Here is an overview of the most important elements which make a difference at “Top Companies for Leaders.” Strategy - There is a clear link between the strategy of the company and the strategy of leadership development. Successful organizations closely examine which talent programs are needed and which interventions are necessary to realize their company strategy. Involvement - The responsibility of talent development lies at the top of the organization, and top management is also actively involved in the development of future management. The top managers themselves are frequently active as mentors, coaches or trainers, and frequently share their experiences and insights. Often the CEO plays a prominent, active role in training or action learning, i.e., using high potentials coupled with experienced leaders on essential questions. Also, CEO’s are involved in the programs by means of internal communication. Talent Pipeline – Talent development is considered as a “mission-critical” company process. The best performing companies see the filling of the talent pipeline organization-wide as a necessity. They use sharp definitions of talent (high potentials), measurable criteria and a rigorous process for to determine who belongs in the talent pool and who does not. The outcomes of this are measured with KPIs. Ongoing Processes – The Top Companies for Leaders have incorporated management development in their business cycles. The companies think about ongoing, recurring development processes instead of one-time initiatives. Talent management has a high priority in these organizations. Much attention is given to identifying high potentials, determination of specific career paths for these high potentials, coaching and their active contribution to training and development programs. High potentials are assisted in their development by means of training, e-learning, coaching and job rotation, as well as action learning. Thanks to this approach, leadership and company development evolve continuously together. Behavior – In these Top Companies, leaders are significantly more aware of which behavior is expected of them. This also becomes apparent in all aspects of the organization: performance management (leaders are rewarded for the degree desired behaviors are demonstrated), promotion decisions (people are only promoted when the desired behaviors are shown), recruitment and selection (leadership behavior is an essential selection criterion) and communication from the top of the organization. Critical Objective - High potential talent is considered as a strategic advantage and the development of this talent is and the development of a robust talent pipeline is considered a critical objective for the organization’s top management. Leadership Programs – Only leadership programs with high added value for talent development are organized.

2. 3-4
5-7
8-9
10-12
13-14
15-16
17-25
26-29
30-36
37-38
39-40
41-44
45-49
50-57
58-67
68-74
75-77
78-92
93-98
99-100
Introduction to Toronto Training and HR
Definitions
Core characteristics or talents
Key assumptions
Individual development plans
Drill
Global talent risk
Organizational effectiveness
Linking reward to talent management
Battle for talent in China
A talent-based recipe
Tailoring talent strategy to context
Effective talent conversations
Example-talent management in the finance
sector
Emergent best practices
Implementation of talent management
processes
Making talent programs work
The future talent agenda
Case studies
Conclusion and questions

3. Page 3

4. 




Toronto Training and HR is a specialist training and
human resources consultancy headed by Timothy
Holden
10 years in banking
10 years in training and human resources
Freelance practitioner since 2006
The core services provided by Toronto Training and HR
are:
- Training course design
- Training course delivery
- Reducing costs
- Saving time
- Improving employee engagement & morale
- Services for job seekers
Page 4

5. Page 5

6. Who is talent?
What is critical talent?
What is missing talent?
Talent and skills scarcities-the numbers
Link between top-performing talent and
productivity advantages
Page 6

7. TESTS FOR
Know them
Know them
Know them
TALENT
by what they want
by their influence on others
by how they demand to be spoiled
Page 7

8. Page 8

9. Vision
Self-belief
Passion and principles
A questioning disposition
The networking factor
Page 9

10. Page 10

11. Talent is a key driver of organizational
performance across the entire business lifecyclegrowth and recession
Don’t think talent management, but rather talentinformed strategic decision-making
Page 11

12. A focus on human capital in a knowledge economy
A focus on scarce and valuable people (the power
curve) – the exclusive rather than inclusive
approach
A focus on buy rather than make
A focus on potential rather than experience
Page 12

13. Page 13

14. Definition
Strengthening the individual development plan
Opportunities to bolster talent over the entire span
of the employee life cycle
A critical re-recruiting tool
A massive middle radar tool
A baby boomer transition planning tool
Page 14

