Setting the Stage for Career and Organisational Success

“Planning without action is futile; action without planning is fatal.”

So said Cornelius Fichtner, a Swiss project management expert. Successful leaders understand that their careers and roles within organisations are ongoing projects that constantly needs to be consciously managed, adjusted, aligned with ever evolving strategic objectives, market forces, emerging trends and technological developments.

For executives looking to maintain their career on a positive, upward trajectory – whether pursuing a new role, growing within an organisation, or preparing for a significant step up – taking the time to reflect on personal goals and crystallising a structured vision of how to reach them by setting clear actions is key to success.

Breaking down that strategy into quarterly plans gives a practical framework to improve personal performance and retain a dynamic role in pushing for organisational growth and success.

The wind down to the end of the year and the run-in to Christmas can therefore provide the perfect opportunity for reflection and forward planning.  Executives who make this an annual practice gain clarity on what they aim to achieve, why those goals matter, how they intend to accomplish them, and what or who is needed to make them a reality. This intentional approach minimises wasted effort and maximises returns by focusing resources on meaningful priorities. Leaders who act with purpose and vision inspire confidence in their workforce and stakeholders alike.

In the first of this two-part blog series, we focus on practical steps that executives can consider to set the stage for personal and organisational success over the first two quarters.

Q1: Reflect, Assess, Set Goals.

Reflect: The start of the year often brings a renewed sense of energy and resolve. Teams return refreshed and focused from a break, making it an ideal time for leaders to refocus their efforts. The perfect time, then, to reignite and engage with key stakeholders to understand their expectations, challenges and opportunities and galvanise them into action and aligning objectives.

Asses: Reevaluate and carry out a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats).  Define both short-term and long-term career goals. Tools such as 360-degree feedback, personality assessments, and executive coaching can help shape a 12-month personal development plan with clear, actionable goals.

• Benchmark Skills: Compare existing skills against emerging opportunities and challenges. Identify areas for improvement, particularly in soft skills such as emotional intelligence, agility, and creativity, which are increasingly crucial in the AI-driven era.
• Schedule Development: Make time for training, conferences, or coaching. Populate your calendar with key events, manage conflicts, and work your projects around them
• Prioritise: Once you have a view of the coming months, you can set priorities and deadlines, Write a list of the most pressing demands on your time: what needs doing now, what can be delegated, what can wait?

Set Goals

Once objectives are defined, executives can lead team discussions to review successes and challenges from the previous year. Honest and active listening fosters collaboration, allowing teams to collectively identify potential roadblocks and opportunities.

• Explore New Markets: Evaluate how emerging trends, like AI, can enhance operations or open new avenues.
• Communicate Vision: Share objectives and inspire the team with a clear vision of the year ahead, ensuring alignment with organisational goals.
• Plan Talent Needs: Identify skill gaps and strategise whether to upskill current employees or bring in new talent. Build workforce confidence by highlighting how new technologies will enhance their roles and benefit the organisation.

Q2: Build Your Personal Brand, Communication Skills & Strengthen Relationships.

Branding

A strong personal brand is crucial for executives aiming to stand out. This involves defining a unique value proposition and aligning it with communication style, online presence, and professional networks.  Think carefully about how you wish to present yourself and the purpose of your communication. Are you looking to attract the right talent or partners? Gain a promotion? Stand out in your field? Attract or assure investors? Adjust your language content and tone accordingly with the end goal in mind. You may wish to work with a mentor or coach for an objective view.

• Online Presence: Do optimise LinkedIn and other relevant platforms by sharing thought leadership content. See our previous insights on elevating LinkedIn profiles and networking effectively.
• Networking: Stay active in professional organisations and leverage opportunities to expand influence and connections.

Whether you are in the market for executive transition, executive outplacement or you are seeking to establish yourself in a new or current position, stakeholders, employees and employers, current and potential, need to understand who you are, what you represent and why they should place their faith in you.

Communicate:

Effective communication is a cornerstone of leadership success. Plans, no matter how robust, can falter without clear articulation. Executives must refine both their digital and interpersonal communication skills whether seeking a promotion or a new opportunity, or presenting an organisational strategy to the board or other stakeholders.  The way you present and express yourself could mean the difference between success and failure.

• Transparency and Updates: Develop a plan for regular, transparent communication using emails, videos, or meetings. Provide updates and implement channels for feedback.
• Public Speaking: Hone skills in presenting to diverse audiences, both in person and online. In today’s business landscape, personality and likeability are more important than ever. While some have a natural affinity for public speaking and presenting, others may need professional coaching help improve confidence and delivery.
• Non-Verbal Skills: With increasing proportions of meetings held online, mastering the art of creating engaging presentations and holding the attention of people who may all be sitting separately in front of laptops in different time zones around the world is an additional challenge. Focus on body language, not just tone, to build trust and engagement.

Strengthen relationships:

Strong relationships are the foundation of effective leadership. Executives should prioritise key connections—whether with team leaders, clients, or stakeholders.

• Review and Follow Up: Revisit unresolved issues or recent communications to ensure alignment on next steps or actions needed. Schedule meetings with key stakeholders to maintain momentum and address emerging concerns.
• Support Teams: Collaborate with HR and managers to identify and support struggling employees, celebrate high performers, and mitigate risks of losing top talent.
• Encourage Feedback: Maintain an open dialogue to foster trust and identify challenges at the earliest opportunity, sharing your vision, identifying challenges and explaining how you plan to overcome them, to foster trust and openness. Invite feedback and respond positively.

By weaving these practices into their routine, executives position themselves for success going into the final two quarters of the year. They will have enhanced personal performance, strengthened relationships, and ensured their teams are aligned with strategic objectives. With clear KPIs in place, they can adjust plans to navigate challenges and capitalise on new opportunities.

Among all the competing critical challenges faced by CEOs on a daily basis it can be all too easy to manage with myopia – to only see what, and equally importantly, who, is directly in view. But failure to look further into the future can be costly and that includes neglecting to build a pipeline of future leaders who will ensure seamless transitions and continuous, dynamic organisational transformation. Direct costs associated with unplanned succession have been estimated at over ten times the price of an executive’s salary.

In the UK, almost half of businesses lack a formal succession plan even though by 2030, nearly a million businesses are expected to change hands due to retirement.  A fascinating Harvard Business Review study estimated that poor succession planning costs the S&P 1500 companies an eye-watering $1 trillion per year while, conversely, good planning could increase valuations of the biggest companies by up to 25%.

Prepare for handover: If the preferred successors have been identified and invested from within the organisation, they should work alongside the incumbent in the months before the transition and undergo assessment alongside the executive and HR to identify any gaps in skills, training and experience which must be filled before they take up the new position.

They should have been introduced to key stakeholders to establish working relationships and trust to ensure partnerships and teams are aware of the coming transition and confident in and familiar with the incoming leader.

If the organisation is looking for continuity and stability, the anointed successor should be fully briefed and working with HR and the board to gain full sight of all projects and responsibilities.

If the new appointee is coming in from outside of the organisation, there should ideally be a well-timed crossover where the successor joins the organisation, shadows the outgoing leader who will introduce their successor to relevant staff and partners. This period should not go on too long, or it will diminish the new appointee’s capacity to assert their own personal style and culture.

Of course, the board may be looking for a change of direction, which may come as a shock to key stakeholders. In such cases, the groundwork must be laid to prepare the workforce, customers, partners and if relevant, regulators.

Hopefully, the handover will be cordial, however there may be times when the situation is more hostile, for example if the incumbent has been fired or is going to a direct competitor, in which case key members of the teams around the outgoing leader will be key in helping smooth the transition while the CEO, other senior executives and comms teams will need to communicate with stakeholders to minimise any potential reputational damage.

Monitor and support: Once the new appointee is in place, it is essential to continue to evaluate and measure progress against KPIs and work with them to tweak any teething problems. Support them to build a team with future leadership potential to maintain the continuous cycle of development of  talent.

By taking these steps and committing to a structured leadership pipeline, organisations can plan further into the future with confidence and build adaptability and agility into business models to allow dynamic transformation while preparing for any economic or organisational shocks. None of us could have predicted the global disruption and human loss of the Covid pandemic. How many organisations have learned from it and would be able to replace stricken leaders or respond with structural and operational change to adapt models to seismic shifts such as that one? Succession planning should be loosely based on the cycle of churn for different positions, but with a pool of talent from diverse backgrounds who can step in at any time to ensure continuity and growth even as organisational objectives develop and change.

Once natural succession planning has been built into a business model it can be self-sustaining, with increasingly measurable and visible benefits. At Rialto, we find that talent that has been nurtured from within by partnering with us through  coaching or attending a  leadership development programme tend to demonstrate increased commitment and engagement minimising attrition costs and disruption. Any company that manages to keep a loyal, happy and aspirational workforce that understands hard work and impressive performance will be rewarded with meaningful promotion, will see their global reputation enhanced, productivity increase and a virtuous cycle of talent and growth. This should be balanced, however, with the introduction of fresh talent from other backgrounds, companies, sectors, industries and countries to avoid stagnation and promote dynamic cultural evolution, creativity, energy and innovation.

