In the current corporate environment, effective talent management is essential for organizations aiming for long-term success. Succession management plays a critical role in this framework, moving beyond the simplistic view of merely replacing individuals. It involves a comprehensive process that requires ongoing attention, accountability, and engagement from leadership. As businesses evolve, they increasingly recognize the importance of cultivating a robust pipeline of skilled leaders who can navigate future challenges and drive growth.
Ibrahim Balghonaim, a Senior Advisor and Executive Coach, has made significant contributions to the field of HR and talent management. He has faced various challenges in succession management, notably by proactively leading such efforts as a process (and not a yearly event) requiring critical and honest facilitation with business heads. His expertise highlights the importance of facilitated discussions that promote deeper insights and challenge conventional thinking among executives.
By aligning talent development programs with organizational objectives, Ibrahim underscores the necessity of a tailored approach to leadership development. This ensures that high-potential individuals are not only prepared to lead but also contribute meaningfully to their organizations' goals. His work exemplifies the integration of development initiatives into the broader business strategy, fostering a culture of growth and resilience that benefits both individuals and the organization as a whole.
Transforming Perceptions of Succession Management in Leadership
Ibrahim has led HR and talent management in various organizations and has addressed a range of challenges typical in the field of succession management. One significant challenge he encountered was to ensure that succession management was not viewed as a “replacement table” but as a strategic process to ensure the business achieves and sustains its growth goals. This process requires attention, accountability, and follow-through.
It was noteworthy to observe the reactions of the business when they appreciated and saw the purpose of the series of steps they needed to engage in, supported by the Succession team. They recognized the value of succession management when it was approached as a process rather than an isolated event. Additionally, Ibrahim understood that when engaging with business leaders on the succession process, it is essential for discussions to be facilitated by another senior leader with credibility who can promote in-depth dialogue and challenge existing thinking. This facilitation skill is something he has developed over the years.
Strategizing for Organizational Growth and Relevance
Ibrahim Balghonaim found it both challenging and enjoyable to strategize for organizations of various sizes. Implementing a process that aligns with the strategy and growth goals of the business is a rewarding exercise, provided it maintains a business-focused approach rather than a generic, one-size-fits-all method.
Aligning High-Potential Programs with Business Strategy
Ibrahim believes that development programs, such as High-Potential Leadership programs, must always align with the business and strategic context to ensure the necessary impact is achieved. In the High-Potential programs he has overseen, the design and goals were consistently linked to the company’s context. This approach helped identify key competencies to focus on and ensured that development addressed various pillars of the strategy, forming the basis for relevance and impact while preparing high potentials (HiPos) to grow and lead within the business environment.
When designing the HiPo program, the approach was not only an accelerated leadership development process but also aimed at creating an accelerated career program. Each HiPo realized they were part of an elite program where accountability for progress was a key component. This approach has proven effective, as the HiPos are motivated by the process, having been carefully selected for this accelerated career and development initiative. The entire process begins with a series of rigorous selection methods, ensuring that only the top 1% to 2% of talent are chosen. This helps ensure that those with ambition and drive and attitude are selected. A key component of the selection starts with the line managers identifying and submitting the names of those they feel demonstrate high leadership potential. Since the company is investing heavily and in an accelerated fashion, the HiPos are constantly being evaluated and measured by their level of engagement, commitment and progress. The HiPo Advisors are always providing feedback based on these criteria and there are consequences to a HiPo if she or he is not maintaining a high standard in these areas.
All content is co-designed by the internal team and external partners. Over the years, it has been learned that while business school or academic content is valuable, practical and experiential methodologies often yield greater development impact. Examples include developing and strengthening one’s executive presence, enhancing the ability to ask insightful questions, broadening corporate acumen, and engaging C-suite executives in initiatives like “60 Minutes with an Executive” to share their career journeys, lessons learned, and key leadership attributes. Additionally, the highly recognized Action Learning Process is incorporated, grounded in the philosophy that “Achieving Results Leads to Development.” In this process, HiPo teams identify innovative opportunities for business growth, select the most relevant executive to sponsor their initiatives, agree on the scope of work within a set timeframe, and ultimately reports the outcomes to the top team.
Measuring Success in High-Potential Leadership Programs
The High-Potential Leadership Program serves as a prime example, demonstrating metrics that have benefited the business through various success stories, including:
1. A consistently high percentage of internal hires at the GM level, with one year seeing 100% of GM appointments coming from internal talent, significantly attributed to the HiPo program.
2. An extraordinarily high retention rate for the HiPo program, consistently exceeding KPI metrics every year without exception.
