Happiness research tells us it is not the big things, but the cumulative effect of little moments that matters. If we impact each other in positive ways, then lots of good things happen in our teams and our business. Fridays are not the only day to smile, but a good day to try some purposeful things to impact the lives of others. This is talent management, and it is fun.
employee engagement
Companies are Like People, Our Culture Defines the Relationship – Tips for doing it well
A big part of talent management is getting people to trust us so that the conversations we have are laced with truth and transperancy. Onboarding is the moment when we first meet our new employees, and the time when we have to realize that building that trust as leaders and peers is critical. An effective talent management program depends on the trust developed in onboarding. Here are some tips for doing it well.
Three Ways to Make Recognition a Habit, 1 Thing to Avoid
Talent management is about getting people to feel good about what they are doing, focused on some clear outcomes, and getting things done that they can point at with pride. This is engagement. Recognition programs gone the wrong way end up with a powerpoint slideshow or a physcial ‘recognition toolkit’ that become symbols of checking the box, not engaging the heart.
Introversion (TED video) and trUYou
Talent management is about having conversations. It is also about people bringing self awareness to the conversation and using that information to have a more effective conversation. This post uses a TED talk about introversion to explore what we (leaders and followers) need to do to make this a rich conversation. Great talent management is enabled by self awareness.
Tracking Our Happiness – My experience + an exercise for leaders
Talent management is not about training, it is about awareness, individual ownership, and an ongoing partnership between leaders and followers to get better. I joined an HBR study on happiness and here is some reflections on what I have learned.
Assessments for Individuals – How they stack up
Talent management is about great conversations. In order for it to work, an individual needs to bring an awareness of who they are so decisions made can reflect the needs of the team, the individual, and the organization. Assessments are helpful in giving the talent (people) in your organization a baseline of information to build that self awareness. Here is my opinion of how those assessments stack up.
3 Questions to Answer BEFORE Hire=Yes
Three question process for the selection piece of talent management? Not likely, but it highlights a good way to have a final discussion about the fit of a candidate to a role/organization and for a candidate to asess their own alignment with the role. Good talent management and leadership development topic.
Choices. (career and talent management)
Career development planning is about choices. It is about thinking about what we want to be doing in the future, and preparing ourselves to meet a goal for prepare ourselves for a different path. At the heart of talent management is preparing the individual to bring an awareness of self to this conversation and helping the leader listen, guide, direct, challenge, and ultimately partner. Talent management is about great conversations, and at the heart of those conversations is ultimately a choice.
A great question to end your week (or your meeting)
What are you most proud of. Talent management and leadership is about understanding people and engaging them in the process and problems of running an organization. Of getting work done. Here is a question to renew energy and share what matters to them.
Onboarding Equation . . and 4 Ways to Influence it
Talent management is a lot of things, but great conversations during transition is a big part of it. Chip Conley shares an equation in his book Emotional Equations that captures the essence of Selection AND Onboarding the right way. Whether it is an internal leadership transition or a new hire, use this formula to manage your talent to a successful start.
A Hmmm # for leaders – What’s in your mail?
What is the impact of a personal note from a leader? Part of talent management is effectively connecting with your people and showing them that you care. Based on a recently published article, the mail is where you will have the least competition for their attention. People love letters!
Time – How to have this discussion
Leadership and talent management is about helping organizations and people succeed. Time is almost always a barrier, and here is a classic tool from Stephen Covey that can help sort through things.