It is difficult to believe that just two years ago, only data scientists had really heard of Generative AI, the form of artificial intelligence that can create content, images and code; summarise vast amounts of data and extract insights according to prompts; identify patterns and illuminate concepts, stimulating creativity and filling vast gaps in our knowledge.

Below is The Rialto guide to the five stages of AI maturity – and actionable steps to help executives guide their organisations safely and strategically to a place of seamless integration and augmentation delivering growth, efficiency, improved services and products and innovation.

The arrival of the first open source ChatGPT in November 2022 led to a more dramatic transformation of the business landscape than any previous innovation and continues to evolve at a dizzying pace, offering unprecedented opportunities for growth and development.

For executives and senior leaders this has presented a new set of challenges – how to guide your organisation through this revolution at the right time, at the right speed, with the right platforms and end uses. Too fast and you risk destabilising your business model and workforce, buying into the hype, overspending on under-developed products and creating an expensive mess. Too late and you risk falling too far behind to catch up, allowing competitors to gain a defining edge.

At Rialto, we support executives to understand the five stages of AI maturity, creating a personalised roadmap aligned to their organisation’s strategic objectives, budget and culture. Those stages go from scepticism/ nascent awareness – the tentative first steps – to maturity, where AI is integrated into all relevant parts of the business, staff are trained and on board, business development and growth are driven by data and insights and a robust governance and ethics framework ensures Gen AI and other emerging technologies are being used safely.

Here is a brief outline of that map, the percentage of organisations at each stage of maturity in 2024* and some of the actions the Rialto team encourage executive teams to take at each stage.

Stage 1: Nascent awareness/scepticism. 26% in 2024

Organisations at this stage may be eschewing AI altogether or understand its potentially profound impact on growth and operations but lack a clear plan or strategy to move forward. Perhaps AI champions are meeting scepticism or fear from key leadership and stakeholders. According to various surveys, the percentage of organisations at this stage was anything between 43% and 65% in 2023, compared to the 26% figure quoted above in 2024 showing the speed at which organisations are moving on. To avoid losing ground and potentially destabilising your business’s future, our team recommend the following steps are taken as a wait and see approach in 2025 will be considered a high risk strategy.

Leadership Action

Prioritise Education and Vision: Leadership must start by educating themselves and their teams about AI’s capabilities and potential. Rialto works with c-suite leaders to support them through this vital first stage with confidence and ensure no wrong turns are taken.  Time is now at a premium, the journey into an AI-driven future must be clearly mapped out with strategic objectives at the fore to catch up with the field without rushing into critical mistakes.

Prepare your workforce: Bring in AI experts and facilitate open, two-way discussions across departments to ensure a smooth, carefully choreographed entry. Invest in training to increase awareness and understanding among employees. Invite feedback and act on it – only 17% of companies do so at this stage. Ensure your biggest asset, your people, are at the forefront of this journey throughout. Collaboration, confidence and co-operation are essential.

Evaluate the Market and Competition: Leaders should analyse competitors to identify how AI is shaping their industry landscape and assess their own position.  Rialto has partnered with a number of executive teams to build their business case for AI investment by highlighting both risks and opportunities to help ensure buy-in from all stakeholders.

Formulate a High-Level AI Vision: Leadership should articulate a clear vision of what AI could potentially achieve for the organisation. This doesn’t have to be fully fleshed out but should set the stage for future AI initiatives.

Assess Current Data Assets: Leadership should work with data teams to audit available data and build systems that can collect and analyse clean, relevant data aligned to strategic objectives as this will be key to future AI success.

Identify Low-Hanging Fruit. What are the best and least complicated first case uses? Seek repetitive, time-consuming, administrative tasks that could be streamlined; customer service portals that could be automated. You may seek external support as well as working with c-suite and data teams to build new AI-led systems that will show instant results with minimal risk to build confidence and demonstrate value.

Stage 2: Experimental/Activation. 41% in 2024

Two fifths of organisations assess themselves to be in this stage, experimenting with AI technologies to address specific opportunities or challenges. This phase is entrepreneurial and opportunistic with a focus on learning, testing agility of existing business models and data. More conservative, risk-averse companies might feel most comfortable at this stage now, trialling and preparing their organisations for more wide scale transformation in the next two to five years.

Leadership Action

Set Up Pilot/Proof-of-Concept Programmes: Identify and define high-potential, simple to run end uses and trial small, measurable projects within a controlled environment. Emphasis should be on analysing results and interaction with systems and employees, iterating and identifying areas which need to be adapted and developed before bigger, more risky projects are explored.

Foster a Culture of Experimentation: Leadership needs to encourage a mindset where small-scale failures are viewed as learning opportunities. Our project teams often find successful organisations treat their AI pilots as experimentation cycles rather than one-time projects. Ensure all learning is documented, analysed and applied to future projects and scaling up.

Identify Key Metrics for Success: To that end, establish clear KPIs to continually evaluate the success of these AI experiments, whether improved efficiency, growth, cost reduction or customer or employee satisfaction. Iterate based on feedback. Report to stakeholders, demonstrating transparency, feasibility and value.

Develop Cross-Functional Teams: Include IT, data scientists if you have them, business unit leaders, and compliance officers in pilot teams to ensure pilots are practical, scalable, and compliant. Smaller companies may wish to hire consultants.

Invest in AI Talent: As experimentation ramps up, recruiting AI specialists or upskilling existing employees will become crucial. Maintain open dialogue with existing staff and look for opportunities to upskill to foster trust.

Stage 3: Foundation Building, Investing in Infrastructure and Data, Wider Experimentation. 2024: 14%

This is where we start to enter the more advanced stages inhabited by earlier adopters.   These may tend to be enterprise and innovative and/or tech companies which have a clear understanding of how AI can benefit their operation and have defined processes for implementation across the organisation.  Leadership understands the need for robust infrastructure, data governance and AI talent.  According to a Gartner report, 80% of AI projects will fail to scale by 2025 if companies don’t build a solid AI infrastructure.

Leadership Action:

Introducing wider AI projects: Those low-hanging fruit identified in stage one should now be going live and being closely monitored for governance, security, quality, impact and ROI. Our clients have tended to scale up first in operational optimisation, customer support and marketing analytics and content creation. If your organisation does not have its own AI ecosystem in place, with a c-suite leader taking accountability and data leads in relevant teams, it might be an idea to bring in external consultants to maintain dedicated oversight and advise throughout this process.

Data Strategy & Infrastructure Investment: Leadership should prioritise building a scalable data infrastructure. This includes investing in cloud computing, data lakes and the tools necessary for managing large datasets. Test platforms for compatibility, robust compliance, cybersecurity, customer service and ease of use before scaling up.

Focus on Data Governance: As AI thrives on data, it’s imperative that leaders ensure that data collection, storage, and usage adhere to regulatory standards. Data governance frameworks must be implemented to guarantee AI models are ethical, secure, and transparent.

Recruit Specialised Talent: In this stage, it’s essential to have the right expertise to scale up and optimise AI use. Leadership should seek to build teams of data engineers, machine learning experts and AI project managers or bring in consultants.

Consider Establishing a Data Governance Committee: Form a committee to ensure data privacy, quality, and compliance are central to your AI operations. Ensure accountability and transparency.

Promote Data Literacy: As AI permeates every level of the business, leadership should invest in data literacy programs to ensure employees at all levels understand how to share relevant, clean data with the knowledge base and interact with and interpret AI outputs.

Stage 4: Strategic Scaling Stage, Deploying AI Across Functions, Optimisation. 12%

Just one in eight are at this stage and those that are here and beyond – having reached it carefully and in alignment with strategic objectives – are reporting promising results with efficiency savings, growth and vastly improved products and services.  At stage 4, AI moves from pilots to full-scale deployment across multiple business units. Agility is built into business models to continuously adjust and adapt. The workforce should be growing in confidence, with AI integrated into their routines and actions.

Leadership Action:

Consider Investing in AI Platforms and replacing some legacy systems: Seek advice on which platforms to use and look at what competitors are doing with them. You may wish to invest in a single Gen-AI powered CRM such as Amazon AWS, Salesforce or Hubspot, and bolt-on other application and tools – or have your data scientists build your own using open access Generative AI models. Continuously monitor ROI and build a relationship with the provider to ensure constant adaptation and improvement or consider alternatives.

Align AI with Business Goals: Always start with objectives, not the technology, to avoid buying into hype. New models and platforms and iterations are coming on to the market daily. In this second wave of adoption, consider prioritising high-impact areas such as supply chain management, customer personalisation and fraud detection.

Consider Creating an AI Centre of Excellence (CoE) and/or Data Governance Committee: Establish a centralised AI committee or CoE that drives AI strategy, oversees technology deployment, and ensures best practices across the organisation. An ecosystem should now be in place with c-suite responsibility and accountability and company policies, guardrails and training for anyone in knowledge-based or customer facing roles in risk and compliance issues such as data security, copyright infringement, GDPR, inaccuracy and bias.

Leverage Data: Use analytics to gain insights, drive decision-making and continuously improve your offering, operations and forward planning.

