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Talent Management - Paul Kiernan & Jane Brearley
INSIGHT ARTICLE
Paul Keirnan is founder of Expert Health Communications
Jane Brearley is VP Healthcare Practice EMEA at Waggener Edstrom
What, why and how?
Before we can even think about managing it, we have to understand what it is. What is talent and why
does it need managing? And if we accept that it does require our (often significant) commitment as a
manager, how do we do it?
At a business level, talent creates, adds and safeguards value. Whether it's revenue, client loyalty,
creativity or team spirit, true talent makes your business better. Consequently, talent is the most
important and valuable asset you possess and not something you can afford to squander. So far so good.
Where it gets tricky, and where many organisations trip up, is in understanding that talent is human.
Talent isn't manageable in the ways that other assets are, such as computer system, or a business model or an office building; talent is as complex as people themselves. And often, the very attributes that make someone talented can also make them very difficult to manage. But more of that later.
To add another layer of difficulty, it is also very rare that we get the chance to start from scratch and
choose the talent we want. More often than not, we inherit existing teams with varying skill-sets and
different motivations.
Whatever the personality, whatever the scenario, it's imperative that very different people remain
motivated, passionate and can develop their skills and follow their aspirations if we are to retain top
talent.
Q: What happens if we don't manage our talent?
A: It walks out of the door.
More importantly, in jumping ship to a company that does value talent, your team member takes all of
their skills, expertise and contacts with them. Above and beyond the impact on your ability to provide
the best services to clients, there is an associated financial cost in terms of lost experience. The average
annual training investment per employee for our industry is £1,000, which sounds survivable, but this
only recognises external training. If your managers are spending 25 - 50 per cent of their time managing
and developing staff, then that's an awful lot of expensive time commitment that's just walked out of
your office. What's worse is the fact that you are actually giving this investment to the opposition —
free of charge.
In an industry where people and creativity are the key offerings, this is tantamount to commercial
suicide.
Q: How do we get what WE want from our talent?
A: By understanding what THEY want.
In our competitive world the ‘4 Rs' of talent management — recruitment, reward, relevance and
retention — should be standard. If you're not implementing these basic principles, then now is the time
to do so. Beyond this, we can't give specific advice on how to keep your talent, nor how to match their
skills to the best activity and reward them according to their performance. We're not being difficult, it's
simply that each and every member of staff is different and you are the person best placed to make a
difference.
To answer this question, we have to ask ourselves more: “What's in it for the employee?”; “What makes
them perform, stay with us through thick and thin and give back what we invest in them?” We would
argue that, beyond the job itself, the most crucial aspect of an employee's working life is the
relationship with their manager. We have a competitive advantage here. As communicators we earn
our crust by finding the right angle for our clients, identifying that elusive USP that resonates with target
audiences. The way we work with our talent should be no different.
Every company will look at salary, fringe benefits, free coffee and the occasional party, so it's virtually
impossible to differentiate yourselves in this way. Approach the question as you would a pitch against a
competitor: find out what the company down the road is offering its staff and then identify, working
with your HR Director, how your package is different. Unless you have a limitless salary budget or an inhouse swimming pool, it's unlikely there will be much to separate you from the competition.
Understanding this underlines the importance of the manager in the talent equation.
In knowing what makes their talent tick, a good manager makes more of a difference than a salary rise,
fringe benefits and dress down Friday combined. The downside is that a bad manager will lead to a
haemorrhage of talent, no matter what baubles your company dangles in front of them.
Q: How do we recognise the talents in our teams?
A: Just ask.
In the modern world we need to get the most from every resource, and our teams are no different. If
we're honest, however, some team members' talents are more obvious than others. So how do you get
the best from everyone?
Ask your staff where they think their talents lie and how you can help them to develop them further. This can sometimes uncover hidden gems that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. Jointly agree a
personal development plan and, if appropriate, a professional mentor. It's important though, that as
well as being open to new ideas, both parties are honest. Not everyone can be creative or businessminded or great at relationships (after all, a mixture of talents is the basis of any effective team). So as well as identifying strengths, look at areas that need improvement.
Q: What's the most important aspect of talent management?
A: It's a question of time
No, not just minutes, hours and days, although these are important, but Trust, Investment, Mentoring
and Empowerment.
Trust is more than granting people the freedom to operate as they prefer, because it can also be seen as
giving them enough rope to hang themselves. Trust is about giving people the space to take risks and
develop, sure in the knowledge that if anything goes wrong, their manager will help them.
Investment is about being on hand when you're asked for assistance, but also being there when you're
not. You've been through all this before, so can recognise situations where your intervention can head
off problems that your employee hasn't yet spotted. The trick is to pull this off without seeming like
you're meddling.
Mentoring and empowerment will help all employees (even the mavericks) grow into seasoned
professionals. It's often the case that talented people are highly individual — it is this individuality that
can make them both brilliant and difficult to manage. Combining power (the freedom to be creative)
with responsibility (a structured mentoring programme) will allow them to keep their creative flame
burning while being an effective team member. And hopefully, they will still be working for you rather
than the competition.
