I love the following two quotations:
‘We can’t solve our problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them’ – Albert Einstein
‘What got us here won’t get us there’ – Marshall Goldsmith.
When talking to business leaders they relay the issues and opportunities they face: globalization, social media, new technologies, disruptive innovation, labor problems, but the number one issue that always crops up is securing the leaders and the talent they need to deal with the future they see.
They understand that their challenge is how to find or develop people to deal with the multiple facets of an increasingly complex business environment, involving digital transformation and the interplay of up to 5 generations in one organization.
In my opinion, the immediate issue is building ‘foundations’ for potential leaders and talents to be truly capable of contributing , whatever an uncertain future throws at us, and this means changing the way we develop them and the things we ask them to do in their development.
It is difficult, but we can predict some of the knowledge and skill sets required and building these starts with building these foundations for leaders and talents so they are ‘capable’ of meeting those challenges.
One of the first steps in developing ‘high potentials’ is using a new tool called ‘predictive assessment’. It helps to develop the high potentials in the direction where they can perform best to effectively deliver results. Predictive assessment is based on the principle of people and process. Capable people can step up when the inevitable problem arises that even the best processes do not address; these capable people make decisions and their capabilities deliver results.
We also have to move from ‘learning events’ to a new and more practical approach to developing ‘capability’ based on interventions that facilitate the emergence of leadership. This approach will deliver sustainable success by addressing both the internal and external aspects of a person’s ability to produce. Effective development allows them to learn from their experiences, not from a manual.
Most of the truly capable leaders or talents I have been fortunate to work with can always relate to some monumental experiences they had which they could learn from. Capable people always had access to other capable people to help them develop, be they mentors, coaches or positive (and sometimes negative) role models. So for business leaders, a large step to develop the capable people they need is providing the right environment for these people to grow.
This environment needs to allow potentially capable people to experience opportunities to create, innovate, or effectively deal with change. They need opportunities to take a lead in one form or another. This means taking a long look at the capabilities we need and what we are really doing at the moment not just to develop and secure them but how we may expand them, develop in new directions and innovate. These leaders act like entrepreneurs, take risks, break down hierarchies and silos and create an environment that allows disruptive innovation to prosper.
These capable people are selected because they have the intelligence and the ability to get things done, can work effectively with other people and millennials and centennials, and lead the company into the future.
AT EITSC, our focus today is on entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship and we are fostering the successful interaction between the 5 generations working in today’s companies.
Feedback is more than welcome!! Please contact me via email at Schumacher@eitsc.com