American Association of Blacks in Energy
33rd Annual Conference
Leadership Development at Southern Company
Marsha Sampson Johnson
SVP Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer
May 20, 2010
Premier Energy Company Serving the Southeast
Southern Nuclear
Southern Power
SouthernLINC Wireless
Attractive Investment
 4.4 million customers
 #149 on Fortune 500 list
 History of sustainable, predictable growth
 Strong financial performance
 #1 ranked, nine years in a row, electric service provider in
customer satisfaction by ACSI
Strong Culture
 25,000 + employees strong
 Long-tenured workforce
 Cultural Tenets
– Safety & Wellness
– Southern Style
– Inclusion
Southern Style
 2010 Diversity Inc. Top Company
Business Results
– Top 10 Employers for Blacks
– One of 25 Noteworthy Companies
Competencies
Leadership
 2010 Top Military Friendly Companies (9th out of 100)
Employees: 25,584
Management ≈ 3600
Professional ≈ 8800
Non-Exempt ≈ 5000
Southern Style
Craft Labor ≈ 8000
Competencies
75% male / 25% female
Business Results
77% non-minority
/ 23% minority
Average Service: 18 years
Average Age: 46 years
Leadership
Leadership Development – A Business Priority
Drivers
Industry
Complexity
 Environmental regulation
 Infrastructure expansion
 Cost pressure
Changing
Workforce
 Retirements across all levels of leadership
 Multiple generations working together
 Female & minority representation
Culture
of Inclusion
 Leveraging differences for innovation
 Changing employee expectations
 Increasing rate of change – need rapid response
Recruitment &
Retention of Talent
 Tightening labor market
 Realities of a mobile workforce
 Today’s employees expect development
Leadership at All Levels
Development at All Levels
Executives
 Leadership training – usually university-based programs
 System assignments
 Coaching & mentoring
Managers of Managers
 Senior Leadership Development Program (SLDP)
 University-based leadership training
 Cross-system moves, special assignments/projects
 Coaching & mentoring
First-Level Managers
 Internal leadership training for new managers
 Leadership development programs
 Cross-system moves, special assignments/projects
 Coaching & mentoring
Emerging Talent
All Employees
 High potential identification
 Talent reviews
 Leadership development programs
 Projects, assignments, job rotations
 Internal & external training
 Coaching & mentoring
 Internal & external training (online & classroom)
 Tuition Reimbursement Program
 Projects, assignments
 Coaching & mentoring
Distinguished Performance
-Technically competent
- Embraces company values
- Consistently achieves results over time
Strong Foundational Skills
- Drive/ambition
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Presence
- Resilience
- Understands organization culture
- Adapts to change
- Learns and applies new skills
Future Role Capability
Demonstrates potential to move to the next leadership level and achieve
expectations.
H
I
G
H
P
O
T
E
N
T
I
A
L
Leadership Competencies
 Adapting & Responding to Change
 Critical Thinking
 Deciding & Initiating Action
Cultural Competence
 Entrepreneurial & Commercial Thinking
 Formulating Strategies & Concepts
 Leading & Supervising
 Persuading & Influencing
 Planning & Organizing
 Relating & Networking
Technical Competence
Delivering Results
MANAGERIAL LEVEL: First-Level Manager
EMPLOYEE: J.K. Sample
Low
COMPETENCIES
1
Low-Mid
2
3
4
Mid-Range
5
6
High-Mid
7
•
•
•
Adapting & Responding to Change
Critical Thinking
Deciding & Initiating Action
•
Entrepreneurial & Commercial
Formulating Strategies
•
•
Leading & Supervising
Persuading & Influencing
•
•
Planning & Organizing
Relating & Networking
8
•
• Blue range is Southern Company benchmark range for first-level manager
• Black dots are J.K. Sample’s actual results
High
9
10
Career & Development Planning Partnership
Employee
Aspirations



Development
Company
Needs
Identify what’s required
Assess current capabilities
Develop plan to close gaps & leverage strengths
Putting it All Together
Southern Style
Competencies
Business Results
Leadership