The role of the CEO and others in talent identification - A solicitation of insiders views and practical experiences in dealing with arising dynamics.

The modern day economic demands and the relentless pressure put on organizations to realize profits by shareholders has often created a breeding ground for authoritarianism and a climate in contrast to carefully designed and widely canvassed social policies embraced as part of a democratic construct of the organization. The CEO as it has been asserted, among her many other strategic functions, is also the Principal custodian of talent identification within the organization, working in consultation with constituted business support functions in Human Resources (i.e. Talent Management) to ensure that the organization is able to attract the best talent on offer to consolidate and sustain business growth and provide competitive edge in a market environment which is said to have limited skills, particularly in the designated groupings.

The very nature of her position means that, she would be highly networked, and would often find herself in gatherings where she is exposed to people of varying talents and skills, and with her organization's talent needs top of her mind, she would then move to approach those she thinks could be suited to her environment. Having engaged and assessed suitability and personality fit etc, outside of a defined process, she is now emboldened to refer to HR for processing, with the expectation from this unit, to endorse without necessarily activating a normal process in the hiring exercise. The recently appointed HR Director, comes from a highly structured environment, where governance and compliance reins supreme, and would find it difficult to consent to an unconstitutional 'executive order' and would naturally seek to advice the CEO of due process. The uncharacteristically belligerent CEO, with the 2nd business quarter about to start, coming off the back of a disastrous first quarter would have none of it, asserting that the 'buck stops with her', lamenting the slow and often inadequate service from this unit, which is not necessarily true on the balance of her argument, demanding that the appointment be effected without further delay.

Many business professionals would have found themselves in such situations at some point in their careers, the frustration of the CEO on the back of pressure from shareholders, even though rightly exercising her granted mandate, the often extreme demand for profitability puts them in conflict within their ethical considerations and constituted duties. The resolute HR Executive find herself at loggerheads with her line reporting function the CEO, with the organization becoming an unfortunate casualty of a deficient system, which lost its way along the way.

Toney Moagi is an Executive Search Practitioner and Business Process Oversight Adviser.