Talent Management

Talent management means making sure that you have the best people on your team. It is generally considered to involve four things:

• Attracting talented people through recruitment.
• Developing the abilities of the people on your team.
• Engaging high performing team members, so that they are not tempted to go elsewhere.
• Succession planning, so that you have a ‘talent pipeline’ in case key people do leave.

Develop a talent management system

A talent management system needs to be put in place in order for the organisation to successfully select, develop and retain talented team members. As well as ensuring the identification of potential candidates for development, a well-planned system demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to talent management and keeps ‘talent’ high on the agenda.

Identify relevant strategic perspectives to suit your company’s requirements, in order to identify leaders who will lead the business into its next phase of development, a consideration of the immediate, as well as the long-term needs of the organisation is essential. Don’t forget that team members develop at differing rates and at various stages and keep late developers in mind.

A general approach to talent management should be taken by seeking individuals who will benefit and add value to the whole organisation. Make sure that expectations are clearly communicated to team members and that the program is seen to be fair and reasonable. Don’t raise any expectations you will be unable to meet.

Work collaboratively

When formulating a cohesive talent management system, collaborate with all the parties whose involvement is crucial:

• Talent management needs to be supported from the top; the involvement of senior management and / or the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) demonstrates the company’s commitment to managing talent.
• Human resource managers are at the forefront of attracting and recruiting talented team members.
• Line managers are responsible for the development and retention of talented personnel.

Working in conjunction with others ensures that the talent management system will be implemented effectively to facilitate the internal growth of the organisation.

Finding talent:
Become an attractive employer

Becoming a sought-after employer will help to attract good people. This is not just a matter of offering higher salaries and more extensive benefit packages than other employers, although it is important to be seen to be paying a fair rate for the job.

Factors such as an attractive working environment, regard for work-life balance, an ethical culture which promotes respect and cooperation, and opportunities for development and promotion are also crucial.

This will assist not only in attracting talent but retaining it as well.

Attracting the right people

Everyone wants to work for a great employer. Talented people, in particular, are in a strong position to pick and choose who they work for, so if you want to attract them, your company needs to work on building a good reputation.

Identify talent for today and for the future and select individuals who show the potential to grow.

Select individuals who are willing to learn, who will listen, are open minded, have a strong people focus, can nurture, can be decisive and are able to communicate an organisation’s vision. Select people who will learn quickly and grow as leaders.

Candidates should respect and adhere to the company’s values. Monitor the performance of possible candidates in their current role to provide an indication as to how they will perform in the future.

People are often at their most productive and successful at work when they can use their talents. As a manager, your role shouldn’t be to change people’s behaviour to suit the role, but rather to select the best person for the job in the first place.

So, how do you attract talented people? The most obvious answer may be to pay them well, but this strategy isn’t always practical. The best way to attract talented people is to recognise their potential and give them the best possible opportunities to use their strengths.

If you want to attract talented people – and keep them – make sure that you find the right people for the job, and then provide them with opportunities to use and develop the skills that they’ve already got.

Uncovering potential

The key to identifying talent is to look beyond performance, which may be restricted by a person’s current role, market conditions or plain bad luck. In this 3 step process, look for the potential in job candidates and match the right person to the position by:

Step 1: Being clear about the qualities you need from your ideal candidate.

Step 2: Asking the right questions to uncover people’s strengths.

Step 3: Matching talent with the qualities you’re looking for.

The 3 steps explained

Step 1: Being clear about the qualities you need from your ideal candidate

People can be very talented, but still not right for your team or business. That’s why it’s important to be clear about the key behaviours and competencies you need from your team and from job candidates.

Step 2: Asking the right questions to uncover people’s strengths

To uncover an interviewee’s specific drives and talents, you simply need to ask the right questions. Some of the topics you can discuss are: What kind of person they are? What are their values, skills, strengths, and abilities? What they desire – from their career and / or home life? What motivates and interests them? The important thing is to try to put them completely at ease, so that they feel comfortable talking openly about themselves. Avoid asking leading questions that might influence their response and let them do most of the talking. The idea is to find out as much about your candidate as possible.

Step 3: Matching talent with the qualities you’re looking for

Having set out your expectations, and interviewed potential candidates to identify their own talents, selecting the best candidate is simply a matter of matching their skills with the qualities you’re looking for. This can provide a useful basis for comparison if you interview a number of different candidates. But remember, people perform best when they can use their strengths, so don’t be tempted to film the position with someone just because they are talented, if they don’t have the qualities you’re looking for.

TIP – you could create a talent management interview template to use during an interview. Then, afterwards, use a Yes / No column to indicate whether you feel the candidate’s talents do match your expectations, or not. Below are behavioural competencies to consider in an interview.

