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.
Much is made about all the responsibilities a leader has, yet many of those go unseen by people that might benefit from knowing. People would probably be surprised by all the things a leader has to deal with, and if they knew they might be able to help. This post uses a letter sent my a worried family member to a the leader of an artillery battery to make the point and remind us some of the responbilities of a leader have not changed much.
Assessments in talent management – whether it is selection, high potential development, career development, leadership development, or any of the other pieces – is important. Here are 4 traps and a truth around using asssessments so you can make a good buy instead of being sold something that will not work.
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.
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.
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.
Talent management and leadership is about lots of things, but at the core it is about an understanding of ourselves, a willingness to share our perspective(and listen to the perspective of others), and a commitment to the time it will take to get a solution. The habits are core to the talent calendar.
Small words that have a big impact – BUT / AND. A cornerstone of leadership development is communication, which is part what we say and part getting people to listen. Talent Management is about conversations that happen and are healthy exchanges. One of these words sets a healthy tone for an exchange, and the other too often shuts it down.
Professional development and talent management is often focused on the skills we need at work. Many of those same skills apply to our lifes/roles outside of work. I was reminded of that recently when I went to a parenting seminar and learned something that most leaders need to know – managing conflict and teaching your children to do it well.
David C. Baker wrote a book to help new managers be successful. In it he shares lots of very practical advice for leading well and learning as you go. Leadership development and talent management (leveraging/developing your people) are part of being a leader, and this book does a nice job showing the practical steps of how a new manager can do it well. Here is my interview with the author and some reflections on the book.
Talent management related question from a group of SHRM leaders / Human resource professionals. Focused on hi-pot development, succession planning, and selecting the right people. Some great talent management questions and, from my experience doing keynote, probably the three topics most asked about. This is post 2 of 2.
Questions from HR professionals around the Talent Scorecard and other talent management activities. These two questions center around talent management in small companies and how my approach to performance compares with the focus of Crucial Conversations.