Rachel's Experience of Leadership

I recall somewhere circa 2018 reading an article in the Harvard Business Review on the rising differences between hiring someone for their skills and hiring someone based on the capabilities the demonstrate. Research had shown that around 80% of employers at the time were hiring based on skills, and 20% leaning towards capabilities.

The reaction of many clients to this data was fascinating. Some staunchly stood by skills being the bedrock of talent identification, whilst others felt the need to shake up how they identified and recruited for the next leaders in their organisation, and shifted their hiring practices to look for the capability’s candidates can demonstrate.

I must admit, if I step back and look at the foundational philosophies of the hiring practices of my clients today, I feel like the skills-capabilities balance is more 50:50, and that’s just in 5 years.

Why am I bringing this up?

Well, listening to Rachel and her career journey to date – A&E doctor to leadership development in a corporate environment – I was left with an overwhelming appreciation for capability-driven career evolution in action.

Rachel was at the forefront of treating patients in a global pandemic. A truly world-first moment where the scientific research was being conducted in parallel with the treatment and symptom management.

She noticed how difficult it was times to engage colleagues in the learning new ways, as well as getting great satisfaction from nurturing talent internally through the hosting of developmental workshops and conversations with peers and junior doctors.

 So, when faced with the realisation that her working landscape needs to change for the better, she explored what she was capable and passionate about (leadership development) and followed that dream.

Two completely different sectors which from a skills lens require very different skills. Yet, when looked at through a capability lens, can be easily bridged. Leadership, calmness under time pressure, successful project and multi-disciplinary management, effective negotiation, rapid teaming and collaboration…all capabilities that are needed in both environments in order to succeed. 

Now, as I’ve been learning through interactions on social media of late, the skills gap between employers and talent seems to be growing, with many asking how we can close this gap?

Well, what if leaders like you looked at your experience through both a skills and a capabilities lens, being able to articulate what skills you have AND what capabilities you have in applying them?

Where have you leveraged collaboration to rapidly achieve a challenging set of outcomes? How have you negotiated a tense situation to deliver win-wins for all parties involved?

A trip back to Harvard Business Review reveals an offering of the capabilities required of the leaders of today and tomorrow in this changing world.

 In 2019, Louise Acon, Elisa Friedman and Janice Molloy offered 9 leadership capabilities that are needed “now more than ever” to be successful in today’s challenging context:

- Develop Personal Adaptability (Leading yourself)

- Accelerate Talent Development (Leading others)

- Inspire Engagement

- Leverage Networks

- Value Differences

- Act Strategically (Leading the business)

- Build Digital Fluency

- Foster Innovation

- Navigate Complexity

Check out the article and you’ll see super helpful actionable insights that you as a leader could start to implement from the moment you finish reading.

For example, under ‘Inspire Engagement’, the authors propose leaders help employees see how their work advances the organisations mission. How easy would it be to hold a team coffee and facilitate a chat about why everyone’s here, and the difference being made? Not to seek ‘the right answer’, to seek ‘the real answers’. This can then give you as the leader the platform to be transparent about diversity goals, bring in diverse perspectives when exploring project solutions, and taking steps to remove the barriers that prevent full participation by demonstrating that you can ask and listen without judgment.

 As demonstrated by Rachel, having the wherewithal to show personal adaptability is a key differentiator for teams and leaders in today’s world.

Contemplate for a moment the following question – If my job ended tomorrow, what are the things I am confident about, capable at and energised in delivering that I could take to any job in the world?

If you can list 5 in 60 seconds, you have a good awareness of yourself and your personal adaptability.

If you can’t, is now a good time to start identifying your capabilities, so you can take yourself and potentially others forwards when rapid, complex change is required alongside a need to succeed?

Rachel also reminds us that organisations are investing in the development of their talent, and the delivery of that development is now more than ever coming over as multi-modal, real-time reflective, and diverse in the way that investment in development meets people where they are and grows successfully from that position.

What strikes me as critical to that whole cycle of developmental success is employees, talent and those going through these problems having a real and authentic understanding of where they are strong, where they are interested in developing, and drive to be proactive in pursuing that development compassionately with where the business currently is to help the business succeed – meaning not just on the timeline the candidate wants the development to be on.

Over to you.

Graham