RPO and Talent Management Blog by Ochre House | Ochre Talk

Whether or not you are a Manchester United fan, it would be difficult to argue with the fact that as a business this football club has been massively successful, to say nothing of their success as a sports team. In light of Sir Alex’s recent announcement of retirement, I think one must reflect on what qualities he has that have made him the legend that indeed he has become in sports management circles. Managers and leaders of business could certainly take a lesson or two from Sir Alex, who claims that his childhood in Glasgow was more useful in learning about life and how to manage it, than any MBA from Harvard could have been. Read full post

Dark clouds descend on the horizon…rogue comets pass though the earth’s asteroid belt pelting space debris like fireballs from the sky and a Texas sized asteroid marking our imminent extinction  – its only a matter of time! Read full post

Ahead of the Ochre House Think Tank Illuminating future leadership capability and aligning it to succession in Hong Kong on the 22nd May, we I thought it would be useful to outline some of the salient points being discussed: Read full post

Last year the market produced some new fascinating learnings – in and around our world of talent and how firms tackle ‘collaboration’.
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It’s been all about Succession Planning in my world for the last several weeks – in the run up to our Think Tank at Microsoft.  Sub-consciously this must have influenced my reading choices: I’ve just finished “Bring Up the Bodies” and then, immediately re-read “Wolf Hall” – the two award winning novels by Hilary Mantel.  The plots cover the period from Henry VIII’s annulment of his first marriage to his betrothal to Anne Boleyn and beyond – all from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell – a maverick HIPO.   All the courtiers are remarkably engaged in Henry’s succession plan ie one or more royal sons – as they’re aware they’re likely to lose their heads, or other vital body parts, if the plan isn’t successfully executed.
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In the early years of my career as a Pharmaceutical Recruiter, I can remember the constant calls from anxious Hiring Managers’ either needing to replace a team member who had just resigned or the urgent need for an additional resource, who they needed yesterday! Has much really changed?  From talking to colleagues across the pharmaceutical industry, I’m hearing a resounding ‘no’!  More often than not, the vacancy is for a role that has a direct impact on the organisations ability to deliver a product or service.  In addition to the business impact, the inability to fill a role quickly creates dissatisfaction for other team members who are covering the workload, which can lead to further attrition – and so the hamster wheel continues!
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Leading and managing diversity is not optional for the contemporary leader. It is also not as easily done as it is stated! Of course ‘diversity’ is as complex as it is nuanced and much has been said and written on the subject. I am currently in Istanbul doing a day on ‘leading diversity’ for an international pharmaceutical company who are intent on equipping their senior leaders in this vital area. It is a wonderful city in which to explore this topic and a good part of the day is spent out and about in the city getting a first-hand engagement with diversity.
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One of the biggest challenges facing leaders today is that of leading diversity. It is also something that leaders cannot ignore, avoid or neglect – although many do.
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In previous instalments I have reflected on how JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit might inspire those involved in the world of emerging talent to look in unfamiliar places (part 1) and to embrace diversity like never before (part 2). In this final part of the trilogy I am looking at how Bilbo Baggins’ adventures can remind us of the importance of not just finding but then of being proactive in developing our newly acquired emerging talent.
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In my previous blog I looked at how the wizard Gandalf’s recruitment of a hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, for an adventure might inspire us to challenge accepted recruitment practice when taking a fresh look at our emerging talent programmes this year.
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