People have a fundamental need to feel they are progressing, or they will leave. So a successful learning strategy is one where there’s visible commitment throughout the organisation to developing talent that is owned on three levels; by the company, manager and employee.
To address these three levels of ownership organisations can:
1. Create a ‘nurturing talent’ programme for all levels of leadership
This programme should help leaders understand their role in coaching and nurturing talent development and developing the leadership pipeline, and how this drives the business strategy. Leaders will learn to be learning partners for career development discussions and develop their coaching and feedback skills. This approach also identifies high potential talent where you may need to take an accelerated approach. This approach shows the organisation is willing to invest in developing talent and highlights the critical role of leaders in coaching and development.
2. Show commitment to learning on an individual level
The organisation also needs to show its commitment to learning on an individual level by developing a ‘Developing my Career’ programme that encourages individuals to own their development pathway and clarifies the range of opportunities and support available. The programme should focus on the individual, help them clarify their needs and preferences and even include some detail of the leadership pipeline in the organisation. In this session they would map opportunities to develop up, across and outside of the business with a clear line of sight to the company and personal goals. They would plan career development discussions they want to have with their line leader.
3. Embed talent management into your culture
Include linkage to these talent programmes in the induction process and create a Talent Forum, a careers development intranet with access to learning tools and advice to reinforce the learning culture and enable learners to own and share experiences and skills.
You need to ensure that ‘talent management’ is a hard wired to your business. Embed it into the culture at every layer and the company’s commitment to development will shine through and your pipeline of talent will flow freely.
