The battle to attract and retain IT talent is getting more fierce, but too many CEOs aren't aware of the problem and aren't taking necessary steps to fix it, according to Nancy MacKay, president of MacKay & Associates, a US-based executive consulting firm. MacKay detailed six strategies for companies to win the war for IT talent for almost 300 CIOs at Everything Channel's Midsize Enterprise Summit West in Los Angeles Tuesday. Everything Channel is the parent company of Channelweb.com. Too often, there's a disconnect between the CEO and IT because they don't communicate effectively, MacKay said. She cited a CEO she's worked with who had fired three CIOs in six years and wanted to fire his fourth. Instead, the CEO spent a week in the life of the IT department and found some of the hardest-working employees were in that group. Afterward, the CEO became the strongest advocate for the CIO within the company, she said. "My challenge to you is to choose one of these strategies and make it happen. Leadership in a dismal economy is about taking action," MacKay said. The first strategy is to develop an extraordinary leadership style, MacKay said. "Build trust and candor around you. Spend quality time with your direct reports. Master your emotions and minimise the ego talk," she said. "In the last six months, a number of executives have been stressed out facing unprecedented challenges. It's more important to show up positive." The second strategy is to realise that money isn't the primary factor to retain talent. "The real story is the disconnect with a boss or peers. Retention is about helping people achieve full potential and having a long-term view," MacKay said. A worker with a close friend at work is 2.5 times more satisfied than an employee without a close friend, she said. "A critical component of team performance is deep social bonds. In a dismal economy you may not able to create cool IT projects for your staff. What are you doing to create an environment for people to connect with each other?' she asked. Another strategy is to have a solid succession plan that both builds up your bench strength and helps the company long term. "Your IT department can keep running," MacKay told the CIOs. "It's about delivering results your CEO is desperate to see you deliver. You've got to be encouraging IT professionals to build relationships with key decision makers." Fourth, it's important to have a "talent advantage" mind-set, MacKay said. Successful executives are always scouring for top talent, she said. "Look for the people that have the passion and the competence to deliver extraordinary results. People with passion will overcome whatever barriers come their way." A fifth strategy is to embrace new generations and strike a life balance for employees. "Are you the exemplar for your team? Do you have a life? That's what motivates and inspires people to do better and not have to give up their health and their families. Have confidence and courage to make that work," MacKay said. Finally, the sixth strategy is to do a strong assessment of your talent pool. She cited Jack Welch's model for GE of having 20 percent A players, 70 percent B players and only 10 percent C players. She talked about one CEO who had 60 percent C players and spent too much time trying to turn them into Bs. "The key to accelerate team performance is to spend time with the A's. They need to be challenged, to know they're significant. B players want to meet your expectations. C players you need to figure out where a better place is for them to be," MacKay said. See original article on CRN.com
Issue: 277 | March, 2010