In the war for talent, it becomes increasingly important that business owners implement  several simple but critical processes to ensure that they find, keep and grow talent  in their organisations.

Here are five keys that will help you manage your talent more effectively:

1. Be clear on your strategy and articulate what success looks like.

Few business owners make the time to review their company strategies regularly. Often they are so deeply immersed in the day-to-day running and survival of their business that they fail to step away and work “on it” as opposed to “in it”. This is critical because unless they take time to review and adjust their strategies, they can never be sure that they are mobilising their talent in the right direction.

Your company strategy will help you articulate what success looks like, and possibly more importantly it will assist your staff in understanding what they need to do and how their roles affect your success as a company.

2. Match your people’s needs to your strategic intent.

Once you have clearly defined your strategic intent, you can align your people to the strategy.
For example, you may recognise that the season your business is entering is one of expansion. You need talent in your business that drives this agenda.

However, should your business be entering a season of consolidation, you would be more interested in mobilising employees with the strengths of consistency, responsibility, discipline and focus.
The changing seasons of your business require a different talent mix (not to mention leadership – but that’s a whole other article in itself).

3. Talk development and career with your staff.

Talented people know that their career development and career ambitions have been considered by their employer are more likely to remain engaged.

A good developmental conversation will  address the performance of the individuals. It will consider the developmental needs of the employee both for now and the future. It will identify the practical steps to be taken with time frames. This developmental plan should involve a range of learning channels, the most valuable being workplace learning. The best way to ensure this growth is to create opportunities for your employees to try new things, work with new responsibility and learn invaluable lessons.

4. Succession planning is critical.

It amazes me how little thought we give to the succession plans within our business.
I encourage the business owners I coach to use their strategy document and their succession planning templates as day-to-day tools. These are not documents that you create and file away; rather they are quick reference documents that keep your mind focused on the critical – not just urgent – people issues within your business.

Good succession helps secure your business for the future.

5. Monitor the impact of your talent activities.

The greatest value can be found in the things we measure. Review the quality of your talent documents. Consider how many of your plans you have implemented. Recognise managers who are great at recruiting and developing talent. And make sure your recruitment plans reflect the future need of the business – do not merely fill gaps.

First published inThe Star Workplace

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