Stage 5: Maturity, 7%.

Organisations at Maturity stage will find that AI has become a core component of the organisation’s DNA, integrated into the very fabric of the company, driving every aspect of decision-making and enabling continuous innovation. According to a study by Accenture, the few businesses in this stage outperform their competitors by three times in terms of profitability. In the most extreme of AI streamlining exercises, Meta boosted net income by 201% and saw a 178% stock surge by focusing on AI operational efficiency. However this came at a cost of 21,000 jobs. Companies that have successfully reached the fifth stage of maturity find themselves in a virtuous cycle of continuous improvement while employees understand the value of data and are guided by AI copilots in everything they do. AI augments every task, function and team. Employees are 1.5 times more likely to view AI as a helpful colleague. This shift in perspective leads to increased AI usage, enthusiasm, and productivity gains. Impact is assessed and ROI and value are demonstrable and measurable.  Robust guardrails are in place to minimise and mitigate risks.

Leadership Action:

Foster Continuous AI Innovation: There is no time to rest on laurels. Other organisations are catching up and technology is constantly evolving. Leadership must keep pushing the envelope by encouraging teams to innovate continuously. This may involve AI-powered R&D initiatives or the adoption of cutting-edge technologies such as AI-generated content, AI-driven customer experiences and autonomous systems.

Evolve Organisational Structures: Leaders should ensure that the organisation is agile enough to respond to the fast-paced changes in AI technology. This may involve restructuring teams, constantly upskilling or creating new or hybrid roles.

AI in Strategic Decision-Making: Make AI a critical player in c-level strategic decisions, using AI-driven insights to predict market trends, customer needs, enhance supply chain and internal operational efficiencies.

Stay Ahead of AI Trends and New Tech Offerings: Leadership must stay abreast of the latest AI advancements such as generative AI, reinforcement learning, or edge AI, and adapt them to their current and future business models. Rialto supports c-suite leaders at this stage to maintain a bigger picture perspective, stay focused on future and personal/professional development.

Benchmark Against Industry Leaders: Continuously evaluate your AI maturity against the best-in-class organisations to identify new areas for AI-driven growth.

Maintain virtuous cycle of improvement: Ensure data analytics feed into continuous development and growth. Maintain a constant state of innovative evolution. Sustain and expand capabilities and use cases.

Ethical Considerations: Never lose sight of the governance and ethical risks and responsibilities. Build in continuous reviews and ensure continuing compliance with changing regulations in different territories.

Benchmarking your organisation against the above five stages will provide a clear indication of where you and your company lie on the path to AI maturity and the steps you may need to be considering accordingly. It’s clear that organisations are moving through this process at an ever-faster pace, reflecting the growing importance of AI in today’s business environment.  Yet with 41% of organisations now in the experimental stage and only 7% in full AI maturity, there remains a significant opportunity for competitive growth.

While cost reduction and efficiencies may be the primary goal of immature adopters, high performers are twice as likely to have shifted into a phase of innovation where they use Gen AI to create new businesses or offerings, expand into new sectors or regions armed with detailed insights and the confidence of likely success gained with reliable analytics extracted from vast lakes of data.

The shift from initial scepticism to full AI integration can happen faster than many expect with the right approach. Whether you’re just starting out or already experimenting with AI, having a clear roadmap and a focus on continuous innovation will enable your organisation to progress rapidly and stay ahead. The question isn’t whether you should move up the stages, but how quickly you can—and will—do so.

Whatever stage you are at, The Rialto team of experts can help guide you and your organisation to maturity at a pace that suits your culture, while ensuring a human-centric focus, bringing your people on this journey with you. Contact us for a free initial consultation if you would like to know more.

*Asana and Anthropic State of AI at Work study        

It’s difficult to imagine any business leader not yet open to the transformative possibilities of Generative AI. Most will already be exploring the potential or investing in it, to varying degrees.

But what impact is it having on employees and what exactly is the role of CEOs and HR heads in leading their people through this fast-evolving landscape of seemingly infinite opportunities and risks?

So far, the most cautious adopters have dipped their toes in, primarily viewing Generative AI as a tool for streamlining operations – summarising content, reducing human workforces, cutting costs. One analyst described this limited approach as an Ozempic-style organisational weight loss programme.

While that might make for a prettier bottom line in the short run, now is the time for beefing up, not slimming down. Underweight organisations will not have the agility, growth mindset or adaptive workforce to identify and seize the burgeoning AI-led opportunities to enhance, augment and strengthen their position, brand and future-focused growth and customer experience development.

There are few sectors, functions or roles that will not be affected by this revolution. Employers told a 2023 World Economic Forum survey they expect just under half of workers’ skills to be disrupted within five years. As GenAI develops at exponential speed, that estimate is looking highly conservative.

That means that companies of all sizes must prioritise their people to build agility and rapid learning systems into their business models.

How can CEOs and people leaders ensure they are priming their workforces to help them make the best uses of AI at the right time, pace and scale while minimising the risks?

Know when to automate and when to augment:

Generative AI is transforming workforces but not exactly in the way doomsayers had forecast. Yes, many roles will be displaced in the face of Gen AI’s ability to create content, code, marketing tools, conversational chatbots and data-driven insights.

The real transformative power of Generative AI, however, lies in both its accessibility – the open model means anyone who can write a question can use it – and its capacity to upskill and augment the work of humans.

Some forecasters predict that AI will do most jobs better, faster and cheaper. What does that mean for human workers?

Take the example of chatbots. They may replace the front line of call centre agents now that natural language processing has made their conversational skills so much more sophisticated.  However, their true value comes in the augmentation of bot and human. The bot can undertake the dull, repetitive tasks and work the unsocial hours while enhancing the experience of both the employee and customer. It can share personalised information and offers with the customer while enriching the data available to the human agent based on the customer’s history, wider trends and probabilities to guide the agent towards a conversation or transaction that satisfies all parties, whether through resolution of an issue or a sale.

If used properly, with training and guardrails, Generative AI can act as a highly informed and incredibly efficient co-pilot for almost all employees involved in work that involves using a computer or Smartphone which is why they all need to be confidently and actively engaged in the ongoing disruptive process affecting how work will be completed in the future .

Transforming your business model

This starts with investment in a Chief Data Office and/or a Chief Automation Officer or similar who can oversee the organisation’s customer and AI-based transformation, working closely with all c-suite leaders and especially the CEO to ensure that use and assimilation of new platforms, applications and processes are aligned with strategic objectives both in the short, medium and long term. End uses need to be defined in terms of cost and objective and ways to measure ROI identified; projects should be piloted before being scaled up and disrupted employees need to be fully informed and prepared.  The CDO/CAO will also be accountable for a robust data governance and adaptive regulation-adherent framework to minimise and mitigate inherent risks around AI such as data compliance, inaccuracy, poor data, security, privacy issues and intellectual property. They should also ensure a safe data-sharing mechanism to ensure insights, content generation and strategic scaling up of AI-powered projects are based on the most up to date, clean and complete datasets available.

Larger companies may wish to create a whole new ecosystem of data-trained leaders to ensure all teams are using their technology safely and effectively and to share data and insights vertically and horizontally.

Workforce optimisation

The CEO and people leaders will also need to work with the CDO/CAO to ensure processes are in place to constantly review their workforce’s skillbase and ensure staff are equipped, not just for the demands of 2024 or even the next fiscal year, but in alignment with strategic priorities for the known mid/long term

One way to do this is to leverage predictive analytics and data analytics to audit the workforce and identify functions , teams and even individuals who could increase their value – and job satisfaction – through upskilling.

Platforms including Gen AI-driven CRMs (customer relationship management systems) such as Salesforce Einstein have capabilities to create dynamic, upskilled workforces, identifying need and responding with personalised training or career advancement opportunities. This keeps the workforce agile and adaptable.

Introduce new skills

Generative AI’s potential for positive disruption depends on the quality of the data that goes in and the prompts used to extract insights. Employees who use it do not need to be data scientists, such is the beauty of the open model. However, the clearer and more refined their prompts, the greater the value of the Gen-AI insights that will enhance their productivity, efficiency and quality of work.

Those who upload clean data with an understanding of how that might be used will also add great value to their everyday work.

The more of this type of training provided to the workforce, the greater the ROI and employee satisfaction, creating skilled, stable, adaptable workforces, minimising attrition and attracting the best and most relevant talent. According to a PwC survey, two thirds of jobseekers considered a company’s use of cutting-edge technology when deciding where to apply. If they are looking for good use of AI, chances are they will come with a pro-tech attitude, willingness to learn and a level of skill.

Soft skills crucial to AI-based transformation such as adaptability, problem-solving, abstract thinking, creativity and empathy can be harder to teach. These are some of the skills employers should be looking for in new recruits if they are struggling to embed them into the existing workforce to fill the gaps and promote cultural change.

Foster trust to build resilience

While some employees, especially those trained in technology or science or younger recruits who have grown up around it, may embrace any opportunity to augment their own work with AI, there are sections of the workforce who may be more intimidated by technology and fearful of such a fast pace of change and the possible impact on their own careers.

