Organisations face myriad challenges to remain competitive. Key among current challenges are an acute shortage of executive talent, the increasing mobility of that talent, a declining confidence in leadership, cost management driving behaviour, and a tendency to short-termism when the pressure is on.

Research consistently reveals those employers which outperform their competition to share common characteristics.

In their actions, the best employers:

• Identify what engages people and aligns them to strategy
• Harness their workforce’s power and passion
• Focus on differentiating their organisation's culture
• Provide clarity and direction through effective communication
• Offer challenge and growth in day-to-day work
• Increase the communication bandwidth between executive management and employees
• Accelerate the development of best talent
• Focus on a few lead practices to deliver a compelling employment experience
• Demonstrate a clear focus and share this relentlessly
• Relentlessly communicate the business’s strategy
• Consider autonomy, challenge, experimentation to be mandatory

In building organisational culture, the best employers:

• Focus relentlessly on performance, feedback and results
• Provide a structured approach to performance management and remuneration
• Work to ensure that people are connected to strategy
• Believe that fundamental positive belief systems are the key in building a pervasive culture
• Ensure their leaders lead people not balance sheets