hrandtalent

What is Talent Optimization?

I get asked this question often and usually by individuals who confuse it with the function of talent development or talent management within their organization.

My definition of Talent Optimization is simply the alignment between the business strategy and the plan for your most important organizational asset, your talent.

It involves a number of critical factors including:

– the business strategy and the impact of the strategy on your talent needs,

– the assessment of your current talent and effectively understanding their current skills and capabilities,

– the ability to move, develop and recruit talent successfully to meet the organizational needs and goals.

The business strategy needs to be at the core of talent optimization.  The business strategy has to drive the desired organization talent outcomes.  Every talent initiative your organization develops, sponsors and participates in must be steered directly from where the business wants to go.  Without this alignment back to your business strategy your organization is simply wasting its time, efforts and money for initiatives that aren’t supporting what is important to your organization’s success.  So many companies have invested heavily in talent focused programs and initiatives over the years which look great…..but many times when I ask them why the created the program they aren’t able to align the purpose of their high visibility programs back to the business strategy.  Simply put, these companies have spent lots of money on “window dressings” and failed to focus their investments into ones that will shape their organization’s talent to where it needs to go.

Similar to analyzing the value of an organization’s asset, understanding your organization’s own talent and their capabilities is another critical factor within talent optimization.  Companies need to properly gauge their own talent’s skills, abilities, and limitations to effectively understand the gaps between their current talent and the desired skills and abilities needed to successfully achieve their business strategy and goals.  Very few companies are able to do this successfully.  Most companies understand the skills and competencies needed within each role but fail to understand the full capabilities and experiences of the talent working within that role.  Companies recruit and hire simply to fill their roles and fail to recognize the other skills, abilities and experiences of the new hire beyond the requirements the role.  There are so many great tools and technologies available for organizations to gain a better understanding of their talent which is essential to building an effective organization talent strategy and plan.

An organization’s ability to effectively move, develop and recruit talent is the third critical factor for an organization to optimize talent.  Companies must be self-aware and understand their true capabilities within talent management, talent development and talent acquisition.  An organization who isn’t effective in managing and developing their own talent will need to rely more on hiring new talent to fulfill the talent requirements of the business strategy.  The organization must understand the limitations of their talent function and make the appropriate decision to either invest quickly in resolving their functional deficiencies or work around the deficiencies.

Talent optimization starts at the top of the organization and shouldn’t be just another HR exercise which the executive team and the rest of the organization isn’t fully supporting.  Talent optimization is an organizational function – not just an HR function.

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Simon Parkin is the Practice Leader for Recruitment and Talent Management Solutions at The Talent Company – www.thetalent.co     Simon is recognized as a global thought leader in the acquisition and management of talent and has successfully transformed the Talent function for organizations of all sizes. Simon works closely with clients to build, develop and innovate their Recruitment, Talent and HR functions. He is a former global leader of Recruitment and Talent for a Fortune 100 company. Simon is a featured speaker at a number of HR and Recruitment conferences across North America and an author of many acclaimed articles on innovative Recruitment, Talent and HR trends and best practices.  Simon’s full profile can be found at http://ca.linkedin.com/in/simonparkin1

How can following a process or methodology support strong coaching outcomes?

When a coach follows a structured and flexible process, objectives are created for the coaching, there is a direction and agreed upon outcomes to define success.

Engagement

This occurs on two levels, individually with the coaching participant and between the coach and the organization when applicable.  During the engagement process, the coach will typically get to know the organization and subsequently the participant through a structured intake discussion. The coach needs to clarify any organizational objectives for coaching as well as any reporting requirements.  It is critical for the coach to explain the confidentiality of the coaching relationship, therefore the coaching participant needs to be comfortable with the information that will be shared. It is recommended practice to include the participant in all meetings where coaching outcomes and progress are discussed with the organization.

Coaching Sessions

The coach works with the participant to establish milestones and individual session objectives.  If other issues are raised and seem important to the participant, the coach re-affirms what the participant really wants to focus on. It is important to note, that the agenda is driven by the participant, so it can change during a session. The coach can take several roles during coaching: thought partner, sounding board, confidante, challenger, mirror etc.

Feedback

At the end of each session, the coach checks in with the participant to understand what has been achieved in that session, as it relates to the session objective.  The coach will ask the participant what s/he has committed to doing and by when it will be done.  This is critical for outcome achievement and accountability.  The coach will also seek feedback on their coaching, both from the participant and from the organization as appropriate.

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Rehana Doobay is the CEO of The Talent Company (www.thetalent.co) and is responsible for creating, communicating, and implementing the vision, mission, and overall organizational strategy. Rehana also leads The Talent Company’s Leadership and Executive Coaching Practice.

Rehana has over 20 years of experience in corporate HR roles supporting clients in information technology, financial services, retail and sales. Her areas of specialty include organizational effectiveness, leadership, employee development, talent attraction and retention. She previously held the position of Vice President, Human Resources and Chief Talent and Diversity Officer at Shoppers Drug Mart and Vice President, Human Resources at American Express.

Her years supporting Fortune 500 companies across Europe and North America led her to pursue her passion for coaching, gaining certification in Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University. She is attentive to the individual needs of her clients and their organizational goals. As a coach, she is able to work with clients to refine a clear roadmap to success that is reflective of their personal potential and business needs. Rehana is committed to helping individuals and organizations reach extraordinary outcomes through coaching and leadership development.

For more information on The Talent Company and our offerings please contact Rehana directly at 1-866-973-9150 or via email at rehana.doobay@thetalent.co