Trust needs to be built from the top down to reduce these concerns. Offer flexible, human-centred training – not just digital – and ensure total transparency. Dispensing of teams or individuals whose jobs can be automated will have an unsettling ripple effect across your whole organisation.

The staff affected need a special type of transition assistance which guarantees to work with them until a new future is secure. This is an enhanced brand of transition support which only Rialto so far are pioneering globally.

Ensure any restructuring is designed openly, fairly, and with kindness. Explain the reasoning to the whole workforce and ensure they feel valued and understand the necessity and future value created by introducing technology, the security and opportunities for growth and, if you are able, explain that you are or will be offering upskilling to all employees who will be working alongside AI in the future. Open a dialogue, invite questions and answer them as honestly as possible.

Ideally, this should come directly from the CEO. Vacuums in knowledge will be filled by mistrust and misinformation. Take control of the messaging around AI, working closely with your operations and HR leaders.

We are only just starting to understand the true transformative potential of Gen AI. It’s no longer sufficient for CEOs and other c-suite executives to delegate responsibility for IT software and systems. They need to understand what is happening now, what is on the horizon and lead from the front, with compassion, confidence and strategic acumen.

If you require professional, structured support from our experienced team of AI, change and transition management experts, or would like to develop a greater personal understanding of Generative AI, its capabilities and risks, do get in touch.

As we move towards Q4 and start thinking about end of year, is it just possible to detect an air of optimism that there could be some economic certainty ahead of us? While there is still a need for caution, Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) should be preparing for the fourth quarter by looking ahead at a relief on the hiring squeeze and preparing for more mobility in the market.

That means ensuring departmental strategic priorities are fully aligned with evolving demands, opportunities and challenges of both the organisation and the workforce and making adjustments which anticipate emerging trends. The final quarter is a time to review performance of team capability, plan interventions where necessary – including reskilling and upskilling – and think ahead to 2025 fiscal planning to ensure the workforce is agile and ready to evolve with AI and data-driven initiatives which will continue to be the biggest drivers of progress and growth.

Here are the priorities HR Directors should be considering to help steer their organisations through this final quarter.

Leader and Manager Development

Markets are in a more dynamic state than ever before, largely due to the phenomenal rate with which AI, and particularly Generative AI, continue to evolve and shape business processes.

Q4 is a good time for HR Directors to review how prepared their organisation is to fully realise the potential opportunities and defend against the risks. This change management starts at the top. What will differentiate companies that ride the wave of AI-driven progress from those left floundering in their choppy wake is decisive, informed, confident leadership.

Only then can they guide their managers and teams through this time of uncertainty and change and inspire and empower staff to rise to the challenges. New skills are needed for this new world. Check your leaders also are up to speed on appropriate management style with an emphasis on emotional intelligence, empathy and good communication over authoritarian command and ivory tower leadership. Now is a good time for HR to look at hierarchical structures and ensure the workplace remains open, inclusive and a safe environment in which to foster innovation and creativity.

Key actions: Audit your Board and SLT – decide how best to invest your remaining budget in development programs, executive coaching, digital fluency and continuous learning opportunities and/or plan for fiscal 2025 to help ensure they truly understand the complex new landscape and have the skills in place to constantly adapt and optimise.

Talent Acquisition and Retention

The labour market is anticipated to continue to present challenges with talent demand outpacing supply in many areas, especially around AI-led transformation. CHROs need to refine talent acquisition strategies by leveraging AI and other emerging technologies to streamline hiring processes and improve candidate experiences. How is your attrition rate looking so far this year? Are you losing valuable talent to advanced, more forward-thinking, inclusive and nurturing organisations?

In today’s market employees are far more willing to move around to ensure their needs are met, rather than consider a lifelong career at a single company. In order to retain valued talent and fill skills gaps, consider upskilling existing staff through continuous learning to help build their portfolios, keep them motivated and engaged to improve productivity and serve organisational need.

Key actions: Review your performance on Glass Door or any other company review site and conduct employee satisfaction surveys to learn what you are doing right and what you could do better. Investigate AI-driven recruitment tools and data-driven analytics to help monitor and improve employee experience. Consider how you might enhance internal mobility programs and making them more visible and accessible to current employees.

Foster Positive Organisational Culture and Employee Well-being

A vital element of talent acquisition and retention, every company’s success is closely tied to the well-being, loyalty and engagement of its employees. As the year comes to a close, it’s important to ensure that your workforce remains motivated and aligned with the company’s goals. Year end can see an ennui set in, especially with dark nights drawing in and the wind down to Christmas. How will you maintain energy levels and monitor and nurture the mental health and wellbeing of your staff?

Key actions: CHROs should prioritise initiatives that promote a positive work culture, address employee burnout, and recognise the contributions of their teams. Consider a mid-quarter initiative to lift and energise the workforce, for example, gamification of more mundane tasks, a new reward system, inter-departmental tournaments or team-building activities.

Drive Cost Efficiencies through AI-driven innovation

It’s been another tough year with economic uncertainty and budgetary constraints. CEOs and other stakeholders want to see evidence of cost efficiencies within HR functions without compromising the quality of services. Review the bottom line before the end of your financial year and ensure you remain on target.

Do you need to modernise recruitment methods using new technologies? Are you automating repetitive, time-consuming tasks such as payroll processing and benefits administration? Ensure your AI-led transformation is transparent and use internal communications effectively, including messaging from the top, to assure staff they are valued, explain how technology will benefit the organisation and ensure they do not feel alienated or fearful. All tech transformation should be people-centred. Take the opportunity of the next board meeting to ensure that all members are aware of the impact a likely acceleration of AI integration through 2025 might have on staff and put strategies are in place to mitigate and minimise this.

Key actions: If you haven’t already, ensure discussions around AI and automation are being held at C-suite level. Where can you make efficiency savings by bringing in AI to take on repetitive tasks and augment the more complex work of human employees? Look at what competitors are doing and pipeline technologies coming onto the market. Show initiative and take them to the board this winter. Audit your workforce skills: looks at training budgets and think about how that money could best be spent on futureproofing your organisation.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Promoting DEI is not just a moral imperative but a business one. CHROs should continue to prioritise building diverse teams, especially at the leadership level. Implementing unbiased recruitment processes and fostering an inclusive workplace culture can help organisations attract and retain diverse talent, which in turn drives innovation and better decision-making.

Key actions: Review any changes to DEI laws and guidance in any territory in which your organisation operates before year end. Check you are compliant and look into any laws tabled for the future to ensure you are prepared. Look at what is happening in your market for inspiration on ways to differentiate your company and make its DEI credentials stand out and ensure they are visible to prospective talent.

Align the organisational skills base with evolving drivers for growth

Q4 is a good time to ensure your workforce is aligned to strategic objectives – have they changed since goals were set at the beginning of the year? Is it equipped to respond positively to current and emerging trends, opportunities and challenges? It is essential that HR builds agility and adaptability into its workforce and can constantly assess and adjust. A staff base that is concrete-footed will be too slow to pick up new technologies and ways of working. If your workforce is falling behind, what can you do to bring it back in step and prepare it for the near future?

Key actions: Audit your workforce skills base against current and future requirements based on your organisational objectives and wider market forces and developments, especially around AI. Look at budgets for training and career coaching for the rest of this fiscal year and next and plan upskilling to suit. Consider AI tools to help monitor performance and introduce automated continuous learning to keep your workforce agile, responsive and up to date.

Modern day boardrooms are increasingly recognising the need to have HR representation at the highest decision-making level. Many CHROs will be into only their first or second year so it is imperative that they use this time of year to demonstrate value and show they are as integral to the progress and growth of an organisation as any other department. Take time in Q4 to review the year to date, make any adjustments to policy, recruitment and skills and plan future growth and efficiency savings through technology-driven initiatives.

Prepare the case for increased budgets for training and development to ensure your workforce is AI-proficient and ready to adopt new technologies and working practices to leave the competition for dust.

As we approach the final quarter of 2024, executives and board directors find themselves at a pivotal juncture. Q4 is not just the culmination of the year’s efforts but also a critical period that sets the stage for the year ahead.

So, as we crunch back up through the gears following the summer slowdown, now is the time for all top tier leaders to look forward, evaluate priorities and ensure all functions and teams are strategically aligned to ensure resilience and growth.

Here we look at what should be top of mind for CEOs as they steer their organisations through the final stretch of 2024.

Almost two thirds of CEOs singled out growth as their top business priority for 2024 in a Gartner survey, the highest level for a decade and up from a half the previous year. This indicated a renewed confidence in the economy after years of uncertainty, stagnation and hesitancy.

The green shoots have been slower to emerge than many had hoped, however there are now definite signs that the most challenging times are behind us, barring any further disruptions such as an escalation of conflict in the Middle East or Eastern Europe.

How can senior leadership then optimise the last months of the year to set their organisations up to seize opportunities as we navigate the interplay of different factors that paint numerous possible futures for the year to come. This includes continued shifts in the global economic environment, how businesses organise themselves across sectors and the continued evolution of digital technologies, their adoption by consumers and the impact on business operating models.