15. Page 15

16. Page 16

17. Page 17

18. Introduce strategic workforce planning
Ease migration
Foster brain circulation
Increase employability
Develop a talent “trellis”
Encourage temporary and virtual mobility
Extend the pool
Page 18

19. INTRODUCE STRATEGIC WORKFORCE PLANNING
Define job families and future critical skills.
Model workforce supply and demand with a five to ten year
planning horizon.
Undertake a gap analysis to uncover potential shortages
and surpluses.
Link workforce planning to the company’s business
strategy.
Systematically determine actions from gap analysis;
develop skills database for potential job rotations.
Inform employees of the skills they will need in future
growth areas.
Page 19

20. EASE MIGRATION
Establish multilingual and virtual company presence to
recruit beyond national borders and neighbouring
countries.
Seek expertise in immigrant pools while investing in
the development of current employees.
Recruit beyond national borders and neighbouring
countries.
Foster a migration-friendly culture.
Brand your company internationally as “talent
friendly”.
Page 20

21. FOSTER BRAIN CIRCULATION
Offer generous return packages to highly skilled people and
relocation assistance, including spouse career services and
child care programs.
Keep your talent mobile through:
Horizontal and vertical mobility within the company
International assignments
Job rotation
Encourage employees to take short-term assignments or
sabbaticals abroad.
Encourage foreign employees to build relationships with
potential partners businesses in their home countries.
Page 21

22. DEVELOP A TALENT “TRELLIS”
"Step into the talent’s shoes" to understand what diverse,
talented employees seek (compensation, organizational
flexibility, meaningfulness of business, etc.)
Develop long-term retention strategies to retain scarce
talent (e.g. flexible career systems).
Provide a variety of development opportunities, such as
virtual/cultural training, entrepreneurial training, peer-topeer learning and lifelong learning.
Ensure horizontal and vertical mobility opportunities.
Build an international profile and use web 2.0/social media
to attract, recruit and retain scarce talent.
Page 22

23. TEMPORARY AND VIRTUAL MOBILITY
Introduce flexible work arrangements.
Explore virtual work opportunities for employees
abroad.
Set up rotation programs and short-term
assignment between business units and
geographies.
Foster virtual recruiting events and activities.
Page 23

24. EXTEND THE TALENT POOL
Create a presence for the company brand at universities
locally and internationally.
Display cultural sensitivity in targeting minorities and
women.
Hire graduates from abroad with limited language skills and
offer intensive language courses.
Give employees support to contribute part-time as they
raise families.
Engage retirees (your own or those of other companies) to
mentor, consult or complete short-term assignments.
Recruit from other industries’ pools with similar skill sets.
Page 24

25. INCREASE EMPLOYABILITY
Make education a priority of the corporate social
responsibility agenda (e.g. through pro bono training
locally and internationally).
Offer internships and vocational training opportunities
Offer certified training opportunities beyond current
job and educational leaves to foster upskilling.
Engage with academia and government to equip talent
with a balance of theoretical and practical skills (e.g.
“teach the teachers” program).
Page 25

26. Page 26

27. Definition
Page 27

28. LEADERSHIP
Vision
Vigour
ORGANIZATIONAL ENABLERS
Capability
Architecture
Action
ENTERPRISE ACCELERATORS
Enterprise alignment
Enterprise agility
Page 28

29. IMPLICATIONS FOR TALENT MANAGEMENT
Talent management is central to the success of the
entire business machine
Talent management strategies and practices must
be aligned
Talent management strategies and practices also
must become agile
Page 29

30. Page 30

31. INTRODUCTION
Banish silos
Get some data
Be inclusive
Show people the way
Link reward and performance
Pick some quick wins
Communicate benefits
Be creative
Keep it simple
Measure and review
Page 31

32. TAKING AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
Less likely to experience problems attracting
critical-skill employees and top-performing
employees
Less likely to report having trouble retaining
critical-skill employees and top-performing
employees
More likely to be high-performing
organizations
Page 32

33. BEST PRACTICES TO ADOPT
Define an organization-wide employee value
proposition (EVP) for attraction, retention, pay
and talent management
Manage and design programs according to an
organization-wide total rewards philosophy
Perform formal workforce planning activities that
optimize the supply of talent versus demand
Page 33

