What motivates High Potentials?
Tosi
Taking the Talent Pulse: What Drives High Potentials?
by Nidhi Verma,
Shelli Greenslade and Mary Ann Armatys
Take my 20 best people, and virtually
overnight, Microsoft becomes a mediocre company." This quote from company
Chairman Bill Gates epitomizes the importance of maintaining high-performing
talent in today's knowledge-based organizations. After all, should they ever
feel unchallenged or disenfranchised, these star performers have plenty of other
options waiting for them.
In an effort to learn more about the
drivers of top talent and how well organizations are executing them, in 2007,
global HR consultancy Hewitt Associates released conclusions from its Talent
Pulse study. The study surveyed and interviewed nearly 750 high potentials and
their managers in seven Fortune 500 companies and examined key drivers that
inspire or impede high potentials from delivering exceptional performance.
Understanding the Talent Pulse
Before companies can even hope to inspire high
performance, they first must gain an understanding of the drivers that motivate
top talent. This will enable them to identify gaps or improvement opportunities
to build a strong talent value proposition. In the survey, high potentials and
managers ranked what drives top performance. While they differed slightly in
their responses, overall, they agreed on how well their organizations executed
these critical motivators.
Motivator No. 1: Job
Fulfillment/Challenge
High potentials are most driven to work on projects they
consider challenging, intellectually stimulating or strategically impactful.
They enjoy being forced to think critically and creatively and allowed to
challenge the status quo. In the words of one A-player, "I enjoy being presented
with challenges that stretch me." Underutilization frustrates them.When asked
how well their companies execute on job fulfillment and challenge, 70 percent of
employees and 72 percent of managers said they were doing well or extremely
well. Likewise, more than half of high potentials reported feeling stretched by
their work in a positive and challenging manner. Certainly, strong execution of
this factor, identified as a top motivator, bodes well for retention of top
talent.
Motivator No. 2: Total
Compensation
In contrast with previous studies, Hewitt found
achievement-driven high potentials place great value on how much money they
make. "Money makes me tick," said one top performer. Talented employees expect
their pay to accurately reflect their level of contribution, personal effort and
to differentiate them from average performers. For them, total compensation also
serves as tangible proof they have accomplished, if not exceeded, their goals.
Unfortunately, just 42 percent of high potentials reported feeling sufficiently
rewarded for their contributions, and only 43 percent considered their
compensation to be commensurate with their performance. "Compensation is not
tied to the value a person adds to the business," said one top performer.
Perhaps ,most alarming is that a mere 46 percent of A-players believe their
compensation is competitive relative to other employers. Managers echoed the
same sentiments. Such practices send a subtle message that hard work won't get
an employee any further than simply meeting the minimum requirements, so why
bother?
Motivator No. 3:
Opportunities for Advancement
High-potential employees continually feel the need for
upward mobility. They recognize that progression goes hand in hand with
development, learning new skills and having new experiences, and they expect a
steady stream of opportunities in the near term, not years down the road. Only
37 percent of top performers and 34 percent of managers agreed their companies
offer excellent career opportunities for high potentials. Many complained about
a dearth of personalized career paths tailored to their individual development
needs and blamed organizational bureaucracy and an overly hierarchical structure
as the major inhibitors to career advancement. Just 31 percent of high
potentials agreed their companies' current organizational structure supports
career growth, while a few attributed their companies' limited upward mobility
to "no space at the top".
Motivator No. 4: Good Work-Life
Balance
According to high potentials, a good work-life balance
includes much more than simply the number of hours logged at work. It extends to
the amount of travel required, the extent of sacrifice of personal life for
professional success and the degree of flexibility in terms of how and when
their work gets done. There is a constant struggle between maintaining quality
of life with the drive to achieve, an aspiration that frequently results in a
highly demanding and stressful work schedule. The message to leadership is:
"Honor and respect work-life balance; give us a chance to breathe." While 48
percent of high potentials agreed the satisfaction from their work life
outweighs the sacrifices in their personal life, 59 percent said forgoing
vacations and extracurricular activities negatively impacts their overall job
satisfaction. Likewise, satisfaction takes a hit when they are expected to work
long hours and travel extensively. One high potential explained, "There is a
perception that employees are considered more valuable, the more hours they
spend at the office. The company needs to recognize the need for balance, which
drives productivity and creativity."
Motivator No. 5: Being Linked to Business
Results
Top performers want to play a key role in the
organization. They want projects that yield high impact on the business. High
potentials yearn to understand how their efforts contribute to the success of
the business and its customers. In the survey, 76 percent of high potentials and
66 percent of managers said they have a good understanding of how their work
contributes to achieving the company's mission. This is good news for employers
because high potentials have consistently stated their commitment toward
performance goals increases when they can make a clear connection between their
work and the company's strategic direction.
Motivator No. 6: Integrity
Still affected
by the corporate governance scandals that have plagued big business in recent
years, high potentials said they want no part of any organization that even
hints of acting in an unethical fashion. Their rationale is simple: If they are
expected to throw their heads, hearts and souls into their work, the company's
leaders should be willing to be open and transparent about their conduct.
Fortunately, 86 percent of managers and 84 percent of high potentials rated
their organizations high on integrity.
Building Manager
Effectiveness
One of the most alarming findings from the study is
related to managers' ability to develop, coach and engage top talent. While
managers think they are doing a good job, high potentials do not quite agree.
Managers rated their abilities much higher than their high-potential employees.
For example, 73 percent of managers believe they are helping their top talent
achieve their goals, compared to just 45 percent of high potentials. Likewise,
83 percent of managers believe they have a solid grasp on their top talent's
skills and areas of expertise, compared to just 60 percent of employees. Many
factors are to blame for these disparities. Some managers are either indifferent
or unaware of how to groom and develop individuals. Others are simply B-player
bosses, who may be hesitant to groom their high potentials out of fear of being
replaced by them. Top performers tend to be quite demanding when it comes to the
boss-subordinate relationship and can easily get disgruntled if they feel their
managers are not investing adequate time and effort in helping them develop and
progress in their careers. These differences in perception lead to misguided
development efforts that slow or even halt the progress — and often the
productivity — of highly valued, high-potential employees. Thus, managers should
be trained to play a stronger role in engaging and retaining top talent.
Granted, creating an environment that empowers managers takes time, patience,
tenacity and, most importantly, strong leadership. But the payback is
significant.
Improving Your Talent
Pulse
There is no magic bullet to inspire high
potentials to deliver excellence. However, that is not to suggest there's
nothing to be done. The lessons from the study provide a directional approach
for successfully identifying what truly drives high potentials, giving leaders
the ability to assess and analyze motivational drivers; prioritize and align
talent imperatives with underlying organizational objectives; and ultimately
recalibrate their existing talent management processes to ensure the
organization and managers successfully provide an environment that promotes
implementation of these drivers.Successful implementation of a truly effective
talent management strategy requires a systematic and holistic approach, one that
is on the board's agenda and woven into the culture of the organization. Then,
and only then, will top talent be driven to live up to their true potential and
give it their all, thus ensuring their own success and that of the
organization.
Head : System Development Section
Human Resource Division
PT. ASTRA DAIHATSU MOTOR
Jl. Gaya Motor III no. 5, Sunter II
Jakarta 14330
(021) 6510300 ext. 5815
tusriyo...@daihatsu.astra.co.id