Webinar with Helen Pitcher OBE, IDP-C and Mary Sue Rogers IDP-C on 18 May 2020
Talent has never been a more important topic for the Board. The focus on talent at the Board level is evolving, and many Boards demonstrate best practice while others still see it as more of a reporting and compliance activity.
At its heart, it cuts to the sustainability of the business. Gone are the days when the Board examined a Nine Box matrix once a year to review the succession pipeline and rarely did these processes yield talent fit for the future as they were looking at replacing “like for like” in many instances not looking at the changing landscape of skills requirements. Often people were placed in these boxes because they were good “Number 2’s” and made their bosses life easy!
The Financial Reporting Council – whilst a UK Code – covers many international businesses and is usually regarded as best practice governance throughout the world now requires Boards to know the talent in their organisation and the skills required for the Board to be fit for purpose.
COVID-19 has thrown up its own challenges with talent both for the future and for the immediate if sadly a key member of the team falls victim to the virus has led to emergency measures to identify who can step into these roles. It is also highlighting a need for different skills and the leadership capability to steer the organisation through a remote and distributed leadership lens.
The webinar held on 18 May 2020, facilitated by Liselotte Engstam and Hagen Schweinitz, IDN Board members, and delivered by Helen Pitcher OBE, IDN President and Mary Sue Rogers explored the issue of Talent, the Board’s focus and the myriad of challenge it creates. Practical guidance was given as to how to approach this and excellent questions were posed by the 80 plus people signed up for this lively and interactive session.
Topics discussed included:
- The type of company and size of the Board will drive how the talent agenda is addressed. For those of us that are passionate about this topic, we will have achieved success when the HR Committee, Nominations Committee, Remuneration committee, or whatever it might be called, has a level of standardisation and focus equal to the Audit and Risk Committee.
- Every company’s governance process should have oversight into key talent topics beyond just executive remuneration and CEO recruitment.
- Having an annual Board cadence around topics such as strategic talent needs, succession, employee development, engagement, culture, and specific workforce challenges such as recruitment and retention is best practice.
- Boards should also have a way to educate themselves on the key talent trends – topics such as “gig workers”, robotics and AI, career development, and performance management.
By Helen Pitcher OBE, IDP-C, IDN President, Non-Executive Director, Chair Board Committees, and Mary Sue Rogers, Non-Executive Board Director, Committee Chair, IDP-C.