Creating a Culture That Focuses on Talent Development

Mar 2nd, 2023 | Hire Wire

One of the most important and challenging tasks a company leader has is developing the people on their team. The days are long, and the weeks are short, so making time to develop people can be difficult. Running the business and getting the job done often takes precedence. You need to meet with a client. You need to call back a customer. You must prepare for and attend meetings. You have a big project that is due. There are deadlines to meet every single day. There often isn’t enough time during the day to develop people. Many times, it just isn’t the priority. But building a high-performing team is crucial in making any business successful. Therefore, a philosophy where people development is a priority will drive any business forward and Human Resources Partners are critical in influencing this culture.

Talent development is the process of improving an individual’s skills and abilities to reach their full potential. It is an ongoing process that requires dedication, focus and commitment. There are several key reasons why people development is so important. When leaders do not take the time to have open and honest conversations with their people it forces employees to be in the dark. They don’t know if they are doing a good job or a poor job. If an employee is not performing, they need to receive feedback to improve. If they do not receive this feedback the poor performance will continue and even get worse putting the business in jeopardy. Furthermore, top performers want to know what their career path looks like and what they need to do they get there. If they feel stagnant or undervalued, they might try to look for a job elsewhere that provides them with better career growth opportunities.

The first step in developing people is to assess the talent on your team and/or within the organization. It is important to understand where each person falls when it comes to their performance and their potential. An employee with low performance and low potential should be developed much differently than someone who has low performance but high potential. This also holds true for someone who is a high performer with high potential, etc. The 9-block grid, also known as a performance/potential grid, is a tool that is commonly used to map an organization’s employees, so leaders and Human Resources have a strong understanding of where each employee stands and whom to focus their developmental efforts on.

Once everyone is plotted, it is important to have a strong understanding of each employee's strengths and opportunities. This will ensure there is a focus on the areas where the employee needs to improve while leveraging their strengths to achieve the desired goals. Once their strengths and opportunities are identified leaders should work collaboratively with each employee, while using Human Resources as support, to set goals that drive improvement and/or elevate performance. Utilizing the SMART goal model will help create goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. After the goals have been set, a formal plan should be created. This plan should include the steps the employee needs to take to help develop the agreed-upon areas. It will also outline the resources needed and hold the employee accountable to specific timelines to achieve these goals. It is easy to create a plan to check the box, but true development happens when all parties are 100% committed to working the plan. The employee, leader, and Human Resources should be able to speak fluently to this plan. Furthermore, it should be reviewed frequently and positive and constructive should be given both formally and informally as appropriate. The plan should remain fluid to ensure that there is always a concentration on the right areas.

In conclusion, talent development is essential in improving poor performance, elevating existing performance, and achieving career aspirations. Making people development a priority will help any team be more efficient and productive and feel more engaged. As a result, morale will be high, turnover will be low, and results will be met which will ultimately contribute positively to the bottom line.