlled
• All additional
elements of
compensation pack
are cancelled
Employer
offering a
working place
can easily
“dictate his
will”
BREAKING STEREOTYPES: ATTRACTION
Companies with active
recruitment feel LACK OF
proper SPECIALISTS to be
attracted
Far NOT THE WORST
specialists lost their jobs in the
wheels of staff redundancy
process
It is difficult to attract VALUE
ADDING professionals

10. Page  9
• Professionals are
afraid of losing jobs
• Compensation
pack limitation will
be accepted with
understanding
Specialists
won’t take a
risk of
changing a
job
• Employer can
demand twice
higher efforts &
output from his
employees
Not to lose a
job
specialists
twice
increase their
output
• Training &
development
programs are not
value adding
• Participation in
T&D programs is a
bonus
All training &
staff
development
programs can
be saved on
BREAKING STEREOTYPES: RETENTION
Head hunting for highly
qualified professionals is
currently HIGH
Salary decrease stimulates to
START SEARCH for new job
opportunities
Motivation & loyalty to the
current employer should be
constantly MAINTAINED
Quality T&D programs are
especially important within the
crisis period
Expenses for T&D programs of
employees is NOT expenditure
BUT investment

11. Page  10
BACKGROUNDS OF BETTER PERFORMANCE
General recognition of achievements
Loyalty & comfort in business environment
Tolerance to mistakes
Stability & predictability of career path
Personal development
Fair remuneration

12. Page  11
METHODS WE USE
Talents
Retained &
Developed
Specialist
s
Attracted
Employees
replaced
Managing Talents is NOT only
DEVELOPMENT of the best, but
timely ROTATION for better use of
their potential or REPLACEMENT
of the worst
based on a regular employees
assessment process.
AS WELL AS
Attract GRADUATES of
specialized educational
institutions and provide
opportunities to YOUNG /
INEXPERIENCED specialists
for further development within
the Company.
Youth
attracted &
developed

13. Page  12
ROTATION & DEMOTION
ASSESSMENT
HEAD OF
Dpt.
MANAGER
2
LEADING
SPECIALIS
T
MANAGER
1
RISKS:
•Wrong selection
•Biased assessment
•Long- time tenure
•Premature promotion
•Unrealizable
commitment of internal
promotion
•Dishonorable internal
competition
•No assistance from
managers’ side

14. Page  13
OUR EXPERIENCE:
• Enlist all employees into the staff
reserve program
• Think all employees are less
clever than managers are
• Speed-up T&D programs
realization
• Give line managers complete
control over subordinates’ T&D
process
• Be too pitiful in taking decision re
employees’ replacement or
demoting
• Ignore management-by-objectives
approach
• Make the talents development
program another declaratory
activity
DON’Ts:
• Correlate with strategic plans of
the Organization
• Ensure transparent & systematic
approach
• Attract by competencies not only
by knowledge
• Invest in talents’ development
• Develop strong points
• Trust your people
• Conduct impartial assessment of
employees
• Delegate additional powers &
responsibility
• Support in adaptation to new
social roles
DO’s:

15. Page  14
MAKE A CHOICE
It is easy to make THE RIGHT choice:
DISCOVER your internal Talents
and DEVELOP your Teams
to take your Company successfully through
the period of difficulties to further
success!