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.
What should 2012 look like for leaders? If you were going to do one thing that impacts the engagement and energy they have for their work, what would it be? Here are three ideas for helping your people see work differently and get more excited about it (aka: talent management / employee engagement)
Talent management is not a form, or a process, but a commitment to a place where everything (or most everything) works. The job is great, people are getting what they need, people are owning their role, and teams are helping each other be successful. It takes great leadership, great followership, and most importantly it takes frequent and very open conversations. The one on one is the critical piece of this, and here is a form to help a one on one work well. The result is great talent management.
Listening is not the lost skill of leadership, but it tends to take a back seat to getting work done when things are moving fast. A recent speech by a brain expert reminded me how little listening doctors do in the course of diagnosing certain medical conditions. Leadership and getting most out of the talent of a team (talent management) is, in part, about listening.
Leadership is important, but being able to be an effective manager is also important. Talent management (getting the most out of your people) does not happen without engaging people one on one, getting to know them, listening to what they need, and helping them. Here are 3 habits for any leader to help this to happen.
Why were you selected for a new leadership role? Simple question, and yet critical in aligning the right people with a situation and creating an effective transition plan. Based on David Baker’s book, Managing Right – For The First Time, this is a question all leaders should ask, when hiring or being hired. Talent Management is about great conversations, and this question is a cornerstone of a great talent management conversation.
Talent management is too often focused on putting in what was left out. Real change takes energy, and acknowledging that helps the performance evalutation and professional development focus take on more significance. We need to ask up front “Are you ready?” and then the leader needs to ask “How can I help?” Leaders need to remember that their role in talent management is to help define the what and how – – then support in the journey to a new place. Great followership involves making a choice to go to a new place.
David Baker wrote a book to help new managers make their transition successful. As I read Managing Right For The First Time in preparation for writing a review, I will share things that make me go Hmmmm. Some thoughts are around leadership development, while some are just about self awareness or individual development. This is about starting your development before you lead.
This is a question from the Wisconsin State SHRM Conference in 2011. I was invited to speak on the Talent Management Scorecard. The question was How do you recommend supporting momentum once development plans are established?
Talent management is not about doing the big things, it is about the little things. The little things are conversations, plans, and support that help people feel like a valuable asset. The talent management scorecard helps leaders see how they are doing, and helps leaders develop the focus and skills to help their team perform.
Talent managment is not an initiative, it is about habits. My talent scorecard helps leaders ask themselve “Am I doing all of the important things that my people need”. Leadership development is about helping leaders become skilled at the What of leadership, and this scorecard helps them understand the Why as well as the what.
Resilience and leadership is a big topic. It is an important topic. Here is a formula that captures the essence of resilience.