34. BEST PRACTICES TO ADOPT
Leverage competency models across recruiting,
career management and pay activities
Facilitate healthy work/life balance and take
measures to moderate employees’ levels of
work-related stress
Page 34

35. BEST PRACTICES TO ADOPT
Link employee performance goals to the
business, and effectively communicate performance
expectations and results to employees
Leverage total cash rewards through
differentiation of merit increases and annual
incentive awards
Link individual and organization results to rewards
Effectively deploy recognition programs
Page 35

36. TO CONCLUDE
Align
Integrate and optimize
Execute
Page 36

37. Page 37

38. Reboot employer branding efforts
Create local development opportunities
Offer viable career paths
Be smart about pay
Become a quasi-local company
Page 38

39. Page 39

40. Top-down plan
Bottom-up: shared mindset
Workforce
alignment
Acquiring talent: pre-qualify source
Releasing employees: outplacement
Enrich talent pool: diversity, fit
and (serial in)competence
Facilitate interpersonal connectivity:
Increase absorptive capacity
Workforce
fluidity
Expand role orientations
Unleash talent pool
Align incentives
Workforce
Scalability –
Right numbers
Right types of
people
Right places
Doing right things

41. Page 41

42. RECRUIT AND INTEGRATE
How are the requisite capabilities obtained?
How are job candidates selected?
Page 42

43. DEPLOY, REVIEW AND DEVELOP
How does talent get deployed?
What level of career guidance should be provided?
What types of behaviours get rewarded?
To what extent do we differentiate performance?
What are the boundaries for under-achievement?
Page 43

44. ENGAGE AND CONNECT
How do we keep talent connected to one another?
How do we energize our talent?
Page 44

45. Page 45

46. QUESTIONS TO ASK
Do I have the right person in the job?
Who are our rising stars and next generation
leaders?
Who should I promote?
How do I get more out of …?
Who is my successor?
Page 46

47. WHY TALENT REVIEWS OFTEN FAIL
There is too little focus on strategic context
Predicting executive success is tough
Vested interests can lead to uninspired
conversations
Page 47

48. PRINCIPLES FOR IMPROVING THE TALENT
CONVERSATION
Get clear on the critical role requirements
Pick your spots
Holistic assessment
Focus on learning potential
Put the right people in the assessment room
Figure out the role of HR
Actively seek meaningful conversations
Open and honest
Page 48

49. PRINCIPLES FOR IMPROVING THE TALENT
CONVERSATION
Act with good will
Focus on identifying development opportunities
Page 49

50. Page 50

51. INTEGRATED TALENT MANAGEMENT
Definition of talent
Recruitment and talent identification
Competency frameworks
Targeted development
Comprehensive learning
Structured career paths
Performance measurement and reward
Ongoing review
Page 51

52. CHALLENGES AHEAD
How do CFOs structure the finance function and
the roles within it to ensure maximisation of
resources and a strong long-term talent pipeline?
How do CFOs access the specialists they need –
must they recruit or can internal talent be trained?
What is the best way to improve the commerciality
of the finance function and boost its internal
credibility?
Page 52

53. CHALLENGES AHEAD
How can individuals in roles deemed less critical be
motivated and their expertise retained if they see
training priorities being focused on others?
How can the organization create a sufficiently
stimulating career path to retain the talents of
Generation Y?
How can finance assess return on investment in its
people in order to target learning and development and
general talent management spend most effectively?
Page 53

54. STRATEGY FOR ORGANIZATION DESIGN
What is the value-creating objective of the
organization?
Where and how can finance best contribute to
supporting the organization in value creation?
(What do our internal and external stakeholders
want and need from the finance function?)
How capable is finance in delivering these
objectives currently?
Page 54

55. STRATEGY FOR ORGANIZATION DESIGN
How much will it cost and what metrics can be
used to measure success?
Could a new structure – people, process, systems
– improve the success of finance in supporting the
organization?
Page 55

56. FINANCE FUNCTION EFFECTIVENESS
Centres of excellence
Shared services
Outsourcing and offshoring
Business partnering
Page 56

57. INTEGRATED TALENT MANAGEMENT
Centres of excellence
Shared services
Outsourcing and offshoring
Business partnering
Page 57