Re-evaluate and Adjust Strategic Goals

This is the perfect time to reassess your company’s strategic goals set at the beginning of the year. Are they still relevant in the current market environment? What has changed in your sector, organisation or the wider economy in that time? Have new opportunities emerged around disruptive technologies, sustainability, for example, or have new markets come to the fore?

Key Actions: Conduct a strategic review with your executive team, focusing on KPIs, market dynamics, and potential pivots. If necessary, recalibrate your strategies to ensure alignment with the latest market realities.

Strengthen Financial Management

Q4 is traditionally a time for financial housekeeping. What are the potential economic challenges on the horizon and how can you best prepare? In what direction are market trends pushing you? Do you need to think about adjusting spending priorities to capitalise on any emerging opportunities and shore up any under-resourced, strategically important areas? Have inflationary pressures changed since your targets were set at the end of 2023? Do your end of year plans still reflect energy prices, transport, wages and any investment needed to bring your organisation up to date with evolving technologies?

Key Actions: Work closely with your CFO to monitor and optimise cash flow, reduce unnecessary expenses and ensure your company is in robust financial health. Review pricing models to ensure they reflect current market conditions and protect margins. Has Generative AI changed your sector and do you need to adjust spending priorities to stay ahead of the curve?

Enhance AI Transformation Initiatives

AI – and particularly Generative AI – transformation is displacing digital transformation as the keyword CEOs mention most as the major driving force behind business growth. AI is moving from the “peak of inflated expectations” in the hype cycle but it is essential that adoption is measured, carefully considered from the point of added value and ROI, and avoids buying into hype. Technology-based initiatives must also be continuously evaluated and updated to keep pace with technological advancements. Q4 is a critical time to assess the progress of your AI transformation efforts and identify areas that require further investment or adjustment. Whether it’s AI integration, cybersecurity, or cloud computing, ensuring that your tech infrastructure is robust, aligned with strategic objectives and future-proof is essential.

Key Actions: Audit your AI transformation progress and invest in key technologies that can drive efficiency and innovation. Look at what is happening in your sector – what is the competition doing? What technological advances are on the near and far horizon? Maintain a dynamic strategy to fully optimise all opportunities. Ensure your company’s cybersecurity measures are up to date to mitigate any potential risks.

Focus on Customer Retention and Engagement

With budgets being finalised for the next year, ensuring that your current customer base is satisfied and engaged can significantly impact your financial projections. Are you doing enough to ensure customer loyalty and meeting their evolving needs. In today’s competitive market, with access to high-quality instant customer service and highly personalised marketing and interactions powered by predictive analytics and data-driven insights, B2B and B2C customers and clients expect more than ever. What is the competition doing? Are you allowing your offering to slip behind? What can you do to accelerate your data collection, analysis and application to sales and customer experience?

Key Actions: Implement targeted campaigns to boost customer engagement leveraging data analytics to personalise outreach and offers. Consider customer feedback loops to continuously improve the customer experience.

Prepare for 2025: Strategic Planning

While Q4 is about closing the year in a position of strength and growth, it’s also about setting healthy foundations for continuing growth next year. CEOs should lead the charge in developing strategic plans for 2025, considering emerging trends, potential disruptions and growth opportunities. This includes evaluating market expansion possibilities, identifying new revenue streams, and planning for talent acquisition or development to support future growth.

Key Actions: Begin the strategic planning process for 2025 involving key stakeholders across the organisation. Focus on building a roadmap that balances short-term objectives with long-term vision, ensuring your company is prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the coming year.

Sustainability and ESG Initiatives

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors are becoming increasingly important to every sector. In Q4, CEOs should assess the progress of their sustainability initiatives and ensure they align with both regulatory requirements and stakeholder expectations. This quarter is also an opportunity to set more ambitious ESG goals for the coming year. Failing to meet requirements can be costly, both financially and in terms of reputational damage.

Key Action: Review your company’s ESG performance and make necessary adjustments to meet or preferably exceed industry standards. Engage with stakeholders to communicate your sustainability efforts and future commitments and ensure they are onboard and, where necessary, compliant.

Mitigate Supply Chain Risks

Supply chain disruptions have been a significant challenge for many companies in recent years. Q4 is a critical period for reviewing that your supply chain is resilient, giving you value for money and can withstand potential disruptions. This might involve diversifying suppliers, increasing inventory levels or investing in supply chain technologies to enhance visibility and responsiveness. Again, CEOs should be looking at potential AI solutions to maximise efficiency of supply chain and logistics.

Key Actions: Evaluate your supply chain risks and take proactive measures to mitigate them. Consider building stronger relationships with key suppliers and investing in technologies that provide greater supply chain transparency, reliability and efficiency.

By prioritising these key areas with their Executive Team and using Q4 to review and adjust strategies and objectives, CEOs can confidently steer their organisations to year end on a high, with strong foundations laid for further progress and growth in 2025. As the business landscape continues to evolve, staying agile and proactive will be key to navigating the complexities of the complex modern market.

Rialto has a team of experts in Generative AI and other emerging technologies who can develop an action plan specific to your business and strategic priorities. Get in touch for a free initial consultation.

In the first of our blog series on LinkedIn, we explained how to create an impressive LinkedIn profile. Here we explore ways to optimise your profile, network and seek out job opportunities on the platform.

There are currently more than 58 million companies listed on LinkedIn with more than 15 million open job listings.

Six people are hired via LinkedIn every minute. Read on for tips and tricks to make sure the right recruiters are matched with your profile, improving your chances of being found for the right role.

Be active:

The more active you are on your profile, the more you will appear in employer/recruiter searchers. Tweaks, updates and relevant content sharing and posting will help boost your presence. If you are currently job searching, make sure you are using LinkedIn regularly.

Follow the companies in which you are interested and their executives/thought leaders to build up links and stay informed on developments and opportunities and gain insights into their culture.

Connect, connect, connect. Don’t be shy about sending out a request to anyone you know or is connected to you in any way who you can share insights with and might be mutually helpful. This is not a friend-making platform, it’s about building networks. You will be as useful to an old colleague, schoolfriend, acquaintance, contact-of-contact as they are to you. Also, link in to recruiters, HR leaders, industry influencers and key decision makers. If an employer sees you are linked to them via other connections, they are more like to take you seriously. It will help you access the elusive hidden job market and bring recruiters to your door. Do follow etiquette, though. Don’t employ a scattergun approach, mindlessly messaging hundreds of people with no obvious links to you. Ensure there is a purpose or shared interest or field. Add a personalised message explaining why you want to connect and offer to help or share information, but keep it brief.

Be proactive. Message senior decision makers, hiring managers, recruiters, any of your connections in the relevant sector and ask about opportunities. Keep it brief, friendly and professional. Read profiles fully first to get a sense of their preferred style of communication and their role and experience so you can make any introduction or opening gambit personal and specific instead of sounding like a cut and paste job. Don’t send CVs on spec and long personal sales pitches. Just explain what you are looking for, how you think you can help and ask if they know of opportunities or can suggest anybody else to contact. Any inside information may give you that edge over other job seekers and valuable access to the hidden market.

Open to work. Consider whether it’s appropriate to set your profile to Open to Work. There’s a video here on how to do it. You can limit this information to recruiters, useful if you do not want other people to know you are looking or want to seek opportunities subtly. Alternatively, you can also alert all contacts, although you might wish to discuss this option with a skilled coach to decide on the right positioning for you.

Search and subscribe to job alerts: Clicking on the jobs icon in the toolbar will take you to a page where jobs matching your skills and experience will be displayed. You can search for further positions and switch the “set alert” toggle to “on” to receive notifications when relevant new jobs are posted.

Join groups and networks to extend your reach and stay informed. Add insightful comments to posts and share or create your own content to showcase your expertise and thought leadership and make sure people see your name. Nine in 10 super successful job hunters in a LinkedIn survey belonged to at least one group.

Maintain your network. Once you have made a useful contact, try to maintain it. For example, if you had a good job interview but didn’t get the post, follow up with a message to the panel members thanking them for their time, asking for feedback and politely requesting that they might consider you for any future roles. Be careful not to overstep the mark or become over familiar. Keep it professional unless the relationship has developed into a mutually more friendly one naturally. Ensuring you are gently in the background of a specific space will help keep you in the mind of employers, recruiters and other contacts who may have helpful information or consider you when an opportunity arises.

Prepare for applications and interviews. Use this incredible resource to frame your approach, response and interview style. Look at anyone who has worked for the company or comparable companies. What skills do they showcase? What were their career trajectories? Who do they follow? What do they post?

Similarly, read into the company culture and the backgrounds of any individuals who may have a part in the recruitment process. Finding a common interest with an interviewer before meeting them can be a good icebreaker – say a football team or the fact you’ve both worked at the same company or in the same European city. It shows you’ve done your homework. Don’t be over familiar though! Knowing it’s their first born’s 18th birthday or the name of their dog could backfire!

Should you pay for premium?

If you’re not actively looking for a job, recruiting or seeking to build your sales or following for commercial purposes, the free-to-use platform should meet most or all your needs.

