FINDING and keeping stars is emerging as one of the hardest tasks facing management.“Our biggest asset is our staff” is one of the most common platitudes to roll from managers lips and sometimes seems to be one of the greatest fallacies.
FINDING and keeping stars is emerging as one of the hardest tasks facing management.
“Our biggest asset is our staff” is one of the most common platitudes to roll from managers lips and sometimes seems to be one of the greatest fallacies.
All too often workers with real potential to be leaders in the field are ignored and their talent moves elsewhere.
Professional sporting clubs such as premier league soccer clubs and Australian Football League teams have scouts continually on the lookout for potential-laden but undeveloped talent.
Industry insiders believe this is an approach that should be applied to the corporate world.
In the human resources field, coaches also play the part of the talent scouts.
Personal Solutions managing partner Steve Bowler said coaches worked closely with employees and were well placed to identify their stars.
And like sporting coaches, they can help develop this unnurtured talent.
Morgan & Banks’ Zelko Lendich said a lot of his recent work revolved around “high potential” programs.
“It’s about identifying stars and people with high potential. These are people that a company’s success often revolves around.
“If these people are not developed to their fullest, companies run a very real risk of losing them.”
Mr Lendich said the programs he was putting in place helped companies identify stars and keep them in place.
“One thing companies don’t do is move on non-performers. These people are a big demotivating factor within many organisations,” he said.
“We’re heading into a period of between five and ten years where there will be a dearth of good staff.
“I know of some pretty big companies that have a very high staff turnover and a very bad human resources name.”
“We’re heading into a period of between five and ten years where there will be a dearth of good staff.”
Zelko Lendich
Money is often the least touted reason people give for leaving. Being taken for granted is the one most often given.
Mr Lendich said companies needed to ask their top employees what they wanted.
“But this doesn’t mean you have to keep everybody,” he said.
“The average career lifespan with a company is about five years.
“If people leave an organisation with a good feeling about the company they could well come back later – probably with a lot of new and valuable skills.
“One thing companies are vying for now is preferred employer status.
“This means they can attract good staff that will be an asset to their operations.”
Dunhill Management Services managing director Bruce Henderson believes companies do not pay enough attention to keeping their stars.
“That’s why there are so many ads out there looking of replacements,” Mr Henderson said.
“It boils down to a lack of management. Managers should be talking to their people proactively. It’s a key area in managing employees.
“Companies spend a lot of money replacing staff. They suffer downtime and the lag between a person leaving.”
Mr Lendich believes most companies are becoming better at looking after their staffs.
“You can’t outsource people. You can outsource some of the functions but not the people,” he said.
“Our biggest asset is our staff” is one of the most common platitudes to roll from managers lips and sometimes seems to be one of the greatest fallacies.
All too often workers with real potential to be leaders in the field are ignored and their talent moves elsewhere.
Professional sporting clubs such as premier league soccer clubs and Australian Football League teams have scouts continually on the lookout for potential-laden but undeveloped talent.
Industry insiders believe this is an approach that should be applied to the corporate world.
In the human resources field, coaches also play the part of the talent scouts.
Personal Solutions managing partner Steve Bowler said coaches worked closely with employees and were well placed to identify their stars.
And like sporting coaches, they can help develop this unnurtured talent.
Morgan & Banks’ Zelko Lendich said a lot of his recent work revolved around “high potential” programs.
“It’s about identifying stars and people with high potential. These are people that a company’s success often revolves around.
“If these people are not developed to their fullest, companies run a very real risk of losing them.”
Mr Lendich said the programs he was putting in place helped companies identify stars and keep them in place.
“One thing companies don’t do is move on non-performers. These people are a big demotivating factor within many organisations,” he said.
“We’re heading into a period of between five and ten years where there will be a dearth of good staff.
“I know of some pretty big companies that have a very high staff turnover and a very bad human resources name.”
“We’re heading into a period of between five and ten years where there will be a dearth of good staff.”
Zelko Lendich
Money is often the least touted reason people give for leaving. Being taken for granted is the one most often given.
Mr Lendich said companies needed to ask their top employees what they wanted.
“But this doesn’t mean you have to keep everybody,” he said.
“The average career lifespan with a company is about five years.
“If people leave an organisation with a good feeling about the company they could well come back later – probably with a lot of new and valuable skills.
“One thing companies are vying for now is preferred employer status.
“This means they can attract good staff that will be an asset to their operations.”
Dunhill Management Services managing director Bruce Henderson believes companies do not pay enough attention to keeping their stars.
“That’s why there are so many ads out there looking of replacements,” Mr Henderson said.
“It boils down to a lack of management. Managers should be talking to their people proactively. It’s a key area in managing employees.
“Companies spend a lot of money replacing staff. They suffer downtime and the lag between a person leaving.”
Mr Lendich believes most companies are becoming better at looking after their staffs.
“You can’t outsource people. You can outsource some of the functions but not the people,” he said.
