3”D” Talent Strategy

Modern business is facing unprecedented challenges than ever: the hyper-competitive economical environment, the multi-polar global landscape, the transformative digital technology, the more selective, technology-savvy customers, and multi-generational & multi-cultural workforce, talent management is strategic imperative for any visionary business to compete for growth, to brand with differentiation, to advance with meaningful social value, and to change the world with the secret formula.

Too many organizations still dismiss talent management as a short-term, tactical human resource rather than an integral part of a long-term business strategy and scientific management discipline, the contemporary talent strategy and management need embrace and proactively adapt to the changes, from talent sourcing to talent development & retention, hopefully the next 3D dimensions of talent strategy can help shape the collectively competitive mindset and optimized talent management process.  

                                         

1.    Diversified Leadership

It were not best that we should all think alike; it is difference of opinion that makes horse races.
~Mark Twain

The homogenous command & control style leadership may no longer fit in heterogeneous working environment,  the serendipity of leadership effectiveness are the power of influence,  best practice of persuasion, the collection of wisdom, and synthetic combination of key elements.

Diversified leadership is beyond gender, race or age, we could list more than 20+ different diversity parameters, the essential of diversified leadership is about leading with unique style and competitive accent.  

                                                                               

·        Leading style:  The talent leader has her or his own influential style: the pioneer, the thought leadership, the experimenter, the practitioner based on their learning and thinking style, character, experience and cognition, the multi-tier leadership team should always complement the diversified skills, for decision making, action and execution.

·       “Underdog” Leadership: Like those underdog companies or industries, underdog leadership is all about the humanity meeting with humility, self-confidence meeting with self-depreciation, wisdom meeting with humor, inspiration meeting with frustration, such as:

--Introvert Leaders: compared to their outgoing peers, introvert may not so much “look” like a leader, however, the strength of introvert leader are observing, thinking before doing, leading from behind sometimes is more effective than always leading at front.

--Multi-culture Leaders: the citizen-by-birth leaders may take basic civic right for granted, however, the citizen-by-choice leaders usually spent decade to gain the right such as liability and responsibility by hardworking, compliance, learning and embracing the culture indefatigably , they could always see things through the extended lens, inspire innovative initiative via different angle.

--Leaders breaking through ceilings: Compared to the leaders born with silver spoon, or always facing blue sky, the leaders who can or have to break through the ceilings (glass ceiling, bamboo ceiling, cement ceiling., etc) are more purpose driven, with in-depth strength, symbolize the new hope for the equal workplace and better world, also convey the variety of opinions and enhance the business governance. 

2.    Dynamic Workforce

I always think change is important in a character. The most dynamic choices that you can make for a character are always the best ones.    -Peter Sarsgaard

Talent is the most competitive asset in modern business, either agile business or smart enterprise, dynamic workforce will enable the change, engrained with energy and envision the future growth :

• Adapt to Changes:

Dynamic talent adapt to changes based on 12 Ds below:

             - Dedicate to learn and grow with Discipline

             - Develop multi-capability via Diligence

             - Delight customer with Devote service

             - Decisive based on both Data and intuition

              -Differentiate personal brand via Dependable Contribution

              -Deploy further possibility via Diversified thinking & Experiment

·       Under-Educated vs. Over-Educated:

 Modern talent just need be educated right, education could be the best thing happened in individual’s life today, however, the education coin also has two sides: 

Education instills us the certain level of  knowledge & discipline, can become the key to turn on the career door,  but, if you won’t continue to learn and grow, the knowledge and the education credential will become the outdated ornament to only boost ego, and even turns to be the invisible barrier to stop you from rebooting the career, expand the horizon or re-charging the energy.

The college-dropout entrepreneurs’ inspiring stories tell us, compared to imagination, dynamic or motivation, education may not always be the secret source for success.

3. Distinct Capability
Distinction is the consequence, never the object of a great mind. –Washington Allston

The organization’s collective capability differentiates themselves from competitors strategically, with diversified leadership and dynamic workforce, modern business can cultivate top performer’s distinctive capability such as: 

• Innovation Capability

Talent empowered organizations embed the multiplier mindset and best practices into their strategies, processes, operations and governance, talent multiplication moves from a key competitive mindset to an important and distinctive source of competitive advantage-Innovation capability: 

The collective thought and wisdom like light bulb, spark the creativity and shine up the working place, it becomes the new normal for people to exercise the new way of thinking and doing, and transformational digital technologies such as mobile/social/cloud provide the unprecedented opportunities to let our mind fly, unify like-minded strangers, and solve the bigger challenges via collective intelligence.

The social business or networked enterprise has extended its border, more interconnect with the customers, partners and industry-ecosystem, their innovation capability is not only increasing their own productivity, but also revitalizing the expanded value chain.

• Analytics Capability

The smart business is also more fact-based or data driven, analytics capability becomes the strategic priority, with the forward-looking leadership sponsorship and right-educated talent, the organization can build up the powerful analytics framework, take advantage of next generation of analytics tools, to manage multi-facet analytics process, both for top-line growth and bottom line improvement, and modern talent management is one of the focal point analytics can make the true difference.

Like workforce talent management, modern education system, from K12 to college education, may also not be enough  to instill the limited, standardized knowledge to the diversified students, and produce the quantitative talent commodity, the goal of qualified education need to nurture and develop the raw talent with diversity, dynamic, distinction and discipline.