The FTSE100 is up, unemployment is down but so are employment figures, and an election has just been called. The market for senior jobs has some encouraging movement, and I am finding that the good candidates out there are willing to make a move for the right sort of challenge. From here, it looks like a shaky recovery, demonstrating the drag in the economy and difficult times ahead but with a more positive mood!

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On that note, many people are probably waiting to see what happens …so perhaps this is a good time to consider whether you have any hidden talent in your organisation. At an SHL seminar last year one of the speakers demonstrated the potential effect of this with the JCB story.

Finding the stars in your team

When I was working with a well known, expanding builders merchants business the board gave me the task of assessing internal candidates alongside the external ones for their branch general management roles.

A number of times there were strengths brought by the internal people that led to them being appointed, but this would never have happened without the objective assessment that I as a market-facing outsider could provide. The internal succession plan had not originally enabled the directors to stand back from subjectivity.When we get to know people, or think we do, it can be hard to be objective about their strengths and weaknesses.

Another organisation did seek help when wanting to assess whether the managing director’s successor should be internal or external. We were able to identify the key competencies required for the job, assess against them and recommend a front-running candidate with a development plan to help him into the role.

The JCB story is about utilising some of the engineering of the JCB digger, known for its reliability but not for its turn of speed, and developing that into a vehicle that breaks land speed records. A nice way to illustrate how opportunity, recognition and development can change a person into a star performer.

How to do that? Here are some ideas:

I am happy to give further advice if this has provoked some thought….

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Best wishes Janice

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