3. A positive impact on company culture, as evidenced by feedback from the business.
4. Succession plans populated by many HiPo graduates, indicating the trust businesses have in the capabilities of these future leaders and showcasing the integration of the HiPo program with the Succession Management program.
Balancing Leadership Development and Expert Roles
Ibrahim’s track record highlights the importance of considering a comprehensive approach to creating a Talent Development Framework. In part of one talent development framework he ensured balancing the development of leadership capabilities along with developing internal functional and technical experts based on an organization’s business model. The nature of the business necessitates the development of not only organizational leaders but also relevant capabilities aligned with business requirements, ensuring competitive advantage for the future.
This accelerated expert development program allows participants to earn relevant certifications, engage in special projects that benefit the company, and work closely with an assigned mentor. Participants can also advance to what is equivalent to a GM level while holding an expert or advisor title.
This type of strategic programs, however, can’t yield the anticipated results without a significant budget that must be managed carefully. Additionally, there is a challenge associated with the high level of commitment and time required from participants, who must balance these demands with their full-time roles.
Enhancing Internal Expertise and Reducing Consulting Costs
The different fields of capabilities are identified by working closely with all business units. The most relevant measure of success comes from feedback received from senior leadership across these businesses.
This program is highly valued as it enables professionals to pursue an expert or consulting track for those who do not wish to take an organizational leadership path. The intent is also to reduce reliance on external consultants, who carry high costs, by developing a larger pool of internal experts with relevant capabilities, allowing the company to be self-reliant .
Specific metrics that substantiate the program's value to the business include:
1. The number of specialties for which there are internal consultants.
2. The retention rate of these highly talented professionals.
3. The cost savings achieved by minimizing the use of external consultants.
4. The percentage of current and graduated experts placed in critical roles.
Evolving Coaching Practices for Enhanced Development
The approach to coaching has developed over the years to enhance individual growth. Coaching is utilized as a method of development. Initially, a team of experienced internal coaches was used, which had both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages included the coaches' understanding of the business and their ability to build relationships, allowing leaders and high potentials (HiPos) easy access to coaching. However, many managers were hesitant to share personal and confidential information with an internal coach who was a colleague. Additionally, there came a point of diminishing returns regarding the value in the use of internal coaches.
It is noteworthy that the company received the ICF Prism award as one of the “Top 5 Global Coaching Organizations.” Currently, the organization employs a select few carefully vetted external coaches from reputable coaching firms. These coaches are evaluated to ensure they possess corporate executive experience relevant to the challenges faced by the organization’s executives and can provide valuable insights when needed. When matching coaches with executives and HiPos, each external coach presents a 2-minute video showcasing their coaching experience, style, philosophy, and a coaching bio. This process enables managers and HiPos to make informed decisions regarding their coach selection. To address diversity considerations, a pool of both female and male coaches from varied management backgrounds has been vetted.
Identifying and Overcoming Common Career Barriers for Managers
The team has found the most common career barriers are often those that managers can own and manage themselves. Some of the typical barriers identified include:
1. Managers pursuing grade-level promotions without fully considering their career goals and plans. This often happens when they reach the maximum salary of their current grade or feel that their promotion opportunities are blocked within their current organizations.
2. Some managers lack strong executive presence and emotional intelligence (EQ).
3. The presence of certain behavioral derailers that may impede career progression.
To help managers overcome these obstacles, internal coaching is provided by senior advisors who offer insights based on experience and recommend specific actions for individual development plans. Progress on these plans is monitored, and bi-annual private reflection sessions are held to verify advancements in the eyes of management.
Staying Informed for Continuous Leadership Development Improvement
Ibrahim stays informed about the latest trends by reading short articles and watching videos every day. He also accesses Gartner, a well-known research firm that the company utilizes. This commitment leads to ongoing efforts to improve all aspects of leadership development, including content design, delivery methodologies, coaching trends, and selection processes.
In recent years, the focus in leadership development has shifted away from external training and towards practical activities that address skills not typically taught in business schools. Other effective development methods include observational coaching, appropriate rotations, and special assignments tailored to individual development needs.
Acknowledging Leadership in Talent Development and Succession Planning
I want to recognize the fact that the company has been ahead of the curve in terms of the purpose and value of talent development, especially around succession and high-potential development. It was due to the strong support of top management and their ability to endorse and approve all these initiatives, trusting in our work and understanding how these talent initiatives impact the business. I learned so much from them. - Ibrahim Balghonaim.
Gratitude
I feel extremely fortunate to have worked with high-profile companies and supportive executives who believe in the value of leadership development and succession management, with the pursuit of achieving impact and results in the development of our leaders, enabling our talent, and ensuring we keep building a strong pipeline of leaders to sustain the growth of the business into the future. - Ibrahim Balghonaim
