Identifying and developing talent in the workplace
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As part of growing a business, its vital that organisations develop their talent. It helps organisations grow, innovate, and remain competitive.
Some areas are clear…productivity, quality of work, goal achievement, and other KPIs…similarly, using performance reviews to recognise consistent high performers. What is equally important is to look beyond current roles…who shows leadership, adaptability, and initiative?Parts of this will be clear to see. Watch for collaboration, problem-solving, resilience, and emotional intelligence. Likewise, pay attention to those who take ownership or help to informally mentor others. Collect input from peers, managers, and direct reports, perhaps using 360-degree feedback…engage employees in self-assessments to understand their aspirations and strengths.
Once you have identified such employees, start to create personalised plans with both short and long term goals. Consideration should be given to specific assignments, and formalising mentorship programmes. This needs building into the culture of the organisation to ensure recognition and buy in from all. As part of this, in house training, externl training & workshops, and professional qualifications need consideration…focus needs to be on both technical skills and soft skills (communication, leadership, etc.).
Job rotation and specific assignments can be important in the process. Expose talent to different roles or departments to broaden experience while assigning challenging projects to test leadership and innovation skills.
There is limited scope in developing talent succession planning without first identifying critical roles in the business, and to prepare successors through planned development. There needs to be in the medium term, a talent pipeline ready for key positions.
Feedback & recognition is important…make sure to provide regular, constructive feedback to support growth, while rewarding achievements to boost engagement and morale.
To truly succeed, you need to encourage a growth mindset, promoting continuous learning and development. This can include allowing people to take calculated risks without fear of failure and criticism. Talent comes in many forms, this means that you need to embrace varied backgrounds and perspectives.
Unless you identify and develop talent in the workplace, your business will not be ready to grow and develop in line with expectations. Time for you to start?
“Creative thinking is not a talent, it is a skill that can be learned. It empowers people by adding strength to their natural abilities which improves teamwork, productivity and, where appropriate, profits”.
Edward de Bono
