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I was having lunch during a conference with Mike and John, CEOs with two multinational corporations (MNCs) in Thailand. The talk turned to recruiting talent.
''I love a lot of things in Thailand but what frustrates me the most is finding good Thai talent to fill middle and senior management levels,'' Mike told me when I asked him about his experience.
''The challenge of finding good talent is a world phenomenon,'' I replied. ''For Thailand, MNCs face even more challenges to find strong candidates with a good command of English.''
John added, ''There are several MNCs that end up filling vacancies with Thai executives who are strong in English and have high educational background from overseas. Unfortunately, several of these Thai executives are not good at managing Thai hearts.''
I asked Mike, ''Why do you need to recruit lot of talent?''
''I have high turnover,'' he replied.
John was curious. ''Why do you have high turnover?''
''That's a good question. I'm not sure. What are the reasons that Thais leave organisations?'' Mike asked me.
''Each person has his or her own reason. It's hard to simplify. Let me narrow it down to the executives who join an organisation and voluntarily resign within 12 months.'' Here are some common reasons:
Fdoes not fit the organisation's culture;
Fdoes not fit the role;
Fdoes not match the boss's chemistry;
Fdoes not match subordinates' chemistry;
Fdoes not match peers' chemistry;
Ffails to apply experience in new role;
Fa combination of above.
Let's look at each one, starting with the cultural fit. Each of us has traits, styles and values that form our beliefs and attitudes. For example, you may hire Thais who have beliefs and attitudes that make them comfortable with a working environment that is stable, friendly, values compromise and has clear procedures. If they work in an organisation that is dynamic, competitive, with straightforward communication and unclear procedures, they are less happy. If they were approached they would be tempted to leave.
You can prevent this. During the interview tell the candidates about the culture and try to find out their beliefs and attitudes to see whether they are a good fit. If not, do not waste time. You will hurt not only the candidate but the organisation as well.
In his book The First 90 Days, Michael Watkins cites a study showing that the number of people whose performance is significantly compromised by the arrival of a new mid-level manager is 12.4. A vacant position is better than the wrong person.
If you have people already in positions, you need to coach them to adjust to the culture, but do not expect an excellent performance right away. Usually, they will be able to work with you at an average performance level. Now let's look at some of the other challenges:
FDoes not fit the role. You should be able to tell within 6-9 months. If possible, rotate the person to the right role. If not, have the compassion to let that person go. People who do not fit the role are the ones who suffer the most.
FDoes not match the boss's chemistry. If a lot of candidates left for this reason, perhaps the boss is the problem, and you are accountable for helping him.
FDoes not match subordinates' chemistry. This problem can be prevented with the help of the candidate's boss. If you are the candidate's boss, you are accountable for making a proper transition for him to the role. That includes introducing him to the team and also educating him about subordinates' backgrounds.
FDoes not match peers' chemistry. You can prevent this problem by including peers during the interview process. If possible, add their input in your decision criteria. At the end of the day, the candidate has to work with them anyway.
FFails to apply experience in new environment. If the candidate was a first-time manager prior to being recruited, he will likely copy most of what he did in his previous role to the new environment. Without factoring in the new company culture, the nature of the business, cycles and time, failure is likely, especially in the first year.
There is a misunderstanding about smart talent. Usually, people need time, one to three months, to learn about new roles and environments. Without a proper transition, it's a very expensive cost for the organisation to let the executive to jump into the role on Day 1. It works for only few candidates.
Kriengsak Niratpattanasai provides executive coaching in leadership and diversity management under the brand TheCoach. He can be reached at coachkriengsak
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