58. Page 58

59. Recruit
Develop
Engage
Assess
Retain
Page 59

60. TURNOVER RISK
Those with skills in short supply and high demand
High performers
Key contributors/technical experts
Those with leadership potential at mid-level
Those with leadership potential at an entry level
Those in roles critical to delivering the business
strategy
Senior leadership
The entire workforce
Page 60

61. PRIORITIES
Performance management
Assessing/developing high potentials and top
talent
Recognizing exceptional performers
Assessing/developing senior leaders
Measuring/increasing employee engagement
Strengthening the talent pipeline and succession
management
Training managers
Page 61

62. PRIORITIES AND EFFECTIVENESS
Mentoring of key talent
Deploying key talent across roles/functions/regions
Career pathing and planning
Identifying and integrating competencies
Onboarding
Developing/implementing an employment value
proposition
Page 62

63. WHAT DOES TALENT WANT?
Accessible talent borders
Diversity
High level of freedom of mind
Inspiring work environment
Lifelong learning opportunities
Positive country brand
Skill recognition institutions
The “Perfect Employer” Inc.
Virtual mobility
Page 63

64. REASONS TO JOIN A PARTICULAR ORGANIZATION
Employee
Employer
Page 64

65. CATEGORIES OF BENEFIT THAT DETERMINES IF
TALENT STAYS OR LEAVES
Great leaders
Great company
Great job
Attractive compensation
Page 65

66. ACCOMODATING THE REQUIREMENTS OF
GENERATION Y
More flexi-time options
More recognition programs
Access to state-of-the-art technology
Increased compensation
Access to educational programs
Pay for cell phones and blackberrys
Telecommuting options
More vacation time
Page 66

67. HARNESSING THE TALENT OF SKILLED IMMIGRANTS
Building increased awareness among senior leaders and
decision makers of the significance of the immigrant
population as a source of skilled talent
Providing recognition for the value and transferability of
international skills and credentials
Developing a data-driven understanding of the potential
benefits of employing skilled immigrants
Creating awareness among leaders of the value of skilled
immigrants for access to international markets, and local
niche/ethno-specific markets
Recognizing that skilled immigrants bring access to new
ideas and perspectives to support innovation
Page 67

68. Page 68

69. Linking rewards more closely to performance
Giving employees self-service tools to search and
apply for new roles in the organization
Focusing more on key workforce segments
Giving business leaders greater ownership and
accountability for building the talent pipeline
Using branding/marketing techniques to enhance
the employment value proposition
Page 69

70. Creating more consistency in how talent is
identified, developed and moved throughout the
organization
Creating a formal governance structure and
process for talent management activities
Redefining the critical attributes and competencies
needed for the next generation of leaders
Integrating talent management processes more
directly into business strategy and operations
Page 70

71. Scaling and adapting talent strategies on a global
basis
Increasing use of technology to streamline talent
management processes and activities
Giving managers self-service tools to source and
deploy internal talent
Creating an experience “punchlist” for critical roles
and designing targeted career paths to ensure
adequate succession
Page 71

72. Improving quality and use of analytics to monitor
the need for, and supply of, talent
and better differentiate performance
Adopting just-in-time talent-sourcing approaches,
including contingent workforce designs
Leveraging social networking tools to access and
engage the workforce in new ways
Page 72

73. PROCESSES MOST CRITICAL TO ACHIEVING RESULTS AND
TOUGHEST TO IMPLEMENT & SUSTAIN
Integrating talent management processes more directly
into business strategy and operations
Giving business leaders greater ownership and
accountability for building the talent pipeline
Redefining the critical attributes and competencies needed
for the next generation of leaders
Creating more consistency in how talent is identified,
developed and moved throughout the organization
Page 73

74. IMPLEMENTING A PROACTIVE TALENT
MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Creed
Strategy
System
Page 74

75. Page 75

76. Clearly communicate the core objectives-set expectations
at the start and manage them throughout
Even though the organization as a whole may sponsor
talent activities, it is beneficial to have HR/talent running
the program, and visibility is important to maintain
credibility and consistency
Consider implementing a selection process for the top
talent program to increase its perceived value and motivate
participants to perform-make the selection process a
learning event in itself and ensure all applicants receive
constructive feedback
Page 76