But it’s worth going for the free one-month premium free trial to unlock the extra features and decide if it’s worth paying for while you are in the market. They include direct email access to hiring managers, notifications of views of your CV, LinkedIn Learning courses and AI-powered searches.

These are just some of the tools and benefits to LinkedIn and the beauty of it is that it’s a vast resource of accessible, free and easily searchable information to support you in so many aspects of your career development. However, while algorithms make it as personal to you as they can, there are limitations to its offering.

It goes without saying that competition for jobs at the very top is most intense and the process so much more complex as companies seek the very best candidate for crucial positions upon which futire company fortunes can be made and lost.

If you feel you could benefit from professional, structured highly personalised support in your executive job search, do contact Rialto for a free initial consultation.

In just 22 years, LinkedIn has gone from an experimental social media app created in its founder’s bedroom to the world’s stand out digital business platform. Here, we look at how to create a standout profile to build your personal brand and how to use the platform for executive and senior leadership job searches.

With a billion members in 200 countries and territories, LinkedIn has changed the way professionals connect and interact, a development turbo-charged by the lockdowns of the Covid pandemic.

While many see it simply as a live CV/recruitment service, it is a far more valuable resource than that with several functions that can be incredibly useful to anyone in any post in any sector. They include networking, influencing, subtle marketing and branding through delivery of quality content (no spamming or unsolicited sales approaches allowed) and research/learning.

For example, if you need to understand the opportunities and risks of AI in your business, LinkedIn is a good place to start. Companies including our own invest considerable resources in creating high quality, original and free to access content on topics like this, relevant to their target audience.

In this first part to our LinkedIn blog series, we will explore how to create a brilliant profile to build your personal brand and project a polished, professional front to support your career transition or development.

Part two will explain how to use the platform for executive and senior leadership job searches and ensure recruiters & other key stakeholders find you. Later in the year, we’ll show you how to grow your followers, promote your personal brand and increase your influence by posting relevant content to showcase your talent.

How it works:

Knowing how the LinkedIn algorithm works is key to getting the best use out of it. Unlike other social media sites, it is designed to avoid posts going viral, focusing instead on relevance, quality of content and meaningful connections between individuals with common interests and similar profiles.

The more time you spend using it, the more it can understand your needs, refining its selection of content and connections to organisations and people that will prove increasingly relevant and helpful.

Using LinkedIn Effectively

Today, the first contact any potential new business partner/employer/employee is likely to have of you will be digital, most probably through LinkedIn, which is why you need to be skilled in promoting yourself on it.

In person, it is said that we make 1,000 computations about an individual within seven seconds of meeting them. We read appearance, body language, personality – we respond through experience, instinct and chemistry.

Online, there are only visuals and words to go on. In some ways, this makes it easier – we can control how we present ourselves. In other ways, it makes it harder – with fewer readable clues, a single mis-step could carry far more weight than all the positive signals being sent out.

Think about what happens when you cast an eye over a LinkedIn profile. Your brain whirrs into gear, scanning for clues to build a picture. And, yes, you will form a fairly instant opinion based on what you see. You may even decide whether you want any further contact based on this first, rudimentary judgement. Without even realising, people who have not grasped the importance of this may be denying themselves the chance to make a better second impression in real life once the LinkedIn verdict is in.

Every day, people are doing the same to you which is why it is essential to get it right and fully exploit the power of this global connectivity.

Getting your profile right:

1. The basics: your profile needs to be easily discoverable, informative, up to date and professional. The right people need to be able to find you. Many professionals would be unimpressed if they struggle to find you and then find your profile lacking compared to peers. Pages with complete profiles get 30 per cent more views per week. Get your message across by writing in clear, plain English (or your language of choice). Avoid jargon, cliches and overly florid language. (Here’s a list of words to avoid). Check and double check for typos or errors or get someone else to cast a fresh pair of eyes over it for you, preferably a knowledgeable mentor or coach.
2. Ensure your photo reflects the image you want to present. It’s fine for a creative executive to look a bit whacky, but if you’re a finance director or working almost anywhere else in senior leadership, a professional head and shoulders with office attire and clear background is essential. Use company insignia if appropriate and ensure you are recognisable. No flattering 20-year-old photos!
3. Add detail. The more you include – school, university, previous employers, achievements, awards, professional learning, etc – the more search tags are available for people to find you and the more connections and relevant content will come up for you.
4. Write a stand out headline and articulate, succinct summary that lists your experience and skills in your target sector. It should read as a story with a personal touch to single you out and give you that elusive quality which never fails to attract the right people: likeability. So, if you’re on the board of a charity or have a burning ethical mission in which you are highly active, mention that, as long as it’s relevant. It’s a good idea to seek second opinions from a trusted mentor or career coach. How does your profile come across to them?
5. Use keywords for your industry and role and include your location and areas of expertise, in terms of skills, experience and geography. The more specific information you offer to potential recruiters and employers, the more easily they will find you and the better the matches. So, if you’re fluent in Mandarin, a member of a professional association or you’ve work for or partnered with renowned global organisations, name them.
6. Think carefully about which skills to list. LinkedIn offers keywords for Skills in three categories: All, Interpersonal Skills and Industry Knowledge. Think of soft skills too – the most in demand is creativity. List as many as you can justify if challenged. You need to think about examples you could give to illustrate any if asked in interview so stick to what you really know. Endorse other people’s skills and they are likely to return the favour, adding to your credibility and chances of finding a job – eight out of 10 people who secured a role on the platform within three months had at least 10 endorsements.
7. Consider upskilling to meet evolving or in demand requirements in the changing marketplace. It’s a good idea to look at leaders in your field or desired area of work to see what skills they are listing. LinkedIn has seen the number of members adding Generative AI skills like Copilot and ChatGPT rise by 142 times while non-technical professionals enrolling on AI courses has increased by 160%. (Rialto can benchmark your skills against the current market in your sector and function and help you fill in any gaps.)
8. Keep your profile up to date. It’s a good idea to get into the routine of dedicating time every month to maintenance; check it’s up to date, keep an eye on trends and stay ahead of the curve. The platform is always releasing new AI-powered tools to nudge you in the right direction. Use them!
9. Link to any successful accomplishments, videos or published articles in the Add Project section. These can be specific to your field or beyond to showcase your range of interests and skills.
10. Learn from the best. LinkedIn analyses some of the most successful profiles on the platform and explains why and how they work so well

Once your profile is sparkling and complete – check your rating, you want to be at all-star – it’s time to optimise it and start networking to get closer to that dream position. To learn more about this read part two to this Blog series, which explains how to use the platform for executive and senior leadership job searches and ensure recruiters and other key stakeholders find you.

Later in the year, we will show you how to grow your followers, promote your personal brand and increase your influence by posting relevant content to showcase your talent.

There’s no getting away from the fact that LinkedIn is now an essential tool for anyone in business. Whatever stage of your career, it’s worth investing your time and energy in it. First, ask what you want from it and dedicate your resources to that end. If you want to fully harness its many features and use it to offer a refined and finely-tuned personal brand, it’s worth getting professional support, particularly if you are seeking a senior role with a competitive salary in this difficult market.

Rialto can help you use LinkedIn effectively as part of a strategically structured, personalised executive career transition and job search. Contact us for a free initial consultation.

As 10,500 super-humans at the peak of their powers give their absolute all in Paris for the honour of bringing home a medal, most of us can only sit back and look on in awe.  They may be faster, higher, stronger as per the original Olympics motto. But simply having a natural physical advantage and access to a particular sport is only the start of the long and arduous journey to the top.

Leaders can learn a multitude of valuable lessons from Olympic athletes, whose dedication, discipline, and resilience offer profound insights into elite performance. Behind every competitor is a story. How did they get to be among the very best? What drives them? How do they maintain that discipline? And what is the magic that inspires so many to break world records and personal bests during this 11-day period once every four years?

Here we look at some of the legends of the modern Olympics; their techniques, practices, and temperamental qualities and explore how leaders can seek to emulate them to elevate their own professional and organisational performance.

Adaptability – Oksana Masters, Paralympic Rowing, Skiing, and Cycling, USA

Masters’ difficulties started before she was even born. She was exposed to in-utero radiation poisoning from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in her native Ukraine resulting in constructive surgery to her hands and a double leg amputation. After spending her early years in orphanages where she was abused, she was moved to the US aged seven. She entered her first Paralympics in London in 2012, winning a medal in the rowing, and has gone on to pick up medals in cross country skiing and the biathlon. This year she’ll compete in cycling.

“That’s the cool thing, which I think a lot of people don’t realise, about Paralympians,” Masters has been quoted as saying. “We’re constantly adapting to our environment, because the world was never created for us.”

While few of us will face the kind of challenges Masters has overcome, she is a shining example of how adaptability enables us to survive and even seek opportunities in difficult circumstances. She took up cycling to overcome a back injury and ended up competing in it at the highest level.

Leaders must be flexible and ready to pivot in response to changing circumstances.  Sometimes, the greatest innovation and the most positive transformation comes from necessity. Author Napoleon Hill said, “Every adversity carries within it the seed of equal or greater benefit.” The business and economic landscapes are changing fast with vital forces including globalisation and AI. Strong leadership needs to be alert to those changes and nuances and be able to adapt positively and decisively to seize opportunities.

