Tomas is a Global HR Leader cultivating talents in Europe, the US, and Asia.
Retaining and cultivating talents across all geographies is a critical must-have for each global and regional leader. Explore the link between talent mobility and organization success, advantages of embedding talent diversity, integration of local cultures into a worldwide talent ecosystem, leadership challenges, and much more.
Q: Tomas, you are leading global teams in Europe, the US, and Asia. How do you embed the benefits from local cultures into a global corporate talent environment ?
First of all, I would like to note that managing talent in a multi-cultural environment is usually a big challenge. Many leaders underestimate the fact that knowledge of local culture also directly affects employee management. Before I started managing people in Asia, I completed an intensive training program in #intercultural management. The time and energy required by this program soon proved to be a rewarding investment. Understanding the culture of a country is vital. #Knowledge and understanding of cultural specifics help in the implementation of corporate strategy at the local level. If we have a clear idea of the company's strategy and know-how to #inspire local employees in a given cultural environment, we can succeed.
Q: How do you avoid Leadership shortage in emerging markets ?
You must give people a chance! You have to give people a chance. You have to trust them to bring the same results as employees in "mature markets." Another aspect is the work continuously with your talents. It is necessary to pay full attention to them. I was lucky enough to have a manager from Germany who was entirely dedicated to me and invested time in my development. I passed this experience and approach to my Chinese colleagues. It was not only me who remained enriched by the mutual interaction. This interaction and takeover of some of our cultural models and patterns have enhanced all of us. My Chinese colleagues joined the group of leaders in emerging countries; they are highly professional and provide significant value for business leaders in our branches.
Q: What do you think are the leadership attributes fundamental to future success ?
I would mention three attributes. The first attribute is #motivation—both the leader's and the employee's motivation. People need to see that you are motivated to achieve more. A manager needs to understand his people and their drivers. The intercultural environment is also an essential component.
Another attribute is a strong #focus on the #customer. Every employee must understand that a critical factor in success is a happy customer who requires 100% service. In my business environment, we support internal customers who have the exact service requirements as external customers.
The third, but no less critical attribute vital in defining success, is the #responsibility for the #results. We are always responsible for our actions in our lives, but also in the work environment. Leaders should lead people according to that and strongly support them. We also learn from mistakes. It is desirable to let the employee make a mistake and explain the situation and learn the lesson.
Q: How would you describe the challenges leaders face in achieving success ?
Every leader must focus on developing human capital as a part of the journey to success—the #individual success of the leaders in the # team's #team and vice versa. Therefore, people development should be one of the priorities of every leader. However, this is not always the case.
Q: Our latest research shows that trust and confidence in senior leadership are among employees' top three reasons for staying with the company. How to prepare leaders to manage this expectation?
Leaders should "live" the #culture and #walk the #talk. Once this is not the case, people will lose trust in the company leadership. It is challenging to reverse it. Leaders should be able to manage these expectations. They should understand the company's #competency model and promote the company #values, its #ethical #principles, and its strategy. HR plays an irreplaceable role, which can help leaders develop these dimensions through workshops, internal training, and creating a platform for "#brainstorming" within the company.
Q: What is the link between talent mobility and success?
#Mobility is a significant advantage. If we look at our people, for example, they have no problem with mobility in the USA. It is still a slight complication in other regions. The reason for lower talent mobility in some areas may be in its history and culture. In most cases, however, companies send an expatriate for specific jobs for a relatively short time. These key employees are aware of the importance of being mobile, and usually, they are motivated to succeed in their missions. Usually, personal success goes hand in hand with the corporate one—the same goes for me. I made difficult decisions about my relocation from Europe to China. I reallocated with my family. I needed to find a #balance between the workplace and family life. Thanks to my wife's dedication and understanding, we managed it all. I must say that it was a perfect decision. Relocation opens up new dimensions of experience and shifts the horizons of knowledge.
Q: Is it different to attract and retain top talents in emerging and mature markets?
In my opinion, it's more or less the same. It is crucial to link employee's expectations with the company, help Talents identify themselves with the company culture, and create an environment where #Talents can #grow, now and in the future. Leaders play a vital role in the process. Everything depends on how they communicate with people and how they motivate them. Companies must have a global strategy for #succession_planning, #job_rotation, and others to retain and cultivate high-potential people. Last but not least, the company brand also plays an essential. The better the "employer brand" in the market, the easier it is to retain the talent needed to achieve excellent results.
Q: Why is Talent Diversity and Inclusion a crucial Leadership capability?
#Globalization is a phenomenon. If a company wants to be a successful one, it needs to deal with the lack of talent. It needs to welcome people from other cultures and countries. I see this as one essential dimension. Another is the opportunity to #learn new things from others, e.g., something beneficial to success. I see an immense #added #value in this. The key, however, is to trust people. When you are "other," it does not mean that you are not equal or do not know less. If we learn to take advantage of these opportunities, then nothing prevents us from achieving outstanding results.
Thank you Tomas.
About Mr. Remenar
Tomas Remenar is a Global HR Leader at Johnson Controls, delivering HR services to Global Business Centers in China, Mexico, Slovakia, and Singapore. Tomas co-piloted several business transformations on a local, regional and global level. Tomas holds a Master of Sociology and Human Resources from the University of Trnava. Sandra is a certified expert in "lean-efficient management" (LSS).
A series of MENITY Leaders Talk interviews.
Interview with Mr. Remenar by Mr. Janik, a partner at MENITY.
Pictures © MENITY.
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