Look at any employee opinion or satisfaction survey and you will see that one thing employees want more of from those who lead them is a relationship. They want to have open, honest, two-way conversations about their abilities, interests and options. They want their managers to listen to their perspectives, offer their points of view, and provide encouragement and support. They don’t expect their managers to have all the answers, but they really want to have the dialogue.
Leaders who want to effectively and successfully manage the talent on their teams need a set of skills for career conversations. Here are five key areas that drive good talent talks.
- Leaders Must Listen for Skills, Interests and Values
- Leaders Must Level About Strengths And Development Needs
- Leaders Must Look Ahead at Trends and Business Needs
- Leaders Must Leverage Options Goals
- Leaders Must Provide A Link To Resources
Finally, talented employees need information, contacts, opportunities for growth, and channels for development. Savvy leaders provide the guidance, encouragement and support. The key to effective linking is for you to understand that your employees’ ongoing growth and development is good for them, good for you and good for the company. The employees keep their skills marketable and achieve their career goals. You establish a reputation as a development-minded manager, so talented employees want to work for you.
Leaders need to ensure that the assignments that you give provide opportunities for learning. One of the best ways to do this is to ask questions as they complete these assignments. You might ask them what worked and what didn’t, what they would do the same or differently in the future. They need to reflect on what they have done so they can learn from the experience.
Leaders also help grow talent by introducing them to their professional network or helping others who can serve as mentors or coaches. You may also have employees who need to learn in a traditional setting, namely the classroom. Perhaps your company provides the training, or the employee may feel the need to complete a formal degree program. In any case your job is to connect employees to the resources they need to succeed.
These questions might help you to link your talent:
• What training programs or educational opportunities most align with your goals?
• If you could give yourself the perfect assignment, what would it be?
• Who would you like as a mentor or coach? How can I help you enlist his or her support?
Talent Talk need not take a long time, but should be regular and frequent. Individuals will interpret inconsistent attention to their development as indifference. When individuals feel that the organization and its leaders don’t care, they withdraw their commitment and energy. Employees are not asking for decisions or answers. The skill sets described here demands that leaders truly understand their employees’ talents and that they challenge and channel that energy appropriately.
by Beverly Kaye
Beverly Kaye is one of the nation’s leading authorities in career issues in the workplace. She is the founder and CEO of Career Systems International in Scranton, PA. Dr. Kaye’s first published book, Up is NOT the Only Way (revised, Davies-Black, 1997), foresaw the effects of leaner and flatter organizations on individual careers. During the last two decades, she has worked with a host of organizations to establish career development systems and coaching interventions. Bev has spent years researching corporate strategies for developing, engaging and retaining knowledge workers. Her book, Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em: Getting Good People to Stay, (Berrett-Koehler, 2014 5th Edition) co-authored with Sharon Jordan-Evans, has sold over 800,000 copies, is printed in 20 languages and has reached Wall Street Journal and Amazon best seller status. Her upcoming book is More Stay Interviews, Less Talent Loss: A Manager’s Playbook (Berrett-Koehler, 2015).
Visit www.CareerSystemsIntl.com
See more at: http://www.hr.com/en/magazines/leadership_excellence_essentials/april_2015_leadership
In celebration of World Leadership Day – March 31st, and the Leadership 500 Awards, we celebrated and inspired leaders around the world at our annual conference, LEAD2015. Check out this year’s top award recipients.
Category:
Large Company
1. Alaska Airlines
2. Cerner Corporation
3. General Motors Compan
International Company
1. Emirates Airline
2. Fletcher Building Limited
3. Halogen Software
Midsize Company
1. Paycom
2. Sikich LLP
3. Council On Aging of Southwestern Ohio
Small Company
1. TTI Success Insights
2. Financial Finesse
3. Executive Medicine of Texas
International Leadership Partner & Provider
1. Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions
2. The Secretan Center Inc
3. TalentC – People Services
Large Leadership Partner & Provider
1. The Leadership Circle
2. Talent Plus, Inc.
3. Bluepoint Leadership Development
Midsize Leadership Partner & Provider
1. Career Systems International
2. Align4Profit
3. Verus Global
Small Leadership Partner & Provider
1. Quiet Excellence, LLC
2. Partnerwerks
3. Brainard Strategy
Educational Institution
1. The Gerald P. Buccino ‘63 Center for Leadership Development, Seton Hall University
2. Florida International University Center for Leadership
3. Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College
Non-Profit Organization
1. University of MD Faculty Physicians, Inc. (FPI)
2. Plan International Canada
3. LeaderSource SGA
Government/Military Organization
1. Baldrige Performance Excellence Program
2. City of Houston Learning and Development Center – The Center for Excellence
3. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
See more at: http://www.hr.com/en