Maximizing Talent for Organizational Growth
I was recently asked to mentor Tanja, a member of the management team in a medium-sized organization. The director and Tanja had become ‘disconnected’ over the past period. They no longer understood each other, and both suffered from it. The satisfaction was gone, on both sides. Once I started working with Tanja, it became apparent that she had never invested in her own development over the past 15 years. The director and his predecessors had failed to develop the talent within the organization. And Tanja had never raised the alarm; she had to learn to stand up for herself and her development. Here, the adage applies: standing still is moving backward.
In this article, I will discuss how to get more out of talent and how it influences growth within the organization.
The pressure on the labor market and the speed of market developments mean that more investment must be made in talent and more must be drawn from it. Why? Firstly, employees must be able to (continue to) meet the demands placed on them and on the organization. Secondly, investing in personal leadership also means that employees remain motivated.
Engage, Captivate, Retain
The theme “Engage, Captivate, Retain” is once again very relevant. Not for nothing, HR management is focusing on strategic workforce planning. The main task of managers, in my opinion, is to engage, captivate, and retain talent within an organization.
How? Mainly by offering customized guidance and coaching. Only then will the results be significantly increased: not only financially, but also in terms of employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and engagement.
Strategic Workforce Planning
Talent and leadership development are the main tasks of top management. And the legitimate question is what the quality of top management is. Do they have a well-developed self-awareness? Do they understand and focus on the development of effective leadership? Do they invest in organizational development, in the personal development of their employees? Too often, I notice that there is a fallback to using procedures, controls, spreadsheets, and the like. Fortunately, more and more executives are putting strategic workforce planning on the agenda.
What are the tips for top management to focus on talent and leadership development?
6 Management Tips to Maintain Focus on Talent and Leadership Development
- Develop sustainable processes to support talent development throughout the organization. Coordinate with HR management on the role of engaging, captivating, and retaining talent.
- Focus on shared values.
- Lead by example.
- Maintain the culture you advocate within your organization. Distinguish between individual guidance and organizational coaching.
- Mistakes happen where work is done. Is there a culture where mistakes can be made and are seen and evaluated as a learning process?
- Listen, walk around in the organization.
If you want to know more about leadership development and what you can do in that area, request a golden strategy session with me.
Want to read more? Then read my book “My Best Team Ever! In 7 steps to Golden Leadership“. Or do you want to know how you can further develop your leadership? Then contact me now!
