Betting on hidden talent

In 2012‚ Jacques Lebeau became the head of the payroll department for the 150,000 French Post Office employees who handle mail and parcels. His task was to reduce the number of employees by between 1,000 and 1,600 over six years. We often tend to think about those who are leaving their jobs, but how does one motivate the people who are staying and make the best use of their skills rather than recruiting outside the company? Jacques Lebeau asked his managers to carry out three-hour interviews with each employee in order to help draw up a ‘CV talent profile’. He then created new positions or projects in order to make the best use of the talents which had been identified. The department was transformed, and some of the new range of services provided even interested outside companies. Jacques Lebeau was awarded the ‘Espoirs du Management 2015’ prize and was a finalist in the European Foundation for Quality Management’s Good Practice Competition.