Hiring good talent is not enough – this talent has to be managed effectively so that they can contribute to the organization for the longer term, and grow along with the organization.
Managing talent takes more than just rules and policies – in today’s digital age, employees are more aware, and organizations should satisfy their career ambitions and expectations or they will find other takers.
Here are some tips on managing your talent effectively:
Organize essential training
The talent that walks into the organization might not be ready for the job right off the bat. They might have worked on a similar system in their old organization, and not sure about how to operate the new tool. Or they might need some technical knowledge to be able to perform.
Training on all this should be organized at the right time, and the results of these training program must be measured so as to understand whether the training was effective or not.
Communicate
Employees need constant assurance and appreciation to be able to feel proud of the work they are doing, and be more involved and engaged at the workplace. Managers must ensure that they are frequently communicating with employees.
Even if they have no specific work-related things to talk about, managers should make it a point to talk to employees to ask them how it is going at least once a month, of not more often. This proactivity from managers will help understand and solve issues before they can be a big problem.
Measure performance frequently
In managing talent, it is essential that managers understand where their team members stand, and what should be done to improve them to get them to the mark. Performance measurement shouldn’t be left to once a year – it should be done more periodically to ensure that any issues are caught right at the beginning.
Yes, there might be a comprehensive performance review at the end of the year, but that shouldn’t be the only one. It is a good idea to measure performance bi-monthly or quarterly, or, as it happens in some organizations, at the end of each project. These frequent appraisals help both the manager and the employee.
Constant feedback
Training and feedback are one thing, but if there is no action after these, the entire purpose of these exercises is defeated. And this feedback should not be nominal – it should be actionable, something that the employees can implement to improve. Periodic feedback is important for all the stakeholders so that it sets the expectations for the future.
Pay attention to data
Talent management is not just about the people connect – it also involves looking at data and analyzing it closely to get patterns and insights that will help in making decisions.
Data helps managers understand which employees need training and which employees need to be rewarded. Data is also helpful in identifying poor performers.
Improve culture and engagement
Employee performance also depends on how well they are engaged with their jobs, and how the organizational culture helps them. Therefore, it is in the organization’s best interests to engage employees effectively, and take measures to improve the culture at the workplace.
Let go when you must
All this talk about talent management is great but when the talent is not the right fit or is performing poorly, there is no choice but to let go. There is no point in hemming and hawing about – the entire organization can suffer because of an individual, and this must not be allowed to happen. So, make sure that you are making your firing decisions as well as your hiring decisions.
