Developing Directors
Guidance from Rick Freeman, Vice President and Head of Employee Transformation at Capgemini Consulting UK.
- What are the common challenges facing directors in the UK market?
The challenges facing directors in the UK market vary depending on the length of time that a director has been in that position.
The main challenge that new directors face is making the step change into leadership. When coming from an operational background, it is difficult to get used to the skills required for effective leadership. The role of a director is to develop the future of the organisation in which they work, and it can sometimes be difficult to start focusing on that rather than on the day-to-day HR processes.
On the other hand, existing directors who have been in the position for a while can often suffer from a sort of 'Difficult Second Album Syndrome'. After initial successes, many lose perspective and experience difficulties in revitalising their ideas and ensuring that their ideas are fresh and innovative. - How can you teach directors to innovate and embrace technology and best practice? CapGemini is associated with technology and innovation. How innovative is the company and the directors?
It is very important that directors understand the folly of merely staying with what they know. They must be encouraged to constantly explore new processes and technology. That said, one thing that is clear to me that most directors are not interested in sitting in a classroom being presented at. The most effective way that directors can learn about new processes and stay ahead of the game is by communicating peer-to-peer.
At Capgemini, we have a number of senior forums, such as the Innovation Forum, which are designed to bring directors together in one room to encourage debate and discussion and to help them learn from eachother. It is surprising how rare this form of talent management has become within many organisations: while there are lots of conferences directed at HR Directors, the majority of them are on too large a scale and do not give the right level of intimacy required for effective sharing of ideas.
Commiting to and implementing innovations is essential for directors, as many of the problems that big organisations are facing require great imagination and an ability to learn from other people's mistakes.
Capgemini as a brand has a long history of innovation and is known for its quirkiness. We operate in an innovative solution environment; a structure in which there is tremendous opportunities for directors and operators to individually develop. Many of the processes are targeted and are about constantly coming up with new ideas. This looser, more federal structure allows individuals to explore their own creativity.
This combination of an innovative heritage and brand culture, along with a structure designed to enhance each individuals' creativity makes for the most innovative environment possible. - How can smaller companies replicate the role of the HR Director?
Ultimately, small companies must be alert enough to realise that their people are important to the business and ensure that they get the right level of advice about leadership and people at the right time. The problem that many SMEs have is remembering the importance of their employees while also focusing on growing their business. A number of organisations have found a niche in the market and have worked hard to generate profit but it is done in a shortsighted way, with their people being worked into the ground until they eventually run out of steam.
There are various sources that SMEs can get advice about leadership issues, but these should be seen more as a support than as a replacement to the HR Director. Indeed, when a company is very small, it becomes the responsibility of the CEO to assume the role of an HR Director. - How important are the development and expertise of the director in leading a company to success or even steadying the ship?
Research over a multitude of studies proves that directors are essential in ensuring the longevity of a company. If the directors are seen as strong leaders, it gives the entire company a perceived level of confidence. - Entrepreneurs who have to be directors: what should they pay attention to (the boring stuff that is not as sexy as VC funding and a continuous stream of new ideas)?
While there are a number of entrepreneurs who have the capability of becoming someone who can run a successful business, there are many who have a lack of self-awareness that can be damaging to the company. Entrepreneurs must be aware of their strengths and weaknesses and should be sure to delegate the bits that they are not good at to other people in the team. What's more, they should constantly listen to the rest of the team and their advice and learn to let go of some parts of the business.
If entrepreneurs do not pay attention to their team, they are at risk of seeing their business failing because of a lack of leadership of the parts of it that they are not successful at running, or even becoming a 'serial entrepreneur'. Interestingly, a study of US entrepreneurial millionaires under 30 found that they had tried on average 16 different business ideas - this can be avoided if the individual delegates to his or her team. - How important is the HR Director in developing all staff?
The HR Director should be absolutely central in developing all staff. This is not necessarily in terms of actually doing it, but in terms of working with the board to manage the structure of the business in such a way that will ultimately develop staff. One way of getting the message across to other parts if the business is to learn to talk business rather than HR. Business leaders will take HR directors far more seriously if they can talk about HR in business terms. - HR Directors are notoriously busy and hard to get a hold of. What steps should a company or a HRD take to ensure that time is kept for contemplation and review to ensure that the HRD is abreast of what challenges the company and its staff are facing and how to implement best practice and/or devices that will improve performance
My strongest recommendation would simply be to get out of the office. One of the most effective HR Directors I have come across was from a large supermarket chain in Germany, who spent three days a week out of the office speaking to the chain's suppliers and consumers. This allowed freshness and the ability to work innovatively to get hold of clever, new innovative ideas. People risk becoming stifled by their own office.
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