0. We’d like to take a few minutes to share with you Korn Ferry’s model of talent and leadership

1. Why should our clients care?
54% of companies reported that talent shortages have medium to high impact on their ability to meet customer needs (Manpower)
56% of talent managers and executives predict shortages in executive leadership (Deloitte)
85% of N. American and Asian companies felt they did not have enough qualified successors in the pipeline for key leadership positions (Harvard)
The gap in talent is a reality and some of the most well respected research on global organizations found talent shortages to be a top concern that will impact businesses
54% (Manpower, 2013 Talent Shortage Survey)
56% (Deloitte, 2010 Talent Edge 2020: Redrafting talent strategies)
85% (Harvard Business Publishing, 2013, Danger in the Middle: Why mid-level managers aren’t read to lead)

2. The widening talent gap
As businesses become more global and the customers and clients we serve have more diverse needs, the implication is that the talent gap is only widening.

3. Korn Ferry Four Dimensions of Leadership and Talent
The Korn Ferry Four Dimensions of Talent and Leadership is a comprehensive framework for thinking about talent across the entire talent management process: from diagnosing the unique needs of your business based on your business strategy; to determining the strength and gaps in the talent you currently have; to identifying the best solutions to fill the gaps; and finally to helping execute the talent strategy whether it is buy, build and/or develop talent.
Underpinning this framework is a talent analytics engine based on data form over 2.5 Million assessments of individuals at all levels, geographies and function. In particular, our database is weighed toward senior leadership in the C-suite, VPs and Board of Directors.
The four dimensions measures attributes of individuals that are more readily visible as well as those that are harder to see and critical to and someone’s career decisions and behavior. The four dimensions are Competencies, Experiences, Traits and Drivers. We will talk about each in more detail.

4. Competencies
Competencies are the essential ingredients of success at work, distilled into observable skills and behaviors. Competencies might describe management skills that contribute to better leadership such as resourcefulness, courage, or decision quality. They also include functional or technical skills. A structured competency assessment puts accuracy in measuring and predicting performance.
Competencies relate to high performance at all levels: accountability, manages complexity, drives results
Competencies more crucial at senior levels: nimble learning, cultivates innovation, directs work, courage, resourcefulness

5. Competencies: Which ones matter most?
One important application of competencies is to look at how competencies correlate to job performance. Our research found that the competencies that have higher correlation to performance for executives are different from those that correlate with high performance at the lower levels. This underscores the need to be able to measure competencies at all levels and understand how the drivers for performance differ across levels.

6. Experiences
The second dimension of Experience is one that people already pay a lot of attention to. Experience is what hiring managers are looking at when they walk through someone’s resume. However, KF4D goes beyond job titles to measuring the core quality of work experience that are critical to success in a key role. For example, for an executive level position, we are measuring whether individuals have amassed critical leadership experiences such as leading turnarounds and managing a crisis.

7. Experiences: Which ones set apart great CEOs?
In developing the Experience dimension we took a rigorous analytical approach. Of all the CEOs who went through KFs leadership performance simulation, we found that the top 20% had significantly more experience in four specific areas – crisis management, strategy development, growing a business, and financial management. The Experience dimension focuses on these and others experiences that distinguish those who have the right experiences from who were do not, and help identify the job experiences needed to develop those with high potential but have experience gaps.

8. Drivers
Drivers are the deep internal values, motivations and aspirations that influence a person’s choices. They can be specific or broad and can fluctuate based on the person’s circumstances and stage of life. Understanding an individual’s Drivers is the key to answering questions about culture fit, employee engagement, and talent retention. For example, a medium sized software company is growing through acquisition. This dimension can tell us what the drivers are for the leaders of the startup that was just acquired so the company can retain the valuable talent for the next two years.

9. Drivers: What drives highly engaged leaders?
Here is an example of two organizations, one with an ‘innovative’ culture and one with a ‘regulatory culture’. Our research shows that the leaders in these organizations are driven by different things. In the ‘innovative’ organization, leaders are most driven by challenge. In the ‘regulatory’ organization, leaders are most driven by structure. When these organizations are looking to ‘buy’ talent, these drivers are important to consider in discussions about culture fit.

10. Traits
Traits are the personality characteristics that influence behavior. They include attitudes such as optimism or confidence, and natural leanings such as social astuteness. Traits tend to show through a person’s behavior but exactly how can be shaped by someone’s experiences and motivations.

11. Traits: Which ones matter for leadership?
Our research found that people with the right traits for leadership tend to get promoted and succeed at higher levels.

12. Where to begin? It depends.
The four dimensions influence one another and interact within each person. The connections between them reveal deeper insights into what makes certain individuals succeed and others derail. Where you begin will depend on the nature of the question at hand. If you are interested in understanding the capabilities of your current talent, you want to begin with Competencies and Experiences. If you are interested in knowing your bench strength for succession planning, you want to lean more on Drivers and Traits. Overall, the KF4D model is greater than the sum of its parts in that it helps to understand how these dimension work together, and therefore, how a company’s talent strategy can impact talent in a variety of ways.

13. How KF4D helps organizations close the talent gap
Let’s talk about how KF4D can help organizations close the talent gap

14. KF4D Answers Key Talent Questions
What talent do I need?
Who will succeed?
Who has leadership potential?
Who is ready for a promotion?
Who is the right fit for the company culture?
How do we close the gap?
KF4D can help answer some of your biggest questions about Talent and Leadership

15. KF4D is the Framework for Leadership and Talent That Underpins All Our Solutions
Design
Talent Strategy & Organizational Alignment
Build
Board & CEO Services
Attract
Board, CEO & Executive Recruitment
Leadership Development
Professional Recruitment
Succession Management
Recruitment Process Outsourcing
The KF4D is the framework that powers all 10 of Korn Ferry’s solutions. Once we help identify the gaps in your talent and leadership, we can then help develop the existing talent to meet business needs down the line. We can also help identify which individuals outside the organization have the valuable experiences and are the right culture fit for your organization.
Workforce Performance, Inclusion & Diversity
Employer Brands & Talent Communications
Onboarding

16. Learn more about KF4D
We encourage you to learn more about our research and this framework for thinking about every aspect of your talent strategy. It is summarized in a white paper published by the Korn Ferry Institute, Precision talent intelligence.