Strategic Leadership Models
By using well known models for strategic planning and leadership of financial success inputting data for a value driven analysis relating the models to talent management techniques, the results enhance potential for cultural change empowerment, motivation, engagement, and inciting innovative behavior within the organization. The models are:
1. Human Capital represents one of the three intangible capital resources available to strategic engagement to align to financially successful outcomes for a business, as described in Strategy Maps, Converting Intangible Assets Into Tangible (Kaplan & Norton, Harvard Business Review Press, Feb. 2, 2004). Of the three, consisting of Informational, Organizational, and Human, I see Human Capital as lacking in data driven initiatives.
2. The five elements of Good to Great (Collins, Harper Business, 2001) that propel success (paraphrased) are authenticity and integrity of leadership, brutal honesty about outcomes coupled with optimism, a cultural combination of passion, competence and financial results, use of technology to accelerate outcomes, and repetition of a positive strategy until it reaches a critical autonomy. This leadership model can become a common language for vision sharing and unleashing diversity into the innovative process(es).
The method for applying the above models to incite cultural alignment toward successful outcomes through application of talent management is a data driven process. It combines the data resulting from the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Strengths Based Leadership (Rath & Conchie, Gallup Press, 2008) instrument, existing historical work experience and education for all employees in the group being assessed, and a clearly communicated gap and targeted analysis assessing the relationship of the results to the organizational entity’s situation, strategy, and expectations.
In assessment mode talent available versus acquirable is compared to the preferences of development of new leaders from within, tendencies toward integrity, competencies, and strength of passion for the expected strategic endeavor(s). With the data available to enhance performance and behavioral data this subjective process becomes more objective. Monitoring the outcomes of the resulting staffing assignments provides the data upon which adjustments are based.
The result of this approach first produces a deeper understanding of the diversity, native talent, experiential learning and growth, learning curve positions, the strength potential, and the strategically significant gaps in the entity’s available Human Capital investment. By its alternative data shadow, the analytics produce a target talent acquisition profile to be compared to acquired but untapped talents, acquirable talent, and to factor into the ROI analysis for the strategic plan.
The cultural benefits of this approach is multi-faceted. It encompasses valuable motivational aspects in the honest assessment of existing capital resources, strategic engagement of strengths, positioning of teams to accomplish accountable outcomes, data driven transparency, fairness from common methodology horizontally and vertically for all members of the team, and forms basis for rational compensation with incentives for successes.
By Michael Sacco – MBA, SHRM-SCP, SPHR
© 2015 Stratalyne Business Solutions LLC