Delivering ‘high performance’ has never been as crucial for both corporate and personal development as it is in today’s competitive commercial market. Darren Hockaday runs a consultancy called Inner Win that works closely with Digby Morgan and seeks to help individuals meet their full potential and deliver this sought after high performance. He spoke to Human Resourcefulness about today’s market drivers.

There is some consistency in what companies are asking for. Of course they’re looking for ‘talent management’ but that’s become a generic term that encompasses broader based solutions and this is supported by what I’m being asked to do to meet client needs.

Organisations want to increase the focus on their internal talent and, although the principle is not new and it has always made sense for a business to realise the potential of its people, the drivers have changed. Demographic trends to our working population, increasing fluidity of employees moving between different companies and directors questioning from where their successors will emerge are examples. While this may certainly be true, the increase of migrant labour has offset this trend to a certain extent with the influx of, in many cases, highly skilled and qualified individuals. Whatever the reasons, I welcome the focus. It presents a good opportunity to engage the business in developing the solutions and reflect upon current processes. Such a focus has demanded quality outcomes from a performance management process and in some organisations this has required some fresh thinking about what that process does and how it does it.

I’m certainly of the view that a simple and easy to use process for line managers that reviews performance and development can also generate a career discussion and identify talent and successors. Although this is by no means the complete picture, it ensures the essential ‘talent’ indicators become a key output of the process.

The ‘Meat and Veg’ in Driving Change

Organisations are looking first at the performance management process and, in fact, in all of my recent assignments talent management is seen as a consequence of a quality performance management process and its robustness depends upon it. For instance, I’m currently leading a new performance management process for restaurant managers across EMEA in a well-known fast food chain. Their Head of Talent Development describes the performance management process as the ‘meat and veg’ in driving change when it comes to performance and development.

Developing performance management for organisations in whatever sector may not be straightforward and is never quite the same, but the approach is a simple one. Firstly, define performance and, secondly, how it’s assessed. Until this is fully understood by employees and a visible part of the process, the subsequent or independent identification or development of talent is unlikely to be consistent or objective.

Understand where an organisation is against three critical factors – the ‘will’ of managers to carry out both informal and formal performance reviews (commitment to the process), the level of skills to have quality conversations (ability to conduct the process) and the ease at which the process is used by line managers (how intuitive the process is). The management of talent, its development and the impact it has on future capability and resourcing will, of course, be dependent on the same factors.

Based on these factors, one can identify where an organisation currently is and how to create the stretch that will advance it. Developing a performance management process may take a number of progressive steps and doing it all in one attempt can create more problems than it’s trying to solve. However long it takes, keep looking for improvements on all three critical factors, side by side.

Providing career development opportunities are part and parcel of being an ‘employer of choice’ and are expected by prospective employees. Having effective succession planning and internal recruitment policies are best complimented by line managers who actively engage in delivering them.

In the last two organisations in which I’ve consulted, senior managers were requesting that more recognition be made of managers who ‘export’ talent from their teams. These organisations had defined performance along two lines – people development objectives (that support talent development) and task objectives to help make this become a reality. In turn these were assessed during reviews and formed part of the basis for reward. This sent a clear message about the role of a manager in developing talent and how it was recognised.

Coaching and Mentoring

Along with an effective performance management process – the broader based solutions demanded today include coaching and mentoring.

The effective use of a coaching skills by leaders enable employees to reach their potential more quickly. High performers hungry to progress are best nurtured by such leaders.

Coaching skills can be developed in a number of ways – whether as a part of an existing or future leadership development programme or specific skills workshops. Providing senior leaders in critical roles, for example, with an external coach is another method. This can provide an instant boost in helping busy leaders focus on how they further develop relationships with their team members to improve performance and development. Having a role model in an organisation can encourage learnt behaviour – as the leader being coached develops their coaching skills directly into the organisation over the longer term.

Providing a manager with a coach can be more cost effective than other development and training alternatives. Coaching is much more flexible around the needs of a leader and having the quality one to one interaction over a period of time is far more targeted.

Mentoring can also act as an effective, two way process that addresses the needs of a broader talent management solution. On one hand, ‘high potential’ employees benefit from a relationship outside that of the line manager for a wider organisation perspective and, on the other hand, it’s an opportunity for seasoned professionals to share knowledge and experience vital for the continuity and growth of the business. Leaders nearing retirement, for example, can play a vital role in passing on much valued wisdom as mentors.

So, what makes a good HR development professional?

• Focus on the outcome you want - not the solution
• Right thing, right time, right stretch
• Be a part of the change you are trying to achieve
• An effective performance management process should be at the heart of a successful business and HR function
• Lead by example
• Make it visible

darrenhockaday@innerwin.com

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