The opportunity to be a part of a thriving organisation and do meaningful work is important to most career minded people. Talented and ambitious people typically have a desire to contribute, learn, grow and advance both their capabilities and careers. For many, an organisation’s vision, mission, and culture are central to their decisions to join a team, stay or move on.
Attracting and retaining talented people takes a deliberate approach that inspires engagement, enables learning, and rewards contributions. Creating clear pathways down which people can travel is essential to any organisation’s ability to retain and leverage the talent people are able to bring.
Provide direction
For people to add value they need to understand their role and want to play it. A member of your team needs to know not only what they must achieve today, but also how they contribute to the success of tomorrow. Just as important is their understanding of how they can grow and advance their careers with your business.
1. Vision and strategy
Provide an inspiring vision for your organisation’s future and how you intend to get there. Share your organisation’s aspirations; what you want to become and achieve. Paint a clear picture of what is desirable and possible, and help people see the difference your organisation does and can make.
2. Career pathways
Show the steps people can take with your business. Begin by creating career pathways that help employees understand the capabilities they can build, experience they can gain, and ultimately the career rewards available to them.
3. Clarity and coaching
Clearly articulate the role you need each person in your team to play. Set KPIs and provide meaning feedback that allows people to understand how they are tracking and how they can improve. Guide and support them to learn from experience and adopt more successful approaches over time.
Provide Meaning
People are more likely to thrive when they feel connected to what they do. As Simon Sinek, best selling author suggests, knowing why their job and your business are important gives people a sense of purpose or belief that inspires them.
1. Share your mission
Talk to every new member of your team about why your organisation exists and what purpose it aims to fulfil. Remind people regularly how your vision is aligned to fulfilling your mission. Sharing in your history and reason for your journey ahead is a powerful way of engaging people with important objectives and creating a sense of belonging with your organisation.
2. Recognise contributions
Providing feedback not only allows people to learn from experience, but it helps them appreciate the importance of the role they play. Ensure people understand the impacts of their role on the success of the team and business by regularly drawing their attention to how they make a difference.
3. Reward achievement
Reinforce the behaviours and outcomes you want by rewarding success. Maintain the standard of expectations you set when deciding who and what to reward or recognise. Help people to feel that they make a difference by showcasing the valuable contributions they make.
Manage Careers
Retaining talented individuals who are able to deliver on your organisation’s vision today and into the future requires a deliberate approach to career management.
1. Grow your own talent
Adopting a ‘grow-your-own’ strategy means working to develop specific capabilities needed in the future. It also means supporting people to grow their capabilities and advance their careers in line with your business requirements. Start with your organisation’s strategic plan and deliberately foster the competencies needed to succeed.
2. Development planning
With a clear view of the career paths people can pursue, you are able to set targeted development goals and implement learning solutions. Take a long-term view of the development priorities of your people. Ensure you focus equally on the needs of the business and supporting individuals to achieve their career aspirations within your business.
3. Show progress
For people to feel a sense of progression they need to know they are learning and achieving. Set KPIs and objectives that allow people to see how they are moving toward their goals.
