Leadership The Best Way to Win the Coming Talent Wars

By Sarah Barrett, Director of HR and Development - Ketchum Pleon

Have you found yourself breathing a sigh of relief as economic and market indicators seem to point to recovery and new opportunities for growth? Sorry to burst your bubble, but I see that the real challenges of the post recessionary environment are only just beginning to surface, and only through the most adept, connected and considerate leadership will agencies gain the upper hand, re-build market share and post-recession reputations as employers of choice.
 
The last 18 months has been pretty brutal at all levels in organisations. Multiple years of growth were derailed, and all but the most lean have had to take painful decisions about existing talent, and in many cases cutting off the of the supply of new talent entering the sector, leaving residual gaps in our talent architectures. Even those who have carefully orchestrated and ably communicated changes will be experiencing some loss of trust, and wavering degrees of employee engagement, as borne out by last month’s Management Today/ Institute of Leadership and Management  Index of Leadership Trust which reported 31% of non-managers and 28% of managers having no or low trust in their management team.

Layer on that we’re more likely to be risk averse going forward, precisely at a time when brave and radical talent decisions and investments need to be made.

 
Leadership, for me, is the critical factor, coupled with an unrelenting focus and investment in talent.

For our leadership teams, we need to be clear that having survived the ravages of the recession, now isn’t the time to coast, or fall back into old patterns of behaviour. Collaborating, crafting and communicating a clear vision and strategy for your business is paramount, with a collective accountability to re-energise and build the confidence of our teams. Ongoing, transparent and real updates on our progress will be the most highly valued behaviour of the coming years – memories last and any discrepancies in our messages and actions will be quickly noted.

An unrelenting focus on emerging leaders will enable agencies to retain their best talent at a time when they’re potentially disconnected, and headhunters calls are reported to be on the rise. By its very name, being a middle manager suggests that a disproportionate amount of pressure and stress accrues, and the last 18 months has seen a squeeze on resources at this level, limited development opportunities, and promotion and salary freezes for a group that has previously seem unprecedented opportunities for career development in the sector. Re-connect personally with this group, assign them mentors, listen to what they have to say, involve them in decision making, seek opportunities to elevate their contribution; but also measure and recognise their contribution.

And what about new entrants to the PR industry? We’re still feeling the effects of the 2001 talent gap, so brave and decisive action on investment in graduate recruits is essential to ensure we don’t experience a further talent gap which will limit our long term growth potential.

Strategies aside, at Ketchum Pleon we’ve re-focused our efforts over the last year on a number of activities and interventions that develop leadership and foster a sense of involvement.

We’ve re-thought and re-tooled our office meeting to respond directly to feedback that our teams wanted a more engaging and personally relevant update. Senior leaders have stood aside, and each month is compered by a different colleague – typically an account coordinator or executive, Teams or individuals from different practices present one another’s work in a session called ‘Mix it Up’ , the meeting votes live on the best media coverage of that month. Feedback on the new format is phenomenal, and we’re seeing exceptional talent shine through at every level.

We’re challenging the silos that can develop in agencies with the introduction of our Houses concept. Stolen from the likes of Hogwarts, everyone is allocated to a house, points and prizes are awarded, activities planned, and quizzes conceived. A leader-board keeps competition healthy, and we’re reversing recognition with ideas such as Account Executives awarding points to the leaders who have demonstrated the most positive and energising behaviour.

Just as we advise our clients on CSR and sustainability, we have an ongoing commitment to supporting the community in which we work, and have continued to invest half a day of every team member’s time to local community projects. Maintaining this commitment is highly valued by our teams.

Art at Ketchum Pleon is a rolling programme of exhibitions, with local artists showing in our reception space, and allows our teams opportunities to extend opportunities to bring our clients into the mix through opening night viewings and a few glasses of wine!

These innovations , that sit alongside our normal offer, demonstrate that leadership is about responding to those things that matter to our people, as much as it is about the more formal programmes and activities we all strive to deliver.

After all, PR is all about talent.

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