Q: How do we make it happen?
A: Have a plan
As in most of what we do, failing to plan is planning to fail and it's much the same with talent
management. You must have a development plan, discussed and agreed with your talent, with enough
stretch targets, rewards and recognition as you can muster. The PRCA has a wealth of training and
support, which as members you shouldn't ignore, whilst each of the sectoral group heads also has a
wealth of experience they can share. We may all be competing, but it behoves us to also uphold the
best standards in the industry: surely that's part of the reason why we work to achieve the Consultancy Management Standard?
Clients are demanding a more complex set of skills than ever, with the lines between traditional PR,
advertising, medical education, market access, political lobbying and on-line strategies blurring into each
other. As communications leaders, we need to be able to create talented, bespoke teams and thus
provide clients with the skills they require, rather than take the ‘here's one I prepared earlier' approach.
Of course, there will always be a need for a central team of people with solid healthcare
communications skills, but how to add value to that team without breaking the bank? Firstly, draw
talent from other practices within your agency — mingle public affairs, consumer or corporate PR folks
with your healthcare team — if that is what you need to meet your clients' communications objectives.
Matrix teams can be very successful as they bring the skill set dictated by the client, and sometimes a
fresh eye adds creativity and a different perspective. Then add a sprinkle of expert consultants - when
looking at clients' needs in line with your business forecast, it's a better investment to spend a
proportion of your salary budget on a network of highly skilled consultants who are available when the
client needs them, than rows of account managers who may or may not be fit for purpose.
The majority of us should have robust assessment and review process in place, whether these are 360
models or other appraisal systems. But do we ever ask our talent “What excites and motivates you?” Of
course, you cannot always make dreams come true — but what you can do is take the time to ensure
that you have listened and realistically responded to people's desires. The role of the manager in this
process is crucial - employees believe their manager's ability to meet their values/ needs is as important
as how the organization meets those needs (Harvard Business Review article : “Employee Motivation”
(Jul-Aug, 2008). Managers have the ability to empower their team and are crucial in talent retention.
Q: Next steps?
A: One at a time
If you don't manage your talent, very soon someone else will. Irrespective of the economic climate,
talented people will always be in demand. So, your first step should be to work with your HR team,
ensuring that you have the right techniques and tools in place. With these sorted you'll be ideally placed
to create the strategies that will keep your talent engaged, motivated and on tap.
July 2009
Jane Brearley is VP Healthcare Practice EMEA at Waggener Edstrom
What, why and how?
Before we can even think about managing it, we have to understand what it is. What is talent and why
does it need managing? And if we accept that it does require our (often significant) commitment as a
manager, how do we do it?
At a business level, talent creates, adds and safeguards value. Whether it's revenue, client loyalty,
creativity or team spirit, true talent makes your business better. Consequently, talent is the most
important and valuable asset you possess and not something you can afford to squander. So far so good.
Where it gets tricky, and where many organisations trip up, is in understanding that talent is human.
Talent isn't manageable in the ways that other assets are, such as computer system, or a business model or an office building; talent is as complex as people themselves. And often, the very attributes that make someone talented can also make them very difficult to manage. But more of that later.
To add another layer of difficulty, it is also very rare that we get the chance to start from scratch and
choose the talent we want. More often than not, we inherit existing teams with varying skill-sets and
different motivations.
Whatever the personality, whatever the scenario, it's imperative that very different people remain
motivated, passionate and can develop their skills and follow their aspirations if we are to retain top
talent.
Q: What happens if we don't manage our talent?
A: It walks out of the door.
More importantly, in jumping ship to a company that does value talent, your team member takes all of
their skills, expertise and contacts with them. Above and beyond the impact on your ability to provide
the best services to clients, there is an associated financial cost in terms of lost experience. The average
annual training investment per employee for our industry is £1,000, which sounds survivable, but this
only recognises external training. If your managers are spending 25 - 50 per cent of their time managing
and developing staff, then that's an awful lot of expensive time commitment that's just walked out of
your office. What's worse is the fact that you are actually giving this investment to the opposition —
free of charge.
In an industry where people and creativity are the key offerings, this is tantamount to commercial
suicide.
Q: How do we get what WE want from our talent?
A: By understanding what THEY want.
In our competitive world the ‘4 Rs' of talent management — recruitment, reward, relevance and
retention — should be standard. If you're not implementing these basic principles, then now is the time
to do so. Beyond this, we can't give specific advice on how to keep your talent, nor how to match their
skills to the best activity and reward them according to their performance. We're not being difficult, it's
simply that each and every member of staff is different and you are the person best placed to make a
difference.
