Creating a Talent Strategy for Your Local Government Arizona City/County Management Association Feb 3, 2010 Dr. Frank Benest

Let’s Start With Two Questions 1. What are the big challenges now and in the next five years facing local govt determining our ability to survive and thrive?

Let’s Start With Two Questions 2. What are the competencies needed by local govt managers to effectively address these challenges?

Why a Talent Strategy?  Local govts are overwhelmed with accelerating and discontinuous change  Problems are complex, difficult-to-solve, emotion-laden, and divisive  No one institution, including government, can solve any major problem  Local govts face era of “permanent fiscal crisis,” depleting capacity to respond

Why a Talent Strategy? (cont)  Power is diffuse  Citizens have lost confidence in all institutions, including govt  To confront any major challenge, leaders must cross boundaries  Talent is the key ingredient to survive and thrive

Indispensable Competencies To Address Big Challenges  Boundary-Crossing Skills  Partnering and Alliance-Building Skills  Learning Agility  Active Futures Orientation Orientation  People Skills

The Importance of People Skills

Why should we be especially concerned about the talent issue in tough times?

Demographic Crisis Facing Local Governments in U.S.  The Numbers  80 million Baby Boomers (born ) leaving U.S. economy  50 million Gen Xers (born ) replacing them  Large talent “replacement gaps”

Age Distribution of Gov. & Private Sector Workers – 2001

City of Palo Alto Organization

City of Palo Alto’s “Retirement Wave” 50% of Management and Professional Employees are eligible to retire in three years three years 35% say they will definitely retire

Talent Development The Goals  Create “leader-full” organization  Develop pool of talent able & ready to step into leadership positions at top levels and throughout organization organization

Talent Development Historic View Talent Development = classroom training Contemporary View Talent Development = series of “stretching” job experiences coupled with helpful and candid coaching job experiences coupled with helpful and candid coaching

Four-Prong Approach 1. Accelerate development of talent in the local government pipeline examples: Interim management or special projects Management Talent Exchange Program Management Talent Exchange Program 2. Capture and transfer knowledge examples: Desk manuals Transition planning formats Transition planning formats Wiki’s (“palopedia”) Wiki’s (“palopedia”) Videotaped interviews with retirees Roundtables with “communities of practice” Videotaped interviews with retirees Roundtables with “communities of practice” Expert yellow pages Expert yellow pages

Four Prong Approach (con’t) 3. Re-recruit and retain talent, including early-, mid- and late-career talent examples: Learning and “stretch” opportunities “Stay interviews” “Stay interviews” 4. Attract young people into the pipeline examples: Re-branding Job shadowing Job shadowing Internships Internships Management ManagementFellowships

Cost-Effective Talent Development Approaches  Cross-train  Use internal trainers or “train-the-trainers”  Teach supervisors simple coaching skills  Place emerging leaders in interim positions  Include a learning plan in annual work plan for each employee  Rotate key talent through Executive Team

Cost-Effective Talent Development Approaches (con’t)  Conduct “talent readiness assessments”  Structure assignments to include interaction with advisory boards and community groups  Exchange an aspiring manager with a neighboring jurisdiction  Collaborate with Area Manager Group or adjoining local govts to create a regional talent exchange, internship, or training consortium

Lessons Learned 1. Ensure leadership from the top 2. Make “talent development” a primary responsibility of senior managers 3. Target efforts but make development opportunities available to all 4. Integrate “attracting and retaining talent” and “growing leaders” into strategic plan 5. Provide array of development opportunities

Lessons Learned (con’t) 6. Go beyond classroom training to provide job experiences that stretch aspiring leaders 7. Align all organization systems 8. Partner with governing board and unions 9. Place responsibility on employee 10. Allow mistakes

Resources  Creating a Multidimensional Talent Strategy to Divert Brain Drain and Other Future Disasters, IQ Report, ICMA, Sept and click on “IQ Reports  Cal-ICMA Coaching Program One to one coaching One to one coaching Telephone panels Telephone panels Webinars Webinars Speed Coaching Speed Coaching Women Leading Government Women Leading Government Also check out “Hiring 2.0” Guide of Best Practices

Actions Moving Forward In terms of implementing some of the ideas that we’ve discussed…  “What is one thing I want to do?”  “What is one thing I want our organization to do?”

Thank You!