Self awareness. Simone Biles, Gymnast, USA

Four-times gold medallist Biles made a triumphant return in Paris after pulling out of the Tokyo 2020 finals. She was experiencing a mental block unique to gymnasts, known as the “twisties”. Biles faced an initial backlash from critics who accused her of letting her team down and being afraid of failure after a poor first round score.

In fact she was having a breakdown.

Having grown up in foster care and later suffered abuse within her sport, she shared that she urgently needed to take time out to look after her mental health, kickstarting a wave of support and a global discussion about the subject which had been something of a taboo in sport. “Sometimes, you have to take that power back,” she said.

Her self-awareness and intuitive knowledge of what she had to do – step off the big stage and heal at home with the support of loved ones – saved her from total burnout.

Leaders face unprecedented and competing pressures and little thought is given for the toll that can take. They are expected to just get on with it all.  But they are only human and need to recognise their limits and take care of their well-being to sustain long-term performance.  Self-awareness helps leaders understand their strengths and weaknesses enabling better decision-making and personal growth. Taking time to be mindful of your physical and mental health – and knowing how, where and whom to ask for help if you need it – will keep you at the top of your game for the long haul.

Courage – Adam Peaty OBE, Swimmer, GB.

Peaty is regarded as the best sprint breaststroke swimmer of all time. He was the first British swimmer to ever retain an Olympic title and has broken the 100m World Record 14 times.

Yet as a small boy he was so terrified of water he would scream if anyone tried to get him near a bath.

He has certainly faced that fear down.

No matter how experienced, qualified or senior, nobody is immune to an attack of the terrors when faced with a new challenge or pressure.  How does Peaty deal with it? “Honestly you can overthink it,” he says. “It’s two laps of the baths.” When facing a fear it’s helpful to break it down.

Leaders often face daunting challenges and uncertainties which take courage – it means standing out in front and expecting people to believe in you. Courage does not mean having no fear – it means being afraid and doing it anyway. Embracing new challenges, even if they may seem overwhelming – like returning to defend an Olympic title after a four-year gap – is what keeps leaders sharp, engaged and at the top of their game.

In Paris, Peaty missed out on matching icon Michael Phelps’s three Gold medals in the event by just two hundredths of a second – leaders will know the feeling of giving their all and only to see an opportunity or promotion go elsewhere.

We could all learn from Peaty’s magnanimous response after what many viewed as a defeat – second place and a silver medal to add to his previous haul. He had been crying, he admitted, but they were tears of joy after his comeback from burnout, a broken foot and too much drinking.

“If you’re willing to put yourself on the line every single time, I think there’s no such thing as a loss. And I’m so happy that the right man won.”

His honesty over his own weaknesses only served to elevate his heroic status making him more relatable, another leadership attribute that inspires teams. We could all be more Peaty!

Perseverance – Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards, Skijumping, GB.

Who could fail to be inspired and enchanted by the most unlikely Winter Olympics hero of all time (with close competition from the Jamaican “Cool Runnings” bobsleigh team). With no financial backing, the plasterer slept in his car and borrowed ski boots so outsized he had to wear six pairs of socks. He qualified to represent Britain on the sole achievement of being the first and only British candidate and faced cruel opposition from the sport’s governors. After his first entry at Calgary in 1988 – when he came last in both his events, scoring only half the points awarded to the second-last placed Spaniard – the rules were changed to ensure he couldn’t return, sealing his status as a British underdog legend.

No matter how many obstacles were put in his way, sometimes by chance, sometimes intentionally, Edwards refused to give in. He knew what he wanted and was prepared to sacrifice so much, work so hard and endure hardship, mockery and snobbery to achieve his ambition, even though he knew he would never win.

Leaders must be resilient, pushing through setbacks and persisting in the face of adversity. If executives and leadership can learn anything from Eddie, it’s to dig deep through the tough times, find creative ways around or over obstacles, navigate resistance and do whatever it takes to land safely at the other side.  He may not have won a medal but he did lift the nation and challenge ideas about elitism and what constitutes success. His perseverance paid dividends in other ways with his subsequent career as a much-loved TV personality and national treasure.

Effective teamwork – Jason Gardener, Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish and Mark Lewis-Francis, 4x100m relay, GB.

Nobody was going to beat the Americans at the 2004 Athens games. They had won 15 of the previous 19 Olympics finals and, with Justin Gatlin and Shawn Crawford, the 100m and 200m gold medallists, plus Coby Miller and Maurice Greene, the result appeared to be a foregone conclusion.

But that’s not how it worked out. Here were four of the most brilliant individuals in their field but this was a team event. They weren’t a team. Sloppy passing let the Brits snatch gold by a hundredth of second, the country’s first since 1912. Campbell had been all ready to go home after facing criticism from track legend Michael Johnson. “I had a meeting with the guys and said if they wanted me to keep going I would,” he said afterwards. “Once they put their faith in me, I had full faith in them. The craziest thing is we knew we were going to win it.”

Here was a team galvanised by adversity – they had almost been disqualified before the final but appealed successfully. One of their own had been humiliated internationally. It fortified and united them, ultimately propelling them to one of the greatest British Olympic victories in history.

Teams need leaders. But leaders need teams equally. Identifying strengths and weaknesses and knowing who to put on which part of a project or with a particular client, maintaining an open dialogue, building trust, genuine loyalty and mutual support builds winning teams.

Healthy rivalry with other teams within and outside of the organisation can help strengthen team identity and resolve, as long as it doesn’t get out of hand.  Think of Seb Coe and Steve Ovett, pushing one another to land gold and silver in the 1980 800m for Team GB – not figure skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding, whose bitter conflict resulted in Kerrigan being attacked with a metal bar before the 1994 Games and Harding banned from the sport.

Olympic athletes don’t win medals by accident. They rigorously train; stay focused and build up to peak performance with immaculate timing. They are driven constantly by the desire to break records and achieve personal bests.  They compete not just for themselves, but for their team, for their domestic club, for national pride. Similarly, leaders need to stay focused on their vision and goals, maintaining discipline in their actions and decisions to drive consistent progress and achieve long-term success.  By understanding the competition, cultivating a mindset of continuous improvement and always seeking ways to enhance skills, processes, and outcomes, they can drive a culture of innovation and learning supporting sustained growth and competitive advantage.

The inspiring journeys of Olympic athletes, of which we’ve only described a few, can serve as powerful motivators. Leaders can draw on these stories to inspire and motivate their teams, creating a culture of ambition, resilience, and excellence. Sharing stories of overcoming adversity and achieving greatness can boost morale and foster a positive organisational culture.

Here at Rialto, we find that drawing on sporting analogies can act as a powerful tool for leaders to work through leadership challenges. These analogies provide relatable, vivid, and memorable ways to convey complex ideas and inspire action.

In today’s volatile, uncertain economic climate, the most remunerated staff can be the most vulnerable to job losses as organisations seek to trim the bottom line. Sometimes, the higher the climb, the more dramatic – and painful – the fall can be.

Losing a significant income and the perks that go with it – and then trying to replace it with another – can be one of the most stressful life events for any executive or senior leader. There may be school fees, eye watering mortgages and other domestic expenses to worry about.

The financial stress comes at the same time as a loss of status and confidence at being told your role is surplus to requirements and this can have a devastating and destabilising impact on relations at home.

Questions of self worth, loss of identity and feelings of loneliness or loss of control are just some of the emotions that can make the whole process distressing and daunting, even for those who were active in the decision making process of their role going or for whom the events have come as no surprise.

For some, it can be easy over time to either slump into a state of despair or take the first job offered in panic, damaging years of investment put into building a successful brand and career.

Of course, every senior leader and executive would prefer to feel in control of any career decisions and never find themself in such a destabilising situation.

But it doesn’t have to feel like the end of the world – and could, in fact, be an opportunity in disguise. The first step that our executive transition team will suggest after working through your exit is a reframing of a mindset. Embracing the chance to reflect on your career to date, possible skills development, a pivot or exploring a new and exciting direction can help ward off the psychological impact of an unexpected loss of position and keep a positive frame of mind to seek, identify and seize opportunities you might otherwise never see.

Once your head is in the right place, you are ready to follow these practical steps to stride into the future.

1. Take time to reflect

It’s crucial to take the time to process your emotions, lean on trusted friends and family and accept support to get into that more positive mindset and reflect on your career. In an ideal world, would the position you left have been the one you would have chosen? Is there somewhere else you would rather have been? Why was the role no longer needed? Did the organisation fail? Were you in a dying or declining sector or function? Perhaps this is a wake up call, time for a change. Did you lose your own way somewhere along the line?

Be honest with yourself, but don’t fall into the trap of punishing yourself or feeling like a failure. You were good enough to get yourself into that position. You are still good enough to secure another one – more so, in fact. More experienced, more skilled. Write down your most cherished accomplishments and think about what you had to do to achieve them. As well as building your confidence, they will be useful to keep in mind and use to illustrate your value when exploring your future career options and roles you’d like to pursue.