Interview guide behavioural competencies

Competency	Example definition depending on role
Customer focus	Making customers and their needs a primary focus of one’s actions; developing and sustaining productive customer relationships.
Sales ability	Using appropriate styles and communication methods to gain acceptance of a product or service from customers.
Contributing to team success	Actively participating as a member of a team to move the team toward the completion of goals.
Applied learning	Assimilating and applying new job-related information in a timely manner.
Initiative	Taking prompt action to accomplish objectives; taking action to achieve goals beyond what is required; being proactive.
Work standards	Setting high standards of performance for self and others; assuming responsibility and accountability for successfully completing assignments or tasks; self-imposing standards of excellence rather than having standards imposed.
Energy	Consistently maintaining high levels of activity or productivity; sustaining long working hours when necessary; operating with vigour, effectiveness, and determination over extended periods of time.
Attention to detail	Accomplishing tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks; being watchful over a period of time.
Time management	Effectively managing one’s time and resources to ensure that work is completed efficiently.

Other relevant competencies for higher roles:

• Driving for results
• Building a successful team
• Developing others
• Planning and organisation
• Safety awareness
• Communication
• Attention to detail
• Energy

Developing talent

One of the biggest mistakes in talent management is concentrating on someone’s current performance instead of developing their potential for future greatness. Too often, rising stars are offered narrow development opportunities that focus on the skills they need to do their job now, rather than on those that they will need as the leaders of tomorrow.

“Challenge and nurture rising stars, don’t just celebrate today’s achievement.”

The development of star performers should be fostered and nurtured. Engage with personnel by keeping them stimulated, challenged and motivated.

There are various mechanisms organisations can employ to ensure that talented team members are successfully developed and stimulated:

• Support development by providing coaching and / or mentoring – consider the selection and use of an effective mentor for every talented performer – ideally someone from outside their line-management structure and with the skills, experience and reputation that would make them a credible source of guidance, support and challenge.
• Identify training needs that will provide the necessary criteria for continuing professional development.
• Offer professional qualifications which provide formal accreditation for a team member’s progress and achievements.
• Consider fast-track programmes by instigating accelerated routes to promotion as a method of recognition and stimulation.
• Management training schemes, project work, secondments, shadowing and transfers are a means of developing and broadening knowledge and enhancing variety and stimulation.
• Create attractive goals to aim for, such as admittance into an organisation’s talent pool.
• Facilitate networking opportunities.

Try not to focus too strongly on improving areas of ‘weakness’. Instead, think about developing the qualities that led you to recruit the individual in the first place – their strengths.

To develop world class performers, you need to help your ‘high potentials’ take their strengths to the next level. Don’t think of this as ‘controlling development’, but as ’empowering development’.

Mentoring talent

Mentoring is one of the most powerful and effective ways to develop talent. Regular, one-on-one contact with a knowledgeable and experienced individual gives rising stars a unique insight into the business, its processes and its philosophy.

Successful mentoring also improves retention rates among talented individuals because it demonstrates that their talents are recognised, and that the organisation is committed to helping them grow and develop.

It is important to gain active and passionate support from the company’s leaders for this, to make sure that others take their role as mentors seriously. Leaders need to make it clear that they are committed to the success of their mentoring program. They must also allow mentors and mentees the time to meet.

Challenging talent

To develop your talented high performers, give them new challenges that stretch their skills and keep them motivated and interested in their work. Encourage them to use their initiative and show what they can do.

It’s often best to work to take best advantage of people’s strengths, and to help them counterbalance weaknesses that matter and that might hold them back (you can often ignore other weaknesses if the high performer recognises them and compensates for them).

Often, talented individuals enjoy a high degree of autonomy, so support them in pinpointing their own areas of weakness and help them to identify suitable opportunities to improve upon them.

Development plan

Create an individual development plan for one of your ‘rising stars’ by using a developing talent table available as below.

Name:
Talent:	Work with your rising star to list their strengths.
Mentor:	Identify a suitable mentor for your rising star and list their strengths and areas of expertise.
Challenge:	Work with your mentor and mentee to identify a suitable challenge that the mentor can oversee, that will stretch the individual’s skills, and that will build upon the necessary core competencies.
Core Competencies:	List the company’s core competencies & behaviours.	Competencies	Behaviours

Business competencies and behaviours

Following is a list of business competencies and behaviours:

Competencies
Competency	Description
Solution facilitators	Those who successfully facilitate and provide solutions.
Life-long learners	Those who take what they’ve learned and are able to practice it for the rest of their lives.
Creative / entrepreneurial	Those with the ability to think outside the box and come up with amazing solutions and new ways of doing things.
Transfer of learning	To be able to pass on what they have learned onto others.
Culture & people development	The expanding and growing of knowledge and skills through both culture and people.
Excellence focused / driven	Those who are determined to achieve excellence.
Observation	The act of being observant and taking in all surroundings.
Persuasive	Being able to convince others towards their way of thinking and their motives.
Methodical	Those who are considerate in their approach to certain tasks and requirements.
Influencer	Those who influence their surroundings to be on board with their way of thinking, ideas and outcomes.

