Don't Make Conan's Mistake - The Conversation - Harvard Business Review

Don't Make Conan's Mistake - The Conversation - Harvard Business Review


Harvard Business Review *

The Conversation *

Don't Make Conan's Mistake *

11:25 AM Thursday January 14, 2010 **by Marc Effron and Miriam Ort


Five years ago, Conan O'Brien chose to stick with NBC because they promised him The Tonight Show. Now he's bitterly disappointed about the recent turn of events. We sympathize — but none of us should be so naïve.*

It is certainly painful to witness an employer's callous treatment of a man who patiently served season after season until it was his moment to shine. But as we all shake our heads in righteous indignation at NBCs treatment of Conan O'Brien, we should take a moment to think about Hideki Matsui. Because, while Matsui's departure didn't generate a public outcry, the bottom line is that that the situations are really quite similar. Hideki Matsui was the New York Yankee's 2009 World Series MVP. After a postseason that any major leaguer would die for, the Yankees chose not to renew his contract. Where was the love for Hideki? Where is the love now for Conan? There wasn't any, nor should that surprise us. Both were business decisions based on the facts at the time. Despite the obsessive water cooler discussions about the Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien saga or our individual opinions on who's better suited for the job (love ya' Coco!), the harsh truth is that it's not personal — it's just business. *

Jay, Conan, and Hideki are each corporate assets who represent a revenue stream to their organization. We all understand that the Yankees are out to win, and must make the talent choices that will give them the best odds come spring. NBC is no different. Protecting and increasing their revenue stream is a goal that trumps the needs of any one employee. Yet none of us would like to see our organization involved in this kind of unpleasant situation. So what could NBC — and all organizations that depend on talent — do differently? *

1. Avoid defensive talent strategies: Conan was promised the host role of The Tonight Show in response to efforts by competitors to steal him away from NBC in 2004. Jay was promised the 10PM slot due to fears he would go to another network. Both decisions suggest a defensive approach to talent — keep them because "they'd be dangerous at the competition" rather than "they're the perfect fit with our strategy." Talent choices should be made proactively and to hurt the competition, not merely to avoid pain.

2. Place big talent bets: It can take new talent a while to reach their full potential. Give them that opportunity. Once they've identified their "stars," organizations should focus all their resources on making them successful. Early missteps aren't necessarily predictive of failure — it's often just moving up the learning curve. A little patience can result in a big payoff. *

3. Diversify succession risk: Lining up successors against individual jobs is a rather outmoded approach. Is it expensive to have two talk show hosts in the succession pool? Of course — just as it was expensive for GE to have three CEOs in waiting. Yet that gave them tremendous flexibility when it came to replacing Jack Welch. Somehow, GE's succession planning rigor didn't seem to reach NBC. *

It's in a company's best interest to have great talent practices like these, just as it is generally in their best interest for them to keep that talent happy and engaged. But the reality is that providing you with a wonderful career experience is not their first (or even second) priority. *

So what's in your best interest? How can you avoid making Conan's mistake? *

Stay in your role because you are gaining experiences that will help you achieve your long-term career objectives, or because you think it is the job you can get at the moment, or because it's fun — but you don't stay in your job because of some potential future rewards that may or may not materialize. *

No organization can make reasonable promises of future placement — you're setting yourself up for disappointment trusting an organization to honor that agreement. In fact, that's essentially today's career deal. The corporation will give you an opportunity to acquire a bundle of experiences that have some market value. They are under no obligation to take advantage of that combined experience but they have the option to do so. If for some reason they choose not to take that option (or to revoke it) you walk away and apply those skills to an employer who values them. *

Conan's monologue and open letter suggest he expected NBC to make fair and understandable decisions about his career. Don't fall into the same trap or make the same assumptions about your own career. *

Marc Effron is President of The Talent Strategy Group and Founder of the New Talent Management Network. Miriam Ort is a senior human resource manager at PepsiCo. Marc and Miriam co-authored One Page Talent Management: Eliminating Complexity, Adding Value, available from Harvard Business Press in May. *

Access Original Post: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/01/dont_make_conans_mistake.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-DAILY_ALERT-_-AWEBER-_-DATE

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http://dreamlearndobecome.blogspot.com This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.