Connect the HR dots and avoid sliding into the cold dark sea

I read a positive article earlier this week in Workforce Management titled What the CEO Wants from HR. The primary takeaway was the fact that companies need a "strong pipeline of high-level leaders that will drive business growth."

Integrated talent management - that's HR's primary strategic business role is in companies like VF Corp. and Zurich Financial Services and I'm sure many others. This is where HR leadership should be spending the majority of it's strategic time and leave the day-to-day tactical to the HR minions.

Unfortunately most companies large and small still lack the foresight and/or resources and/or prioritization for performance management, succession planning, workforce planning and leadership development. That was validated by a Bersin & Associates Talent Management Webcast I attended this week.

According to the Bersin Webcast, more and more companies are "getting" the fact they need better integrated talent management strategies, particularly when it comes to identifying and developing leaders.

Business leaders are really starting to connect the dots, improving hiring, onboarding, managing and developing employees and leaders - even if cost-cutting and layoffs are still on the table (we've got a ways to go for the good biz ship Titantic Lollipop to turn around and there be many icebergs still afloat).

And then in our latest HR Market Share podcast with Jason Alba, I touched on some of the recent good news from Bersin & Associates HR marketplace research (these hip cats get it):

Employers Capitulate on Business Slowdown – The Turnaround is Coming

According to the summary post, business leaders in most industries have now lowered their expectations and essentially “capitulated” on the 2009 recession. This means that companies have stopped looking into the abyss and have now “reset” their plans with lowered expectations.

Doesn't sound very positive, but it is (bullish according to Bersin).

When we asked HR executives about their key talent strategies, their talent priorities are as follows:

67% cite “gaps in their leadership pipeline”, up from 64% in Q1 (this is bullish)
66% cite the need to “improve a performance-driven culture”, up from 71% in Q1 (this is bullish also)
37% cite the need to “downsize the organization”, down from 33% in Q1, which is also bullish.

Bersin & Associates are hearing the need for sucession planning and leadership development and companies are investing in their plans for the future, while on the supplier side of the fence many talent management firms have been rockin' and rollin', not sliding into the cold dark sea.

So whether you're an integrated talent management firm or a siloed succession planning/workforce planning/leadership development firm, your marketing play should definitely be increasing.

Just connect the HR dots.

Labels: HR leaders, leadership development, marketing and PR, succession planning, talent management, workforce planning