I created a Talent Scorecard to help leaders think through what they have been doing around connecting with their people to make sure they are focused, understanding their challenges, getting their needs met, and receiving feedback on their progress. In the human resources world we call this talent management. To most of the rest of the world this is called leadership, management, or friendship.
The first set of numbers shocked me. Here they are and remember that I asked HR leaders to fill these out as if their CEO was doing this survey. The only two measures are 100% and <100%, because those are they only two measures that matter. 100% means you are doing the right things. <100% means that there is a person out there with a name, friends, bills to pay, skills/talents, and goals . . . that is not getting their needs met. These are basic needs. Here are the numbers.
Key Habits for Managing Talent
100% <100% I delivered all of the evaluations on time. 36.7 % 63.3 % I have one-on-one discussions with each member of my staff at least once a month. 63.3 % 36.7% I have reviewed all the evaluations of my team’s staff. 51.7 % 48.3 % Each person on my team has a development plan. 27.6 % 72.4 %
Too many people are getting late evaluations and do not have any sort of development plans.
Remember the Gallup Q12? The first two questions are: I know what is expected of me at work and I have the tools I need to do my job. On-time performance conversations and frequent one on ones to hear progress, identify needs, and solve problems make these questions a reality. The development plan is critical in getting people thinking about the future and helping them grow.
Based on these numbers, it is not happening enough.
For a quick look at a performance conversation tool/development plan that works see trUTips #13.