Behaviours
Behaviour	Description
Vibrant	A positive and up-beat personality trait.
Social conscious	The mental awareness of one’s social surroundings.
Patience	The art of being able to relax and wait for things.
Self-driven	To be enthusiastic enough to do the things others may not.
Engaging	The ability to entice audiences through charisma.
Authentic	Being genuine and not false.
Initiative	Having the drive to do something.
Adaptive & flexible	Being able to ‘go with the punches’ easily and often.
Intuitive & influencing work style	An adaptive and flexible work style that entices and persuades others to act in accordance or ‘follow suit’.
Collaborative	The act of coming together and sharing ideas to create a more improved outcome.

Engaging talent

The term ‘engagement’ refers to the level of personal connection and commitment that your talented people feel towards your business and its mission.

Your most talented team members hold the future of your business in their hands, but if you assign them to unsuitable tasks, fail to give them sufficient challenges, or neglect to reward them for their contributions, they can become a strain on its overall performance. So, if you want to keep your most talented team members, you need to work with them to keep them engaged.

You can do this by providing three possible things:

• Recognition
• Advancement
• Rewards

Recognition

Most organisations appreciate that they need to recognise the outstanding contributions of their best and brightest. But, occasionally, this doesn’t filter down to the company’s managers.

Sometimes, managers come to expect exceptional performance from certain individuals as the norm. This can make talented team members feel unappreciated and resentful.

Recognition is essential for keeping talented people engaged. What’s more, it’s often completely free! Be creative in the way that you recognise the achievements of your up-and-coming team members.

Advancement

Many companies put their most talented recruits on fast-track career paths, but smaller businesses may not have the resources for such programs. Real advancement opportunities can be limited, so try to create other opportunities.

Often, companies will hold promising individuals back from promotion because they haven’t yet proven themselves capable of handling a role at the next level. This can lead to undeveloped potential and an excess of middle managers.

Rewards

There is a saying that goes: “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.”

Even in financially challenging times, it is important to pay your best people what they are worth. Under normal circumstances, high performers put in 20% more effort than other team members in the same roles. They say that if you’re treating everyone on your team equally, then you’re not doing enough to support and keep the people who matter the most.

Many companies worry about creating the perception of a ‘favoured class’, but research shows that most people (even those who haven’t been labelled ‘high potentials’) work harder and seem happier in a structure where good things happen to the people who deserve them.

Succession planning

There will come a time when even your most valued people are lost from your company because they move on, become ill, retire, or leave for some other reason. These key individuals are likely to have played a larger role than most in making the organisation successful, and their loss can cause considerable disruption.

Talent management is a useful tool for making sure that this type of transition goes as smoothly as possible. The idea is to create a ‘talent pipeline’, so that there is always a talented successor ready, willing and able to fill any pivotal role, should the need arise. This way, you’ll know which skills you need for the future, and who has them – and you’ll actively develop these people’s skills further.

Do this by identifying the high potential candidates among your existing people, using the three-step process in ‘uncovering potential’.

When you have identified potential successors, work on developing their skills using the ‘Developing Talent’ table and putting the valued individual in the mentor’s role.

Retaining talented team members

If a talented team member is an asset to your company then they will be valuable to competitors too. Therefore, once recruitment has been successfully achieved, it is fundamental that the individual stays in your organisation.

So how do you deter them from seeking new challenges with a competitor?

All team members want to feel that their contribution is recognised and valued by the organisation. Ensuring that team members feel appreciated will enhance their motivation and commitment.

The attitudes and behaviour of direct line managers play a fundamental role here and can provide a key to retaining and developing star performers:

• Develop talent by providing the appropriate support and guidance each individual needs in order to reach their full potential.
• Provide frequent, constructive and honest feedback on performance to accelerate development.
• Line managers should identify a team member’s career drivers. This will provide a developmental framework by which to work.
• Individuals should play a part in negotiating their own development needs and career paths.
• Set targets, both in the short and long-term so that a clear development route is evident for both the employer and the team member.
• Identify areas for development and / or improvement to foster talent, ensuring that any skills gaps are adequately addressed.

Ensuring equality of opportunity and transparency over criteria for entry into talent and development programs will complement diversity initiatives as well as supporting retention.

Potential obstacles

Managers should avoid:

1. Isolating the rest of the workforce if it is perceived that certain members are being given preferential treatment.
2. Selecting team members who are outstanding in their own role but who cannot work as part of a team.
3. Overlooking personality traits in promising individuals which may cause problems at a later date.
4. Waiting until a team member ‘shines’ rather than identifying their potential at an early stage.
5. Promoting a promising individual too soon just because a senior vacancy has arisen.
6. Formulating a development and training plan without first consulting the team member.
7. Focusing purely on the organisation’s current status; when identifying potential contenders for promotion, consider future objectives as well.

Conclusion

Talent management is vitally important for organisations in competitive marketplaces. Such a plan benefits everyone: the organisation reaps the rewards of having a highly talented and skilled workforce, while individuals enjoy greater job satisfaction, at the same time that they have the opportunity to improve their skills, knowledge and experience.

Talent management is essentially about four things:

• Attracting talent to your company.
• Developing the skills of your workforce.
• Engaging talented individuals, so that they fulfil their potential and remain with the company.
• Creating a ‘talent pipeline’ in case a valued team member does leave.