To answer this question, we have to ask ourselves more: “What's in it for the employee?”; “What makes
them perform, stay with us through thick and thin and give back what we invest in them?” We would
argue that, beyond the job itself, the most crucial aspect of an employee's working life is the
relationship with their manager. We have a competitive advantage here. As communicators we earn
our crust by finding the right angle for our clients, identifying that elusive USP that resonates with target
audiences. The way we work with our talent should be no different.
Every company will look at salary, fringe benefits, free coffee and the occasional party, so it's virtually
impossible to differentiate yourselves in this way. Approach the question as you would a pitch against a
competitor: find out what the company down the road is offering its staff and then identify, working
with your HR Director, how your package is different. Unless you have a limitless salary budget or an inhouse swimming pool, it's unlikely there will be much to separate you from the competition.
Understanding this underlines the importance of the manager in the talent equation.
In knowing what makes their talent tick, a good manager makes more of a difference than a salary rise,
fringe benefits and dress down Friday combined. The downside is that a bad manager will lead to a
haemorrhage of talent, no matter what baubles your company dangles in front of them.
Q: How do we recognise the talents in our teams?
A: Just ask.
In the modern world we need to get the most from every resource, and our teams are no different. If
we're honest, however, some team members' talents are more obvious than others. So how do you get
the best from everyone?
Ask your staff where they think their talents lie and how you can help them to develop them further. This can sometimes uncover hidden gems that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. Jointly agree a
personal development plan and, if appropriate, a professional mentor. It's important though, that as
well as being open to new ideas, both parties are honest. Not everyone can be creative or businessminded or great at relationships (after all, a mixture of talents is the basis of any effective team). So as well as identifying strengths, look at areas that need improvement.
Q: What's the most important aspect of talent management?
A: It's a question of time
No, not just minutes, hours and days, although these are important, but Trust, Investment, Mentoring
and Empowerment.
Trust is more than granting people the freedom to operate as they prefer, because it can also be seen as
giving them enough rope to hang themselves. Trust is about giving people the space to take risks and
develop, sure in the knowledge that if anything goes wrong, their manager will help them.
Investment is about being on hand when you're asked for assistance, but also being there when you're
not. You've been through all this before, so can recognise situations where your intervention can head
off problems that your employee hasn't yet spotted. The trick is to pull this off without seeming like
you're meddling.
Mentoring and empowerment will help all employees (even the mavericks) grow into seasoned
professionals. It's often the case that talented people are highly individual — it is this individuality that
can make them both brilliant and difficult to manage. Combining power (the freedom to be creative)
with responsibility (a structured mentoring programme) will allow them to keep their creative flame
burning while being an effective team member. And hopefully, they will still be working for you rather
than the competition.
Q: How do we make it happen?
A: Have a plan
As in most of what we do, failing to plan is planning to fail and it's much the same with talent
management. You must have a development plan, discussed and agreed with your talent, with enough
stretch targets, rewards and recognition as you can muster. The PRCA has a wealth of training and
support, which as members you shouldn't ignore, whilst each of the sectoral group heads also has a
wealth of experience they can share. We may all be competing, but it behoves us to also uphold the
best standards in the industry: surely that's part of the reason why we work to achieve the Consultancy Management Standard?
Clients are demanding a more complex set of skills than ever, with the lines between traditional PR,
advertising, medical education, market access, political lobbying and on-line strategies blurring into each
other. As communications leaders, we need to be able to create talented, bespoke teams and thus
provide clients with the skills they require, rather than take the ‘here's one I prepared earlier' approach.
Of course, there will always be a need for a central team of people with solid healthcare
communications skills, but how to add value to that team without breaking the bank? Firstly, draw
talent from other practices within your agency — mingle public affairs, consumer or corporate PR folks
with your healthcare team — if that is what you need to meet your clients' communications objectives.
Matrix teams can be very successful as they bring the skill set dictated by the client, and sometimes a
fresh eye adds creativity and a different perspective. Then add a sprinkle of expert consultants - when
looking at clients' needs in line with your business forecast, it's a better investment to spend a
proportion of your salary budget on a network of highly skilled consultants who are available when the
client needs them, than rows of account managers who may or may not be fit for purpose.
The majority of us should have robust assessment and review process in place, whether these are 360
models or other appraisal systems. But do we ever ask our talent “What excites and motivates you?” Of
course, you cannot always make dreams come true — but what you can do is take the time to ensure
that you have listened and realistically responded to people's desires. The role of the manager in this
process is crucial - employees believe their manager's ability to meet their values/ needs is as important
as how the organization meets those needs (Harvard Business Review article : “Employee Motivation”
(Jul-Aug, 2008). Managers have the ability to empower their team and are crucial in talent retention.
Q: Next steps?
A: One at a time
If you don't manage your talent, very soon someone else will. Irrespective of the economic climate,
talented people will always be in demand. So, your first step should be to work with your HR team,
ensuring that you have the right techniques and tools in place. With these sorted you'll be ideally placed
to create the strategies that will keep your talent engaged, motivated and on tap.
July 2009
