CEO, Toronto Financial Services Alliance

Speak to any CEO in the financial sector and they will no doubt cite attracting top talent as one of their highest priorities. It is also increasingly one of the industry’s top challenges as the pace of technological change accelerates and transforms traditional business models. Today, the industry must not only attract talent for the roles it has open now, it also needs to anticipate the skills it will require in three to five years in this rapidly evolving landscape. Shifting customer preferences, increasing competition from non-traditional players, big data and emerging technologies are all changing the way financial products and services are delivered. Too often the discussion around talent today focuses on what skills and jobs will disappear, not on the skills we need in the future and how we are going to find and attract that talent.

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Research points to another important trait that can determine the success of a new hire.

February 1, 2018|by Dylan Walsh
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January 23, 2018 – As technology transforms organizations, skills needs are changing rapidly and companies are struggling to find the talent they need. The key to coming out on top for individuals and employers alike is to develop the best blend of technical skills and soft skills, according to a recent report issued by ManpowerGroup.

The “Robots Need Not Apply: Human Solutions in the Skills Revolution” report surveyed 20,000 employers across 42 countries on the impact of automation on headcount, the functions most impacted and the soft skills that are both of greatest value and hardest to find. The report finds that as companies go digital, in the near-term most will need more people, not fewer.

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It can be tough to choose the perfect person to help grow your company. Here are five suggestions from one leading executive recruiter for finding leaders that will transform your organization and drive significant change.

November 30, 2017 – Keeping up with the rapid pace of change is one of the biggest challenges facing businesses today. With technology advancing rapidly and the expectations of customers shifting, achieving success depends on finding talent that can move and transform as rapidly as the business itself.

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Bob was a lawyer with a reputation as a great negotiator. He was tough, bellicose and obstinate, a yeller and table banger, willing to say no without further discussion.

Mike, also a lawyer, was the polar opposite. He was clear about his objectives, centred and calm when everyone else was losing their cool.

He exemplified the three qualities that Corey Kupfer, author of Authentic Negotiating, says are central to success when bargaining, be it for work, a car, or a new home: clarity, detachment, and equilibrium.

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Linda Blair is managing partner, Deloitte Ontario; Miyo Yamashita is managing partner, talent & workplace, Deloitte Canada, and member, Deloitte global board of directors.

The Canadian economy is providing reason for optimism. A surge in full-time work has fuelled 10 consecutive months of net job gains. Against this powerful growth, Canadian organizations are competing for talent. The pressure is on to attract and retain top talent in order to compete globally. Now, more than ever before, leaders must make deliberate and bold changes to how they recruit to meet the needs of the next cohort of leaders: millennials.

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With baby boomers stalling retirement past 65 and millennials streaming into the work force, many companies are facing a generational clash as people of all ages struggle to adjust to working with each other.

Leadership is top among the concerns, says Arran Caza, an associate professor at the University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business in Winnipeg.

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October 2, 2017 – Chief executive officers report higher expectations for sales and hiring over the next six months, according to the latest Business Roundtable ‘CEO Economic Outlook Survey.’ The overall results suggest continued economic growth, albeit at a slow pace. The Outlook Index, a composite of CEO projections for sales and plans for capital spending and hiring over the next six months, stood at 94.5 for the third quarter of 2017, edging up from 93.9 in the second quarter.

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The biggest selling points for large search firms – the depth of their recruitment manpower and the diversity of their services – are the very elements that are causing many clients to turn to boutique recruiters. Craig Lapham, chief executive officer of the Lapham Group, a New York-based executive recruitment firm that specializes in insurance and diversified financial services, even goes as far as saying that many companies are seeking an alternative to the “challenges and dysfunction” that plague the bigger talent providers. Click here to read the full article