Take the time to evaluate your recent performance, study the market demand curve ahead and map out the market and update your skills, of which more later.

Is this parting of ways a sign that you were no longer in the right job, culture or industry? Had you lost your enthusiasm or found yourself no longer driven in the same way? We’re human. It happens. You’ll find a better fit. You may well come to look back at this apparent setback as an outright blessing, especially if you walk into an exciting new phase of your career.

2. Assess Your Financial Situation

Understanding your financial situation is critical. Review your savings, severance package and other financial resources against your commitments and obligations. This assessment will help determine your budget and timeline for finding a new job. It might also be a good time to consult with a financial advisor to plan your finances effectively during this transition.

3. Look forward to the place you want to be

Try to visualise where you would like to end up. It can be easier to do this when you free your mind to wander, while walking or engaging in another pleasurable task that does not occupy your poor, overwrought brain. This does not mean identifying the exact role you want now, but thinking about your priorities. Do you want a better work/life balance? Would you like an opportunity to travel more? Or travel less? Or even move to a new part of the country or even the world? All of these possibilities are now open to you. Do you have a desire to give back/ Or interests that you haven’t had enough time to pursue which your vast transferable skills could now turn into a new career? Could you relaunch your professional life by combining your passion and your professionalism in a place that makes you feel happy every time you walk through the door?

4. Seek professional help

Research shows that senior professionals who partner with skilled and experienced executive career coaches excel in the competitive executive landscape. While it’s beneficial to work with high-quality recruitment consultants, it’s important to remember that recruiters ultimately serve the organisations they have been retained with, which can sometimes make it challenging to fully leverage your value or consider your needs.

In contrast, independent career coaches focus solely on your best interests. Establishing a relationship with an executive coach is crucial at this stage of your career. Mutual understanding and trust are core to this partnership. If you don’t feel these elements are present, it’s wise to address this straight away as the focus should solely be on enabling you to be in a stronger position to achieve your goals and aspirations.

Both recruiters and coaches can help you refine your professional profile to align with market growth areas, boost your confidence and secure the right new role for you at this stage of your professional life. Personalised support and unbiased guidance from an executive coach can be particularly valuable as you explore new career opportunities, aim to step up or advance your career and guide you through your next career steps.

5. Update Your CV and LinkedIn Profile

Ensure your CV is current and highlights your most recent achievements and skills & ensure it aligns with future market needs and language . If you have been in the same position or industry for some time, it may be a good idea to totally revamp your online presence as recruiting trends and requirements have moved on. Talent is found by AI in many cases. Your profile must be optimised accordingly. A compelling LinkedIn profile is essential as it’s often the first place that AI, recruiters and potential employers now look. Include a professional photo, a strong headline, and detailed descriptions of your roles and accomplishments, including in-demand soft skills (see our previous insights for details and keywords) and highlight any AI knowledge or experience. If you have a mentor or career coach, get help with this. They will know what recruiters and AI are looking for right now.

6. Leverage your networks

Networking is one of the most powerful tools for those looking for a new role, especially at executive and senior level. Recommendations are gold dust and they can help you access the hidden grey market – with positions that are not advertised or not yet formalised, putting you front of mind, giving you extra time to prepare, or even encouraging an organisation to create a role for you. Inform your professional contacts about your career direction and focus. You could do this via email, sending a message to people working in your target organisations or sectors with whom you feel you have a good relationship. Explain your proposition: the impact you can have and what makes you qualified for it. Attend industry events, join professional online and face to face groups and participate in online forums to ensure the right people keep seeing your name. Building and maintaining relationships can lead to enhanced and increased job opportunities, provide support during your job search and can lead to that decisive information, introduction or recommendation.

7. Benchmark your skills and seek to close any gaps

Whether you have been absent from the job market for two years or two decades, it will have changed – a lot. Generative AI and other technologies have accelerated the evolution of the workplace exponentially and will continue to change everything. Now is a good time to benchmark your skills against industry trends, which any good career coach can help you do. If AI concerns you, it’s time to face your fear. Forrester Research’s 2024 Hiring Trends Report noted that 78% of hiring managers in Fortune 500 companies consider AI literacy a crucial factor when evaluating executive candidates. PwC’s Global CEO Survey 2024 found 88% of CEOs believe AI will fundamentally change their business models within the next three years, necessitating AI-literate leadership. Executives must be able to identify opportunities, develop efficient solutions, manage change, and address ethical implications of AI deployment. You may require additional training to fulfil these requirements. Rialto has researched this area extensively for clients and can provide tailored developmental options.

The skills employers were prioritising even two years ago have changed almost beyond recognition, also in response to changing cultural and people-centred management styles and trends. Empathy, emotional intelligence, agility and resilience are among the skills most sought after in 2024. How do you develop and demonstrate such nebulous skills? Time out of the executive world leaves you perfectly placed to do just that. It might be through play – explore your creative side with a hobby or join a sports team. Perhaps you could volunteer, work directly with people less fortunate. It will help you reground and be great for your CV. If you’ve spent years nose to the grindstone, lurching from one averted disaster to getting another new project live, you may have lost sight of who you really are. Enjoy this time to rediscover what you enjoy, reconnect with your feelings and spend relaxed, devoted time with loved ones and old friends. Your emotional intelligence will shine through, your stress levels will fall and you’ll instinctively feel more confident about clear-headed decision-making on your way to that new role and beyond.

8. Develop an Executive Job Search Strategy

Treat the process of job search or exploring career options like a job in itself. Get up at the same time every morning, dress sharply, put in the hours. Keeping a routine will keep you alert and motivated. Create a structured job search plan. Identify target companies, set daily or weekly goals for targeting and networking activities and keep track of your progress. Assess and analyse any barriers and challenges emerging. Seek feedback where appropriate. Are you looking in the wrong place? Is there a sector or function that better suits your unique combination of talent, expertise and experience? Are you missing skills or failing to properly demonstrate or illustrate them? Read up on what is happening in your target sectors – where are they headed? Which skills are over-supplied? and which are in short supply? Is your skillset now a commodity? How can you fill any gaps? Keep on refining your offering and presentation with every lesson. Put the work in early and you’ll have the best chance of restarting your career on a better trajectory.

9. Prepare for Interviews & Informational Discussions

It may have been a while since you were in an interview. We see people who were head-hunted at university and have never been through a formal recruiter process again. Work on your interview skills now, don’t wait until you’re in front of a panel for the job you really want! Nerves are natural. The interviewers will want to see you at your best and put you at ease. Ask your career coach what are the most common interview questions in your sector/position and to suggest some good answers. Adapt them so they feel comfortable and natural; practice, speaking out loud. You could even record yourself to help refine the content of your answers but do not rehearse them word for word – this will only bore interviewers and put you at risk of missing the point of the question. Listen more than you talk and have questions prepared – questions you genuinely want answers to. Enthusiasm is infectious. Authenticity helps build a rapport and gets you that elusive likeability factor.

Develop a compelling narrative about your career and prepare to discuss your recent job loss positively. How are you going to explain it without: a) spoiling your own chances here or b) criticising your former employer or organisations, which signals disloyalty and indiscretion. Demonstrating resilience, self awareness and a forward-looking attitude can make a strong impression on potential employers.

10. Stay Open to New Opportunities

While it’s essential to have clear goals, being realistic, staying flexible, and open to different opportunities can also be beneficial. Consider interim roles, non-executive directorships, consulting, or freelance work. These opportunities can provide income, expand your network, and potentially lead to full-time positions.

11. Take Care of Your Well-being

Last but certainly not least, job loss and the stresses that go with it can take a serious toll on your mental and physical health. To remain positive and resilient, maintain a healthy routine including regular exercise, a balanced diet and adequate sleep. Mindfulness practices or speaking with a trusted friend, family member or professional can be beneficial to avoid stress levels becoming overwhelming.

A clear and healthy mind will help you make wiser decisions during your early transitional phase whilst maintaining good physical and mental health ensures you stay focused and motivated when applying for new roles. Wellbeing contributes to a better general impression when speaking to individuals, showcasing confidence and stability. Coming full circle, the ability to frame and develop a constructive narrative around your job loss as a positive opportunity rather than a setback can make explaining your situation less painful and more empowering. Focusing on your future aspirations and the new possibilities ahead will help convince you as much as anyone listening.

Losing a job is never easy but with the right approach and outlook, executives can transform this experience into a valuable opportunity. Take the time to reflect, learn from the situation, and adapt. Allow yourself some breathing space to reassess and realign your priorities, rediscover what truly matters, and reconnect with who you are. This pause can provide a more thoughtful approach to your career, leading to an exciting new phase that aligns better with your current self and true aspirations, rather than simply continuing on a predetermined path.

If you’re facing redundancy or are looking for a new role and think you could benefit from professional, personalised support to address any of the above, contact one of the team for a free initial consultation.

You may find some of our previous insights helpful.

• Six ways to use storytelling to supercharge your career
• Upskilling to lead into the future
• Going from Gen AI avoidant to pro
• AI’s rise – executives in transition