February Issue

Welcome to my newsletter. Consider this a collection of insights and ideas from myself and the team at CEO.works.

Tackling Organizational Challenges From the C-Suite to the Front Line - A Center for Leadership Studies Webinar

February has been productive. And fun. I got to join Sam Shriver as a guest on his webinar titled "Tackling Organizational Challenges From the C-Suite to the Front Line."

We can all agree that today's business environment is riddled with countless challenges. From managing a highly diverse and mobile workforce to staying ahead of disruptive market forces, the list of obstacles can seem endless. Despite the responsibility placed on training departments to address these issues, the reality is that these are not just training problems; they are fundamental business issues that require a unified effort from every member of the organization.

During our conversation, Sam and I offered a way to connect the entire organization through a common language of performance. By leveraging the Situational Leadership? Model throughout the organization and the language of Talent to Value? in the C-suite, we can achieve alignment, engagement, and accountability, ultimately helping organizations to overcome the challenges they face.

The session was enlightening, and Sam skillfully explained how to navigate change, drive results, and cultivate a people-first culture. If you're eager to learn more, I invite you to watch the webinar on demand. Go to the Center for Leadership Studies site for more information.

The 7 Deadly Sins of Talent: Arrogance

As someone who has spent decades in leadership and talent management, I know talent is a crucial driver of organizational success. However, I have also seen the negative consequences of leaders making common mistakes in talent management. Bill Allen 's final piece in his "7 Deadly Sins of Talent" series: Arrogance, explores these pitfalls and how to avoid them. Here's an excerpt:

Many mistakes I've seen made in talent management stem from this sin. Arrogance blinds leaders to what they need to see. It has them make decisions that harm their organizations and sometimes proves fatal to their careers.

I've shared six sins of talent management with you so far: "best practice ,"?hoarding ,?incrementalism ,?sameness ,?the urgent virus , and?rank and yank . In my experience, arrogance can do more damage than all of the other 7 Deadly Sins of Talent put together.

Arrogance is the antithesis of confidence. Confidence is grounded in knowing the facts, anticipating the problems and dangers, and making an informed choice. Arrogance is a frame of mind dismissive of evidence and risk. It is an attitude that says, "I know better" or "I know best" when it comes to this particular decision, whether I have the facts or not.

Arrogance is the ultimate blind spot of leadership. The following five scenarios illuminate what it can sound and look like on the court: my suggested remedies might help you, as an HR leader, avoid its worst consequences.?

1. THE CHOSEN ONES

"We do our own hiring. We only hire people like us: the best of the best. (Historically, few women or minorities fit this bill.) We make no mistakes with our new hires. We remove all the boulders in their way to ensure their success."

Yet the 'chosen ones' flounder when they eventually operate under their own steam. They blame the company for their failures. Looking at them, everyone else asks, "Whisky tango foxtrot?"

REMEDY:?Review the messages you send about how people get ahead in your organization. Do your friends and people like you advance, regardless of what and how they deliver? If so, change your mindset and actions or suffer the consequences. When value creation is your first consideration in talent decisions, you'll be on the right track.

2. SHEER TALENT

"To win, all we have to do is hire 'A' players. After all, an 'A' player is a winner: you can parachute them into any role—anywhere, anytime—and they will succeed."

Well, maybe they can. Or perhaps they cannot. Context is, after all, destiny. Even the best players can fail miserably when they land in a role that isn't set up to win.

REMEDY:?Pay attention to role design. Is the work viable? Does the role have the right authority and enough capacity? Is the team aligned around delivering the value—or are some members using their pocket veto to silently resist?

3. HIERARCHY RULES

"We already know who in the organization is most critical to delivering our strategy. We just have to look at our org chart."

Yes, everyone understands their importance is based on where they sit in the hierarchy, not necessarily on how much value they create for the company. And the attrition rate of high potentials is on the rise, especially in critical roles.

REMEDY:?Stop using your org chart as a proxy for value creation. Start using a rigorous framework like the Talent to Value process to identify and recognize which roles are truly critical to value. Build your talent strategy accordingly.

You can follow this link for the full article.

Welcome Chris Gagnon, CEO.works Senior Partner

I am delighted to share with you that my friend, and former McKinsey colleague, Chris Gagnon , has joined us as Senior Partner at CEO.works.?Chris will lead the company's Capital Investments and Digital Platform, drawing on his vast experience as a former leader of OrgSolutions at McKinsey.

I am thrilled to have Chris on board as a partner alongside the experienced team here at CEO.works. Together, we are committed to working with leading private equity firms to accelerate the value creation curve in exciting deals.?

If you haven't already, please join me in welcoming Chris. I look forward to working with him to drive success for our clients.

CEO.works | Europe Webinar Series

Hein J.M. Knaapen's recent conversation with Pierre Laubies , former CEO of Coty and current Managing Director at Elmfort Capital BV, was an exceptional opportunity for our Talent to Value community. We had the privilege to gain insights from a distinguished Fortune 500 leader, learning about his successes, failures, and people strategies that proved most effective in aligning with corporate values. I'm deeply grateful to Hein for bringing such thought-provoking webinars to our community, and I'm eagerly anticipating the next one. Stay tuned for further details.

Have you been able to join one of his webinars? If not, you can access them on demand on our website .

I hope you are enjoying my newsletter. Feel free to leave me your feedback in the comments section below.

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