Straight Talking From Andrew Leigh of Maynard Leigh Associates

Reading time: 4 minutes

There is a curious parallel between the present situation faced by the world’s oil industry and the way many companies use their people.

The oil industry dreads ever having to pay the full costs of its drilling activities. These are mainly ignored where there are weak governments. If the industry was forced to clean up its mess around the world, the price of oil would probably rise to over $200 dollars a barrel. Suddenly we would literally be facing a true green revolution.

Similarly, the true cost of wasting human potential is conveniently avoided in so many organisations. If polluters should be made to pay, then what about human polluters, those companies whose levels of engagement of their staff are disgracefully low?

BA’s latest attempt to tackle its long running relationship with its front line staff is mind boggling. Sue the buggers! For all its macho posturing, the BA management have shown little understanding of what it takes to run a company where staff feel valued, involved, developed and inspired (VIDI).

Instead, BA’s top team seem determined to continue presenting the dispute as a purely economic one, namely that the cuts the company wants to make are essential to its survival. Unless the staff are entirely suicidal in their attempts to adjust the airline’s stance, they too want the organisation to survive, but clearly not at any cost.

If the issue at stake was simply perks, then naturally the whole imbroglio could be resolved in a couple of late night, face-to-face negotiations. [more...click on the title]

But it is not as simple as that.

 Approximate reading time: 5 minutes

Must You Really Go?

Are you ready for the talent exodus? It may seem early to be contemplating a post recession era, but for some companies this is now the reality. For others, better times seem within reach or at least on their radar.

This is exactly when the unwelcome talent exodus may hit.

Retaining your most useful people is an essential part of the talent management job. No one likes to lose high potentials, those identified as possible leaders of the organisation.

Yet there is a real danger as recession eases of some of your best people literally walking out the door, taking their talent with them.

Approximate time to read:3.5 minutes

“The airline has faced a number of major challenges over the past six months that have affected our customers' experiences with us, and have clearly affected our staff's opinions and perceptions."

Not much seems to have changed since 2007, when British Airways engineering director Garry Copeland spoke this masterful understatement.

Whatever happened to this thing branded customer care? Have BA’s senior executives received an emotional intelligence bi pass? Would anyone in their right minds invest in a company of this calibre? Probably only PC World at its previous nadir of customer abuse and neglect could have managed to turn a crisis into a catastrophe.

 Average reading time: 4.8 minutes

They do it to worn out tyres so why not to ideas in need of an upgrade?  Feedback has served management thinking well for decades.

Yet it’s now looking increasingly in need of the equivalent of a re-tread.

As a way of influencing performance, feedback has held a prominent place in motivational thinking, usually playing a leading role in any appraisal process. It is seldom questioned.

Most HR professionals and many line managers for example, take it for granted that it’s what everyone at work actually needs, even if they don’t necessarily want it.