The Talent Myth, Part II

In Part I we explored the part of the Talent Myth owned by Corporation's Chief Executives - It's important to keep in mind as we explore Human Resources and their part in the Talent Myth.

First things first, let's understand who we're talking about. When you look at the Global 2000 and their HR teams, the bulk of the people on the "team" have come up through the administrative ranks. Surprisingly, so have the executives running HR. The exception is sometimes found in the Staffing area where many individuals have migrated from the classic Staffing industry (permanent and contingent agencies). This says a lot about what we are dealing with in HR. In a climate where HR is being asked to be more and more strategic - those being asked really don't have much to fall back on when it comes to strategy. There may be exceptions, in individuals on any given HR team, but let's face it - this is the norm. The result is a profile of the HR and Staffing professional that has a very large impact on decisions made in HR.

Today's HR professional is not a decision maker - they are a consensus builder. When large projects are initiated they are usually supported by large committees. It is very rare that you will find an HR Executive or Manager that will make a business decision based on it's own merits without without building consensus across a large number of individuals.

The HR professional is technology averse. After years and years of being on the low end of the IT support totem pole - the result is an HR professional that is scared of technology. Being afraid of technology doesn't lend itself to developing a great understanding of how it can be used effectively. Simple, basic concepts and applications that are taken for granted by most professionals are foreign concepts to the HR professional.

Technology aversion & lack of decision making skills leads to a dependency on consultants. Today's HR professional surrounds themselves with consultants and
other outside resources that can offer the HR team a false sense of security. This one creates an interesting dilemma. The consultants are paid based on how much work they do, normally by the hour. The consultants aren't necessarily motivated to streamline a process.

More coming in tomorrow's update...

The Talent Myth, Part I

Before I can define the Talent Myth, let me set the stage.

A small industry came alive over the last 15 years. The Talent Market, The Staffing Markets, The People Market, The Human Capital market, whatever you want to call it. It mushroomed in growth along with the "e-economy" bubble. The so-called "War for Talent" or "Talent Shortage" put an increasing focus on the importance of attraction and retention of staff. The human resource processes, practices, and technologies that surround talent issues were increasingly under the microscope. Human Resources professionals found themselves the providers and retainers of a very valuable commodity: talent. Companies found themselves looking to HR with an unusual sense of urgency: strategic urgency - based on the growing pressure of a diminishing supply of talent against a great growing demand. Consulting firms (large, boutique, and independent) flourished assisting the HR departments with the processes, practices, and technologies- staffing firms seemed like they were printing money - and with the emergence of the Internet and Web, technology vendors brought their vision and their vapor to the table in the form of websites, applications, and service offerings - arm chair analysts and marginal journalists bacame market pundits and gurus spinning their opinions while their pocket were lined for their trouble with speaking engagements, consulting gigs, and advertising dollars . It took this circle of co-dependent parties to fuel the growth in this Talent Market. It took this co-dependent circle to create The Talent Myth. They may have created it with the best of intentions, or even unknowingly but it seems it's here to stay. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Now that the table is set, we need to look more closely at those sitting at the table, the players in the circle, the co-dependents themselves.

Let's start at the top. The companies that need the talent and the executives that run the companies. "Our people are our most valuable asset." How many times have you heard this from a CEO or top executive? It's normally followed with a CEO's commitment to Human Resources processes, practices, or innovation. This is the part of the myth that the corporations and their execs own. I'm here to tell you that there are people that are considered a most valuable asset, but it does not extend across a company in most top executives minds. When it comes to an executive's mentality, if you don't build it, market it, sell it, or service it (whatever it is that the company offers) and if you're not in the top 10% in the management ranks you are far from a most valuable asset. This extends to HR, unfortunately. For all of Human Resources desire and efforts to become strategic - they just aren't there. Very very few corporate leaders truly practice what they are forced to preach out of political correctness.

We all hate to admit it, but HR is a cost center and it hasn't made any visible progress across the board in becoming something more strategic. Payroll, benefits, and staffing are what most executives look to HR for at the end of the day. It's unfortunate but it's true. This is the first reality we need to come to grips with in order to understand the talent myth.

We'll end here for now. The next topic is around understanding the HR professionals that make up the market. It requires it's own space. There is a lot to write about.

Until next time....