Welcome to

The Performance Hub

Leadership Survey Results

December 2011

About us...

THE PERFORMANCE HUB is a small performance enhancement consultancy.

We work with performance targets.

Our values are Transformation, Innovation, Passion and Integrity.We live these in our work, with our blue-chip clients, our partners,

our associates, our suppliers and each other.

www.theperformancehub.co.za

51% owned by a BBBEE Trust focussed on the upliftment of disadvantaged youth. AAA+ (Level 3) rating on the BBBEE Scorecard.

Who responded?

Our snapshot survey drew respondents from a range of sectors: entertainment and media financial services retail consulting manufacturing

And levels in organisation: junior manager director specialist

How are SA leaders keeping up to date?

Most popular – conferences and seminars, print and online sources of info. We expected these responses.

Less expected: Lower uptake of interactive methods - networking and interactive online

media.

Why is this important? Dynamic and interactive methods may serve leaders well as they navigate a volatile economic climate.

Leading organisations to observe, anticipate, flex and learn within business context requires subtle appreciation of current realities, and ability to interpret trends and anticipate what will be affecting their business in the future.

How are SA leaders being developed?

In order of frequency:- formal learning programmes and seminars - informal methods such as books and magazines- coaching and mentoring - And less so, ‘stretch opportunities’ such as rotation

Less support noted for SME’s: we expect this may be linked to availability of resources in smaller organisations.

What methodologies are you using?

- Transformational leadership, coaching and mentoring styles and pipeline - The Guru’s: Maxwell, Collins, Blanchard, Ulrich, Drotter & Welsh- One respondent simply alluded to a set of values that underpins the

leadership thinking and development in their organisation, which we thought was simple and on target:

‘integrity humility fairness’

Do theories need adapting for our local context?

Almost resoundingly, the response was yes.

Leadership challenge Local ranking Global ranking

Complexity 1 1

Innovation 2 2

Globalisation and cultural sensitivity 3 4

Authenticity 4 7

Interruption 5 6

Virtual-osity (networked, connected online) 6 3

Collaboration 7 5

Longevity 8 8

Need to do good not only do well 9 10

Participation 10 9

Top challenges ranked on a global list produced by Corporate Leadership Council & Hay Group

Top challenges cont’d...

- Virtual-osity, a term for loosely describing the need to be networked and connected online, ranked as the top third challenge globally. It ranked 6th for South Africans, much lower down.

- 3rd for SA respondents was Globalisation and cultural sensitivity, which only occupies a 4th place globally.

- Next on the list in 4th place from our local survey is Authenticity, which ranks as 7th globally - much higher up.

Question:- What skills do we need our leaders to have?

Critical skills for SA HR & Business leaders – open response box- Integrity, authenticity, humility- Ethical, strong emotional intelligence, good communication skills and

business acumen - Ability to innovate, to change and to be resilient

Question:- How do we develop these ‘critical skills’? Are they easily developed through

conventional methods which respondents cited they benefit from, in this order: formal learning programmes and seminars, and informally through books and magazines?

What are the key people management challenges of the future in SA?The responses fell into these categories: - skills and productivity challenges- managing talent required to feed organisation plans - engaging and keeping employees engaged- developing flexible working practices and a flexible workforce, and dealing

with the regulatory context in SA- building sustainable business.

Questions and discussions: join us

Can these results tell us something about the skills we want to develop in our leaders? What methods are we going to use? What should be our focus areas? How do you work to enhance ‘authenticity’, ‘integrity’ and the ‘ability to innovate’? Should virtual-osity be higher on our agenda?

Join our group on LinkedIn where we can debate some of these questions: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Performance-Hub-3894549?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

 

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