As leaders we are
expected to look into the future for our organisations. It's our responsibility
to create, and execute our vision, develop strategies, and reassure our
stakeholders that we know what we are doing and everything is going to be okay.
As
leaders the most important assets we have are our "good" people
helping us achieve the above goals. As leaders it's also our duty to look into
the future for our people, especially if we wish to keep them, and this grows
more important every day from both a business and ethical standpoint. Many of
the more proactive leaders I work and talk with are doing just this, and even
more urgently than usual.
The
reason is the huge opportunity, and the potential threat, coming with the Asean
Economic Community (AEC) in 2015.
The
AEC promises us a free flow of goods, services, investments, and capital.
Capitalising on this will mean having good people on the bus and keeping them
because people with the best capabilities will have more options available to
them in 10 countries. Additionally the incredible change in the economic
landscape where the market will swell from 65 million to 600 million people
means that even our best people will need to develop a whole range of new
capabilities if we are all to enjoy the advantages available to us in Thailand.
The
AEC will definitely require us to develop a more effective workforce and many
of the leaders I speak with are facing this question: "How can my
organisation prepare for this upcoming challenge?"
Unfortunately
it's just not possible to force good people to stay at our company as much as
we need them, but I would like to share some ideas I have seen some of the more
enlightened Thai and foreign leaders use to get and keep the people with the
right capabilities in place. They are not new or revolutionary, but they are
producing benefits in developing and keeping talent.
One
practical strategy used to good effect is ensuring you develop people with the
required attributes as well as the desired skills and knowledge. This may mean
developing the values you need, or the flexibility working in the new market
will require. Developing attributes takes longer and the smart companies are
developing for tomorrow, not just for today.
As
a leader this means getting closer to your good people; attributes usually
can't be developed in a classroom but require a more holistic and reflective
approach. This also allows us to identify and "touch" their
individual needs and provide whatever it is that creates job satisfaction for
them. Personal attributes have a direct impact on job commitment, values,
integrity, empathy and loyalty that can foster employee commitment towards
achieving business goals.
Developing
the desired attributes also gives us moral and ethical leaders as integrity and
responsibility are impossible to get from a book. Developing attributes in your
best people also produces other benefits as leaders with integrity create a
high level of loyalty and commitment, factors that are absolutely crucial to
successfully keeping talent.
Another
approach is increasing your trust; letting go of the reins and believing in
your people's ability to succeed. Of course there is a risk here, but your best
people need to be in the right seats. They don't necessarily need you to tell
them what to do, and getting them into the right seats requires letting them
try. In doing this a leader's prime responsibility is to respect their existing
capabilities and share leadership; let them take decisions on certain issues,
so that they can grow the knowledge, skills and, most importantly, the
attributes they and you will need tomorrow.
Keeping
talent requires inspiring team members to achieve their full potential. Create
a relaxed and open environment that engages employee commitment will helps draw
out loyalty and integrity.
The
advent of the AEC has created higher demand for advanced skills and expanded
knowledge but more importantly for "good" people, so finding and
keeping the right talent is critical. Engaging and motivating workers are
especially tough tasks today, but more than anything they require leaders to
demonstrate a positive attitude, a warm personality, and to be role-models for
their people.
By
showing empathy and open-mindedness to innovation, listening to controversial
ideas or opening the door to different opinions, leaders can learn something
new, and the payoffs can be tremendous to oneself and the entire organisation.
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programmes. Many thanks for visiting www.yourvietnamexpert.com and/or contacting us at contact@yourvietnamexpert.com
No comments:
Post a Comment