“From a management point of view, you have to define what it is that you want to do and what talent you need to execute your business strategy. Defining the strategy, the culture and the type of people you need is what ensures you know what type of people you are looking for during interviews. Then you start doing the talent development and ensure the right skill set for the job is developed. ” Kris Senanu, Managing Director - Enterprise Telkom Kenya Ltd.
Depending on your viewpoint, talent can be pricey. If neglected it can cost you a lot but if paid attention to it will lead to a successful business. This was discussed at length at our Breakfast Event. Following our previous successful event, we once again caught the attention of major HR industry players. Bringing together their expertise and sharing their experiences over delicious bitings, the guests left no stone unturned in regards to the event’s theme ‘Role of talent management for an organization’s success.’
Everybody was down to business after a little chit-chat and catching up. Sticking to the program, the first panel took their seats on stage taking a deep dive into the topic of discussion- HR at the heart of organization’s success. The panel which was being moderated by Fuzu’s C.E.O Jussi Hinnkanen was comprised of: - Johnni Kjelsgaard-Founder & Chief Executive Growth Africa, Olivia Muiru-Executive Director B Corp, Kris Senanu-Managing Director of Telecom Kenya and Tony Mbugua- MD Fintech Kenya Limited. It was realized that organizations need to empower and trust their employees more and most importantly listen to them.
With the understanding of how vital the role HR plays in an organization, it was time to deliberate on a topic that people have been trying to get their heads around- ‘Millennials in the workplace.’ What’s up Millennials? Are we really that hard to understand or is it that most organizations’ management have been used to previous generations and haven’t changed to accommodate Millennials way of thinking? The second panel being moderated by Fuzu’s East Africa Business Development President Robert Kimani and comprised of Amrote Abdella - Head of Microsoft4Afrika Program, Kayode Adeuja - Heineken Head of HR East Africa & Middle East and Elizabeth Cushny Head Consultant Mammoth Consulting was more inclined to the later. These great minds shared common thoughts such as how management should open avenues of communication and prepare millennials for leadership by changing their mindset and perspective of life. On the bright side, millennials were acknowledged for being in charge of their careers as compared to the previous generations whose growth was largely left in the hands of the organizations.
The highlight of the day was breaking away into intimate groups taking up the task of ideating on what we think should be the best way to drive engagement and culture to create an irresistible organization. This session was being steered by Caroline Gertsch of Amani Institute who are the gurus of developing professionals who create social impact. The discussion was based on five elements that drive engagement; meaningful work, supportive management, a flexible work environment, growth opportunity and trust in leadership. While at it, members of individual groups representing their different companies shared their experiences in relation to the elements that create engagement in their organizations. The interactive session marked the end of the breakfast event with the groups sharing what they had discussed.
The benefits of these events cannot be downplayed. In fact, long-term relationships, meaningful partnerships and ideas that shape companies are birthed at most of the Fuzu events. In this case, attendees got to interact, network and learn from industry leaders.
Here is what they had to say…
“From a management point of view, you have to define what it is that you want to do and what talent do you need to execute your business strategy? Defining the strategy, the culture and the type of people you need is what ensures you know what type of people you are looking for during interviews. Then you start doing the talent development and ensure the right skill set for the job is developed. ” Kris Senanu, Managing Director - Enterprise Telkom Kenya Kenya Ltd.
“For us, talent is totally key, if we don’t have the talent we don’t have services. Making sure that we can attract and keep our employees and develop them to become even better employees is very important to us.” Johnni Kjelsgaard, Founder & Chief Executive Growth Africa.
“Talent management is the focal point of any organization’s success. It’s about the people; no people no success, bad people no success. But I don’t believe in bad people, I believe in just not finding the right fit for the organization or not being placed well enough for the talent to find you. Alignment is very important, make sure your team’s vision and purpose are aligned with your organization’s vision and the development process is well articulated for your employees to know where they are headed to.” Elizabeth Cushny, Head Consultant Mammoth Consulting.