77. Review the structure of the talent program/pool
with the business sponsor-coaching, mentoring
and networking are the elements most valued by
senior talent pool members
Develop ways of harnessing the peer group
created as part of the talent program by creating
opportunities beyond the lifespan of the program
Page 77

78. Page 78

79. DEFINING THE FUTURE TALENT AGENDA
What leadership competencies/attributes are
required to drive our business strategy and lead
the evolution of the culture?
How robust is our existing leadership pipeline, and
where are there risks?
What are the pivotal job families/roles most critical
to executing our business strategy?
How will we differentiate talent
strategies/investments accordingly?
Page 79

80. DEFINING THE FUTURE TALENT AGENDA
What are the implications for skill development, given our
business strategy?
What are our existing/emerging talent requirements in the
various markets we serve, and how will we attract/deploy
the right talent to these markets?
How can we optimize investments in talent and reward
programs to achieve the right performance outcomes and
evolve the culture?
Does the talent function have the right structure,
capabilities and people to deliver value to the
organization at the right cost?
Page 80

81. TALENT MANAGEMENT IN THE NEW WORLD
Differentiation
Assessment and ranking
Performance management
Performance improvement
Transparency
Page 81

82. FUTURE ISSUES FOR THE TORONTO FINANCIAL
SERVICES INDUSTRY
Local and global competition for talent
Gaps in leadership talent
Significant loss in critical knowledge and skill with
retirees
Attracting younger workers and managing multigenerational workforces
Integrating immigrant workers and managing
increasingly diverse workforces
Page 82

83. QUESTIONS TO ASK IN TORONTO
Which segments of the workforce create the value
for which we are most rewarded in the
marketplace?
Which areas of our business will be most impacted
by impending waves of retirement? What are we
doing to prepare successors? What impact will
anticipated retirement have on the skills and
productivity necessary to meet future demand?
Page 83

84. QUESTIONS TO ASK IN TORONTO
In what areas is the talent market heating up (i.e.,
demand will outpace supply)? Which segments of
our workforce will be most impacted? What are
the potential top-line and bottom-line implications?
What skills will we need over the next five years
that we don’t currently possess? How will we
create that capacity? What happens to our
business if we don’t?
Page 84

85. QUESTIONS TO ASK IN TORONTO
What is our turnover within critical areas? How
much is it costing us? In customers? In
productivity? In innovation? In quality? What are
we doing to resolve the root cause?
Are we actively developing talent portfolios or
workforce plans that will help us to understand
and communicate the financial consequences of
talent decisions on our business?
Page 85

86. A TIPPING POINT FOR TALENT MANAGEMENT?
Integrated talent management remains more
aspiration than reality
Current talent management practices are
insufficiently forward-looking
Page 86

87. CHALLENGES AHEAD-WESTERN COUNTRIES
A step change in productivity is required
New kinds of jobs
Aging population
Different preferences of Generation Y compared to
other groups
Different offering needed from employers
Page 87

88. CHALLENGES AHEAD-DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
China alone will build “one Canada” in the next ten
years
Asia returning to its natural half-share of the world
economy
Emerging markets provide access to large skilled
talent pools
Not all graduates are treated equally
The supply of professionals in China is fragmented
Page 88

89. CHALLENGES AHEAD-DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
China alone will build “one Canada” in the next ten
years
Asia returning to its natural half-share of the world
economy
Emerging markets provide access to large skilled
talent pools
Not all graduates are treated equally
The supply of professionals in China is fragmented
Page 89

90. Page 90

92. CHALLENGES AHEAD-SUMMARY
Is talent management strategy as embedded as
business and financial strategy?
Are you tapping into non traditional talent pools and
who are you competing against?
Is your employee value proposition as tailored as
possible to key segments (age, gender, diversity) and
do you have five “compelling” stories?
To what extent are you accelerating the development
of high performers and how are you retaining them?
Page 92

93. Page 93

94. Page 94

95. Page 95

96. Page 96

97. Page 97

98. Page 98

99. Page 99

100. Summary
Questions
Page 100