Is it time to review your people strategies?

Over the summer, I read an amazing book by Laszlo Bock called ‘Work Rules’, which challenges leaders to think differently about work and how we live and lead in the 21st century. Laszlo is the Senior Vice President (SVP) of People Operations at Google. In his book Laszlo shares insights from Google and key strategies for creating a great culture and delivering exceptional results.

What really got my attention were the “ three core values” central to Google’s success.  These are not typical values, and could often be rejected as soft or unnecessary. Here they are...

•  Mission?    ? Transparency?    ? Voice

While reading the book, I was reminded of the power of purpose as one of the key drivers of motivation and performance, in Laszlos words: "everyone needs a mission." As leaders one of our key objectives is to enrol our people in a mission that matters!  Careerlink’s mission is to bring out the greatness in the organisations and people we work with; to create a performance revolution….

What’s your mission? 

As the world is changing, so must our approach to leadership, hiring and talent management.  For too long we have focused on an out dated model of leadership and hiring and talent management practices focused upon cognitive and technical capabilities.

A recent HBR article ‘ Empathy is still lacking in leaders who need it most’ identified five critical attributes that the next generation of leaders in the digital global economy require – adaptability, cultural competency, 360 - degree thinking, intellectual curiosity and empathy.   This requires us to think differently about our people strategies, to take into consideration the whole person and the whole system including social and emotional intelligence (EQ) capabilities.  

Did you know that recent research conducted by Six Seconds identified emotional intelligence is on the decline across the globe, 1% per annum. This research also identified three critical emotional intelligence competencies that are declining; empathy, optimism and our capacity to navigate emotions.  

I’m sure you can all identify someone who lacks one or more of these competencies and the impact this has on resilience, motivation and their capacity to build relationships and connect with others. 

In leadership, low empathy often diminishes a leaders influence and impacts team collaboration and performance.  ? 

As our workplaces become more complex and we face new challenges operating in the global digital economy, I invite you to take a ‘fresh look’ at your people strategies and consider, are you operating from an outdated model of leadership? Is it time to review your people strategies?

Do your hiring and talent development practices take into consideration the emotional and social intelligence requirements for your people to thrive in the workplace of the 21st century?

In the words of David Morrison former Chief of Army, 2016 Australian of the year…

"You don't lead machines, you lead people.  Unless you understand human nature, I don't think you can lead"?

As we navigate the future we will need entirely new patterns of thought and new ways of being.   Will your people be equipped to meet these challenges?