Last week we talked about transitions and ongoing changes in our organisations and personal lives. I hope you managed to reserve your ticket to the Creating Lasting Habits event this coming Thursday 2nd February. 

Transitions have been a major area of attention for me because at HVO Search we are always helping executives move to the next level of their careers. 

Looking from the perspective of organisations that may be losing a key leader or having to restructure teams, such transitions can be complex, stressful and lengthy. Very often the best solution is bringing in highly specialised support from external HR professionals who have been there and done that many times. 

With this need in mind, I would like to introduce you to Zia Paul-Birabi, my new collaborator and an extremely capable HR change management pro. 

Her track record is second to none when it comes to helping senior leaders better understand their people, make more informed decisions and more effectively manage the consequences of those decisions.

Often when a new leader comes on board or key talent is newly promoted to a management position they are incredibility motivated.  They are keen to make their mark but not always sure where to focus their energies and can often spend 6-12 months simply 'finding their feet'.

Wouldn't it be great if they could get up to speed in 3-6 months, or even 0-3 months? Enter Zia.

Zia equips senior managers with a tried and tested toolkit of hard and soft people insights: headcount, absence, turnover, skills gaps, employee relations ‘hotspots’, high potential, high performance or watchlist individuals, advice on how to address and successfully manage conflict, employee relations dos and don’ts etc. 

It’s not just a plan of what to focus on, but also includes clear measures of success and a step-by-step action plan.

Crucially, once commercial and organisational decisions have been made, Zia then handles the resulting redundancies, restructuring, lateral moves, performance issues or development plans.

It is about empowering our senior leaders to take it off repeat and pave their own way.

Don’t assume that people always know how to do their jobs. Often even the most talented and experienced individuals interpret things in different ways.

So be aware that your business may suffer if a clear, top-down performance management strategy is not defined, implemented and filtered down successfully.

How do you manage your senior hires in your business? What support do you give your key talent stepping up? 

Email me with your thoughts or to discuss how you can help your senior leaders make more of an impact.