Wednesday, December 16, 2015

On managing talent

In the last post, we saw how to coach people. In this post, we will look at how to create a robust talent pipeline.

What does a talent pipeline mean? 
  • Talent pipeline refers to all the systems and processes required to attract talent, select them, onboard them, ensure good performance management, coaching talent, career planning for them, succession planning etc. 
  • A good HR management system helps: it enables us to identify the talent in the company, their skills and abilities, the gaps in executing the strategy etc. 
How does a robust talent pipeline help? 
  • Enables deployment of the right talent at the right place at the right time, in accordance with strategy. 
What comprises great talent management? 
  • Being agile (move at speed)
  • Being flexible
  • Having good data about talent

How do we identify talent?
  • A3E2 (Ability, Agility, Aspiration, Emotional intelligence, Engagement) Model
    • Ability: Deliver high performance (exceeding expectations)
    • Agility: Bringing to bear experience/knowledge/skills to accomplish a new undertaking
    • Aspiration: The drive to accomplish something great
    • Emotional intelligence: Understanding one's own and other people's emotions, and leveraging this to help move the team forward (A measure of emotional aperture here). 
    • Engagement: Understanding the vision and mission, and committed to making them successful. 
  • Know your talent: can you tell a story about them with the A3E2 model
    • Paint a picture in another person's mind
How do we nurture talent? 
  • Identify where the person falls on the A3E2 model, and identify areas for improvement
  • Expose them to more people in the company (talent shines with exposure)
  • 70-20-10 (on the job - coaching - curriculum)
    • 70%
      • New Team, associations, task forces, non-profit boards, projects, culture, process, products
      • Closing down some of the above (change management skills)
    • 20% 
      • Coach/mentor/sponsor
        • Coaching: in functional areas
        • Mentoring: based on a relationship
        • Sponsor: Recognize potential, provide exposure, opportunities
      • Listen and observe
        • Get into people's minds, understand their needs, and address them 
    • 10%
      • Leader as a teacher
        • Brings you emotionally close 
        • Learn better as a result of teaching
How do we keep talent engaged?
  • Engaged employees make a significant difference (see here)
  • Quality of leadership is key to turnover (differs by industry)
    • Costly to replace talent
  • Infuse new blood into the team all the time
  • Evaluate risk of employee leaving vs impact caused 
    • Why do employees leave?
      • Relationships: with manager, peers
      • Culture fit 
      • Life/work event triggers
      • Job market situation (competitive market etc.)
    • What impact does an employee leaving have?
      • Business impact: for the present, and the future
      • Knowledge gap created
      • Competitor advantage: defecting to competitor, and attracting talent there
      • Damaged relationships: with company, partners, team
  • A checklist to keeping people engaged
    • Talk to employees about career plan, their future 
    • Train them to do jobs now, and in future
    • Communicate what's happening in team, company etc. 
    • Recognize achievements and provide exposure, acknowledge their role in success of team
    • Reward good work
    • Ensure leads have A3E2
    • Create positive energy: teach each other, share their purpose, things they are proud of
How do we measure the performance of our talent pipeline?
  • Do an audit! 
    • Periodic evaluation of what talent is available, what talent is required, and an action plan to bridge the gap (either by training, or by hiring externally)
    • Succession planning
      • Identify new roles needed at all levels, and which candidates can fill those roles
        • Have the foresight to identify such roles, given the strategy
      • Top talent should be moved to new roles at 36 months (start conversation at 24 months)



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