By Matt Paese, Ph.D.
Yesterday I attended the Human Resources Planning Society conference in Chicago where something interesting happened in a group discussion about talent management with about 40 HR executives from around the country (don’t act surprised).
Searching for some bottom-line answers, we asked a simple question:
If your talent management system were an engine, what should happen when you switch it on?
-“More leaders ready at the right time for the right jobs!”, called out a participant.
-“More people ready to do what the business needs!”, called another.
Wide consensus. Heads nodding. Organizations need an engine that manufactures readiness to perform business-critical tasks. Check. Next question:
What proportion of companies have working talent management engines?
-“Less than 20%!,” shouted a pharmaceutical leader from the back.
Again, lots of agreement and head nodding, and then an additional comment from a woman citing a recent study:
-“…less than 15%”, she concluded.
-“At best”, remarked another leader.
Okay, so the perception is that not many of these engines work very well. Roger that. Moving right along. Question #3:
If you could manufacture one tool to improve the performance of your talent management system, what would that tool do?
Murmuring. Discussion.
-The table in the back submitted an answer, “A better assessment tool to show people how they can develop!”
Arguments. More discussion.
-“A CEO who really believes in talent management!”
-“That’s not a tool.”
-“Some of them are.” <smirk>
And then eventually, consensus. The group rallied around one leader who voiced it best:
-“We need something that gives our leaders 2 things: the motivation and the skills to have honest conversations about talent.” She held her arm high and shook one finger, and then two to stress her point.
The group consensus: The single biggest barrier to effective talent management is a lack of honesty in conversation. By intent or by accident, we don’t fully level with one another.
A thought: In this resource-barren environment, if your talent management engine isn’t working, consider jump-starting it with one simple question:
What prevents us from having better, more truthful conversations about talent?
Matt Paese is the Vice President of Executive Solutions for Development Dimensions International (DDI).
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