Statistics are like bikinis.  What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital. 

Aaron Levenstein

Another edition of leadership and talent management “facts” from all over the world.  Some intuitive and some not….what do you think?

1. According to a late 2010 survey by CareerBuilder.com (2,482 U.S. managers and 3,910 full-time employees in the private sector), only 58 percent of managers said they ever received any formal management training to help them make the transition into leadership roles but nearly 60 percent think they are doing just fine. The most common problems they experienced included:

• Handling employee conflicts (25%)
• Motivating teams (22%)
• Performance reviews (15%)
• Finding resources for staff (15%)
• Creating career paths (12%)

2. In this same Careerbuilder.com survey, regardless of age or experience, 20 percent of the managers were rated as having poor leadership skills. The biggest complaints included:

• Doesn’t listen to employees or address morale issues (40%)
• Not enough transparency (33%)
• Major changes without warning (30%) and unreasonable workloads/demands (27%)

3. Based on the Global Information Technology Report 2010-2011, Transformations 2.0, World Economic Forum the U.S. is ranked fifth out of 138 countries for its use of communications technology and computers.  The top countries included Sweden, Singapore, Finland and Switzerland.

4. A July 2010 Pew Internet & American Life Project study found that 55 percent of U.S. mobile web users go online from their phones and mobile devices on a daily basis (up from 24 percent in 2009). 

5. According to the Thomson Reuters Workforce Wellness Index (March 2011), unhealthy behaviors of U.S. workers cost employers an average of $670 per employee annually. High body mass indices contributed to $400 of the overall per-employee cost.

6. A 2010 Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) survey found that 44% of employers offered telecommuting options on an ad hoc basis, 34% on a part-time basis and only 17% on a full-time basis. 

7. A May 2011 SHRM poll asking about whether one’s organization had a formal succession planning in place.  Results suggested that 38 percent had no formal succession plan in place and 17 percent don’t with no plan by leaders in the organization to develop a plan.

8.  Some findings from the DDI Global Leadership Forecast 2011 of 12,423 leaders and 1,897 HR professional representing 74 countries:

• Organizations whose employees rate their current leadership as high were 13 times more likely to outperform their competition on key metrics such as financial performance
• Only 38 percent of the 12,423 leaders in the study were rated as good or excellent with nearly 25 percent rated as poor or fair
• Both leaders and HR rated leadership quality highest in North America (52% rated it highly) and lowest in Europe and Asia (33% rated it highly)
• Approximately 33 percent of HR and leaders rated their leadership development programs as being effective
• The most critical skills required from leaders included driving change (48%), Identifying and coaching talent (36%), Fostering innovation/creativity (35%), Coaching and developing talent (32%) and executing strategy (32%).  When asked to rate the ineffectiveness of leaders in these areas, the ranges were from 40% to 50% on each
• 68 percent of organizations use managers as coaches (63% rate it as effective) and 27% use external coaches often (37% rate it as effective)
• The iPad generation desire to learn from others and coaching and the older generation appears to favor classroom training and special projects
• The range of effectiveness for leadership selection, succession planning, performance management and development programs ranged from 22 percent to 33 percent by HR respondents

9. According to an online survey of more than 500 senior managers and executives conducted by AMA Enterprise, one-quarter of employees in the U.S. and Canada tend to regard talent development programs as less than equitable.  Participants were asked, “How is the high potential program perceived by your organization’s employees?” They responded:

• Impartial and even-handed (12 percent)
• Flawed, but well-intentioned (27 percent)
• Unfair and political (24 percent)
• Don’t know (37 percent)

10. A 2011 survey by Addeco (“Workplace Outlook Study”) found that the most important thing(s) to job seekers now are:

• Job security (21%)
• Health benefits (20%)
• Salary/compensation (14%)
• Work/life balance (14%)
• Retirement benefits (11%)
• Vacation/days off (5%)
• Company culture (4%)
• Company perks (1%)

The largest fraction of Americans looking for jobs consisted of 18-34 year-olds.  And 28% of Americans are starting a new job in 2011 compared to only 14% in 2010.

Back to research some new talent development facts….Be well….

We will add a humorous quote and a short joke or funny story.  Usually we will also include an Action Step, something you could do related to the Stat of the Week if so inclined.  When possible, because all of us here at Envisia Learning are big on volunteerism, we will include a volunteer opportunity related to the topic of the post.
 
Finally we will support the post with a cartoon, usually one produced by cartoonist Ted Goff  who will be supplying us with a weekly cartoon related to our Stat of the Week. 
 

To send you into the new year, let us close with a sample of Ted’s cartoons.  Suppose our Stat of the Week is “Over 50% of the time spent in meetings is wasted.”  (True)  Our supporting cartoon might be this one … and we suspect many of you are sure this conversation has actually taken place:

TGIF!

Since leaving the Marines in 1968, Wally has been a manager, leader, trainer, writer and entrepreneur. He now spends his time sharing the best of what he’s learned about leadership via coaching, writing books, Tweeting and blogging.

Our mission with Results vs. Activities has always been to provide resources that help internal and external talent development experts do their magic. Here’s how Wally will help us further our mission:

• Tuesdays: A post on a specific issue or commentary on a news item related to talent development or a successful talent development practice.
• Thursdays: A list of links and commentary that will help you as a talent development practitioner.

We’re thrilled to have Wally with us and look forward to reading his insights along with the rest of you!

“Forget about style; worry about results.” Bobby Orr

We are all working longer and doing more….any more results to show for it?

For example, Peter Kuhn and Fernando Lozano of the National Bureau of Economic Research found that college educated employees working 50-hour weeks rose from 22.2% to 30.5% between 1980 and 2001. Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Carolyn Luce in their research on employees who put in tremendously long hours (Extreme Jobs, HBR, December 2006) complain that most can’t find time to maintain their home (77% of the women surveyed and 66% of the men) and 45% of those that work a 12-hour day reported being “too tired” to say anything to their partners or spouses. Maybe they can at least text message each other with their Treos or Blackberries in bed.

About Results vs. Activities
Results vs. Activities is a new blog by Envisia Learning for those who are truly interested in increasing organizational performance. This blog will be devoted to evidence-based practices, research, book reviews, and findings to help leaders and talent become more competent, efficient, productive, successful, and healthy:

Regular contributors will include Kenneth M. Nowack, Ph.D., Michael Perrault, and William Bradley.  Other guest contributors will include other senior practitioners and authors who will periodically provide value tips, suggestions, and evidence-based information focusing on enhancing results.

We’d also like to welcome existing readers from KenNowack.com.  We hope you enjoy the high-quality and unique content we will be offering you in the coming years.

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