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Firm develops its own leaders

Facing a shortage of top executives in the market, Text 100 has opted to nurture its own brightest talent

GOOD LEADERS ARE born, not bred, so the adage goes. But finding a good, business-minded 'natural born leader' is not always easy in a world where the value of good leadership can mean the difference between a company's mediocrity and success.

This is especially true in Hong Kong, where the local job market is very competitive at the leadership level. Here, the pool of executive talent is too small to satisfy everybody's needs and companies often compete for the same calibre of high-level personnel. Meanwhile, executives are able to leapfrog from job to job with increasingly lucrative deals.

'It's hard to find good, strong leaders,' said Chris Tang, managing director, China and Hong Kong of Text 100, a global public relations company with regional offices in Hong Kong and the mainland.

'PR is people-centric, and the success of the business depends on the people at a senior level,' she said 'Every agency is struggling to find high-calibre people.'

To address the situation, Ms Tang and human resources manager for Greater China, Zhang Dongmei, have initiated a series of in-house training programmes designed to identify and nurture the existing leadership talent in the company.

'We have chosen to 'homegrow' our talent,' Ms Tang said. 'These are people that we have identified as being the 'right leadership material' to grow with our business.'

The most prestigious of these training initiatives is the Talent Management Programme, which is provided for all senior staff. It is designed to identify the skills, strengths and weaknesses of the participants so that future leaders can be earmarked and nurtured, career paths managed and personal training needs met.

Having such detailed information about the staff also helps the HR department to work out general training requirements, understand the company's needs in terms of talent acquisition and help with succession planning.

Ms Tang said she agreed that good leaders were born not bred. She also believed that with the right support and nourishment, adequate leaders could be coached to excellence.

She looks for four basic competencies in a potential leader - integrity, a good foundation for professional skill learning, passion and the ability to take risks.

Once potential leaders are identified, their skills can be 'polished and cultivated so that they get even better as professionals and become great leaders', Ms Tang said.

The programme also offers senior staff the chance to get hands-on experience in different markets across the region.

'We develop leaders to be more exposed to international practices,' Ms Zhang said.

Executives get to work in China and learn what works and what does not work in the market. This practice helps the company develop a consistent service worldwide, while offering a familiar, local touch.

The second rung on the leadership training ladder is The Marzipan Club, initiated for the Asia-Pacific region and known internally as the Future Leaders Club. This programme, open to all account directors, offers an opportunity to learn and grow while gaining actual business experience.

'The Marzipan Club is a very interesting initiative. It gives us the opportunity to communicate and share best practices with our peers across the region,' said Erica Pompen, account director for Hong Kong, who has joined the programme.

'The fact that there is a forum to bring together other leaders in the region and share experiences adds great value for our clients and for our business,' Ms Pompen said.

'There are leadership challenges that are common across the Asia-Pacific region, such as recruitment. We exchange ideas on how to attract the right people - how to manage that issue. We also discuss management styles. Here the work style can be different, so we work out how to address that.'

Ms Pompen is also responsible for leadership training in Hong Kong, and has daily involvement in mentoring and coaching the local crop of potential future leaders, as well as organising training sessions, tailor made to local needs.

TAKING the lead

Good leaders can be nurtured to excellence

Excellent leadership is critical to success in any business

Identify 'future leaders' early in their employment with the company

Personalised training can help develop leadership skills

Training, mentoring and coaching give staff a sense of career development

Career development can help improve staff retention

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