1. Accelerating the Development of
Emerging Leaders
Best of Talent Management Summit
Guangzhou, China
March 2009
Dr. Karen Steadman
Dr. Dirk Baxter
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2. Objectives of the Session
Evaluate business case for early investment in leadership
►
Understand work and life trends for today’s emerging leaders
►
Review methods, examples, and case studies for accelerating
►
development
Discuss full client case study – Schick an Energizer Company
►
Ms. Amy Cheung
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3. Business Case
INVESTING EARLY IN
LEADERSHIP
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4. Life is Accelerating
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5. Timeline to Acceptance is Accelerating
Year item of service is Year reached 150 million
introduced users worldwide
5 years 2009
Facebook (2004) 7 years 2008
IPod (2001)
1997
14 years
Cellphone (1983) 1966
1965
38 years
Television (1928)
89 years 5
Portio Research as cited in Fortune Magazine (p. 54;
Telephone (1876) March 2, 2009)

6. Timeline to Obsolescence is Accelerating
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GNU Open Source Documentation

7. Power of Time – Investing Early in Leadership
Produces Returns Over the Long Term
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www.betterexplained.com

8. Power of Time - Leadership Applied Well
Produces Dividends over Time
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9. “Bridging China’s Talent Gap”
Common Problems
Positive qualities of educated
Chinese workers
Young, bright, urban. Foreign-language skills,
► ►
especially spoken English.
► Recently educated at
university. ► Education often too theoretical
rather than practical.
► Eager to work for
multinationals or for top ► Inexperienced, but expect
domestic companies. good salaries and rapid
advancement.
► Hard working, ambitious and
dedicated. ► Frequent job-hopping (with
annual talent turnover in some
companies 10-30%.)
Source: Bridging China's Talent Gap
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Executive Action No. 221, The Conference Board February 21, 2007

10. Rapid Power of Widening
Acceleration time gap
• Leaders • Early • Emerging
need to investment markets will
learn and allows require
produce opportunity large
more to reinvest numbers of
quickly leadership leaders to
than ever dividends match rapid
before back into economic
company growth
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11. Accelerating the Development of Emerging Leaders
TRENDS
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12. Adaptation to Accelerated Pace of
Life
► Transience
 Geographies
 Modular vs. Permanent
► Novelty
 Science
 Experience
► Diversity
 Rise of subcultures
 Change in relationships Alvin Toffler
►
Future Shock (1970). Bantam Books
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13. Blending of Work and Life Trends
► Intense
► Experiential
► Connected
► Meaningful
► Visible
► Modular
Corporate
EcoChallenges 13

14. Accelerating the Development of Emerging Leaders
METHODS AND EXAMPLES
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15. Sabbaticals
> 100 year old
privately held
$400 million
company
annual
revenues
Manufacturing
Increasing
Industry
presence in
Asia
“Diversifying employees’ exposure to the whole enterprise (while they cover
the work of someone on sabbatical) is the reward. We identify high potentials
and invest in them … sabbaticals have to be a key element of that.”
Chief Financial Officer, Manufacturing
yoursabbatical.com

16. Action Learning Projects
“Working on the Business”
Collaboration Healthy Competition
Senior leaders sponsor Opportunity for teams to
► ►
and support compete globally
► Opportunity to mix ► Each individual can be
leaders across function provided a leadership
and location challenge
► Projects tied to business ► Selection for impact on
outcomes the actual business
 Reduced cost ► High visibility
 Strategy presentations
 Opening new markets or
launching new products
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 Six sigma
1

17. Job Shadowing
Structured participation in “a day in the life” of someone
►
else
Opportunities
►
 Level of seniority
 Lines of the business
 Geography
 Field vs. corporate
 Front office vs. back office
“I require all of my new leaders to spend time in the field with agents who are
handling cases after a storm. They need to pass out water, help a customer fill
out papers after their house has been lost. A new VP in my organization has to
know who it is that they are really working for.”
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Head of Operations, Insurance

18. Reverse Mentoring
What is Reverse
Mentoring?
What are the
unique
benefits?
“She’s my mentor” – 55 yr old
“No, she’s my mentor” – 24 yr old
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LA Times, March 6, 2009

19. Simulation
Live Virtual Created
Simulated people,
Real people, Real people,
simulated
real environment, simulated environment,
environment,
simulated situation simulated situation
simulated situation
Interaction with Management Online
a coach who games or environments
provides ratings business pairing teams
and immediate simulators vying for
feedback resources
Continuum of “simulated reality”

20. QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD
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21. Mixed Industry –
Small Group Presentations
 How is your organization developing emerging
leaders? Describe programs.
 What are some of the challenges you face with
this group of leaders? Are they different than
other groups? Describe examples.
 What questions do you have for the expert
panel?
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