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About CSI Why is it important for organizations to strengthen talent initiatives to maintain their competitive edge? Loss of key talent and knowledge, competition, reputation, bench strength, productivity and profitability! Organizations today are facing an unprecedented battle to keep their greatest asset intact: their people. In order to maintain a competitive edge, not only to organizations need to build strong business strategies, but they must also ensure they have the right talent onboard to support those strategies. Leaders must understand which employees own the skills that will make or break the business, how to maximize those internal resources by developing, engaging and retaining them, and recognizing what resources will be used to recruit new talent in the future. Organizations that build resilient talent management processes improve productivity and profitability through the strategic engagement, development and retention of talent. The TalentEdge™ supports maintaining their Competitive Edge .
What is the TalentEdge™ ? Research continues to specify the key drivers of retention, engagement and commitment to be: Exciting work & challenge; Career growth, learning & development; Working with great people & relationships. Career Systems International can partner with you to create the right set of talent solutions for your unique environment, leveraging our expertise in engaging, developing and retaining talent. Whether your focus is on Managers – their management style, career coaching and/or mentoring skills; or Employees – driving their own development, satisfaction, and/or mentoring experiences ; or a combination of both -- we offer more than a learning experience … we deliver results.
How are organizations holding managers accountable for talent? Unfortunately, managerial accountability for retention is not as prevalent as we would like to see. While some companies are introducing retention bonuses (dollars for managers who do a good job keeping talent!), many are just beginning to consider these ideas. Organizations are beginning hold managers responsible for increasing engagement and reducing turnover rates, and have set goals for these numbers. Some companies are requiring that managers, 1) identify the key talent, 2) develop action strategies for engaging, developing and keeping them, 3) then monitoring their implementation of these plans and their talent success! No longer are these efforts managed as a one-time event … but rather, organizations are building cultures with a DNA of focusing on talent.
What are the three top things you can do to engage and retain technical individual contributors, managers, and executives? Technical individual contributors crave a chance to work on challenging projects, use the latest technology, and collaborate with stimulating peers. Managers want opportunities to continue learning, a chance to do new and different things, and recognition from others for attending to both task and people. Whenever we have asked an executive who recently decided to leave an organization if there was anything the organization could have done to keep him or her, the answer is always a resounding YES! And, this immediate answer has one common thread - it has to do with new opportunities, with being "heard", with the chance to continue to innovate. When those go . . . so do execs!
What about the manager? The manager has influence! Many managers claim no responsibility for employee engagement and retention. They believe its all about the money, perks and benefits, where they have little control. We know that's not true. In addition to fair pay, people want challenging, meaningful work; a chance to learn and grow; great co-workers; recognition and respect; and a good boss. The manager can influence these factors. Sometimes they know it … but need tools and processes to help them become more talent-focused. Engaging and retaining talent can be as easy as one-step – ASK. Hold a “stay interview” and find out what matters most to the talent on your team. Then take action.
What about “them” – doesn't the employee have some responsibility for engagement, retention and development? Love 'Em or Lose 'Em showed managers how to keep their best and brightest employees on the job. We also believe that employees have a role to play as well. Employee satisfaction is indeed a two-way street. Managers have more power and influence than anyone else when it comes to engaging and retaining people. But, in truth, no one cares more about an individual's career or work satisfaction than the individual himself. It's up to him to constantly take stock and take action on behalf of his own satisfaction - in work and in life. Imagine the power of both managers and employees (playing their distinct and complementary roles to build positive , productive workplaces! While we believe that employees must follow their dream and if that dream leads them outside of your organization, so be it. However, countless individuals jump ship because something is wrong or missing where they are. They left for seemingly greener grass and sometimes found Astroturf. Indeed, the new organization had the same (or different) challenges as the one they left. They often regretted their departures in hindsight, recognizing the equity they'd built in the job they left. We suggest people look at four kinds of equity they might have in their workplaces:
Employees should, before leaving their workplace equity behind (too quickly), think about how much it is, how long it will take to rebuild it, or how heavily discounted it may be somewhere else. Following their dream might mean finding that the job they want is the job they already have! We help employees find more satisfaction … right where they are!
What does career development have to do with engagement and retention? Today's business world is characterized by globalization, increasing competition, an ever-accelerating pace of change, an overabundance of information, a never-ending technology revolution, a growing number of mergers and acquisitions, layoffs, and a declining talent pool. In this chaotic world, a business can only survive if it can attract the best and the brightest to its workforce. It can only thrive if it continues to grow and develop, while retaining, the talents of its workforce. Our 20 years of research in career development has shown that managers can create a development environment and, in doing so, make a huge impact in retaining and engaging their talent. What employees really want is a relationship with their managers whereby they can have open, honest, two-way conversations about their abilities, interests, and options. They want managers to listen to their perspectives, offer their points of view, and provide encouragement. It is essential that career development be viewed as a shared responsibility between the employee, the manager, and the organization. Career Development
How does career development work? The employees: Individual career planning can be compared to business planning. Just as business plans are the vehicles used to maximize profits, so career and development plans are the vehicles available to employees to help them maximize job satisfaction and effectiveness. Career development provides a framework to move staff from inertia to initiative, from seeing problems to seeing possibilities, from being critical of the organization to taking control of their future. The employees' role includes: Taking responsibility for their own development; Engaging in self-assessment and soliciting feedback; Initiating development discussions with their managers; Setting multiple career goals; Advocating their own cause; Making use of a variety of development opportunities; and Creating and communicating their development plan. Just like the athlete who uses the assistance of a "coach" to improve his or her game, the employee needs a "career coach." The manager must use a variety of familiar management skills and apply them to the career context. Frequent discussions with staff members about what they do best and what they want to do should be routine. This type of ongoing dialogue enhances productivity and results in a partnership that aids the employee match positions or projects that maximize their talents. The manager's role includes: Providing time for development discussions; Providing timely performance feedback; Identifying an employee's potential; Providing training and growth opportunities consistent with both individual and organizational goals; Communicating formal and informal advice and information on the organization; and Linking employees with appropriate resources and people.
Where does mentoring fit in? Mentoring, similarly, is also critical. And it is a great form of learning, desired by most. We believe that one must be willing to mentor many, and look for mentors continually. I also believe that mentors are not necessarily older, or more senior. Mentors can be found in the most unusual places if you know where, and how to look! (Bev's 13-year old taught her all her computer skills while her rocket scientist husband was unable to!) Self-promotion, if done well, is a necessary part of a successful career. If you don't believe in yourself, and you are not able to say so to others, why would others believe in you? And, as in everything else, there is a time and a place for this. An awareness of when it is "overkill" is also essential to using this ability properly. Mentoring skills, both for the mentor and mentee, are critical to building an ongoing learning culture. It's also a great means to share and transfer organizational knowledge, particularly critical as the aging Boomers more toward retirement.
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