by Tim Coburn
Some people still believe that it's simply media
hype to talk of a shortage of top talent. Yet as the number of job
advertisements continues to grow, it is clear that there is a severe
shortage of talent in many areas. According to Tim Coburn, a Motorola
OD specialist in Europe, only those organisations that learn how
to engage talent properly will be able to thrive in today's competitive
environment. This is his perspective on this critical business issue.
The Search for Meaning
Things are different now. Boundaries are gone,
distance is dead and knowledge is available to all. Television,
travel and the Internet have opened our eyes to unimagined possibilities.
Anyone with a great idea and the desire to make it happen has a
global market at their fingertips.
People are no longer content just to have a career;
they want to create a life. They want a balance between work and
home; alignment between what they do and who they are. They want
free market opportunity with care for the community and concern
for the environment. They want purpose with rich implications. The
personal 'search for meaning' is more urgent now.
Work opportunities that fulfil personal goals
have become powerfully attractive, and when individual visions and
personal goals are connected to business objectives, organisations
can realise the most valuable contribution that people can make.
Therefore, to engage and win the war for talent,
companies must provide freedom and focus -- freedom for personal
goals and focus for competitive advantage.
Talented Leaders
Talented leaders make it possible for people to
achieve the goals they are passionate about. They understand the
link between personal achievement and business performance, and
successful organisations foster this -- they know it is a powerful
factor in employee motivation, commitment and performance, which
in turn fuels business results.
Engage Talent by Talking
Companies know what it takes to hold on to a customer
who is free to choose from a range of competitors. Just as customers
are engaged through dialogue, so should talent be. Engaging talent
involves a long-term commitment to discover what really motivates
and excites the employee, as well as a process of using individual
aspirations to set challenging business objectives. The employee
should then be encouraged, stretched and supported in order to achieve
personal fulfilment and business results at the same time. Organisations
should engage talent by talking… because business is human
after all.
Putting It All Together -- Four Practical Steps
Here are four key practical steps that should
be taken into consideration when engaging talent:
Step One: Prepare the groundwork:
- Firstly, involve leaders in conversation to
engage their own talent and skills
- Motivate, stretch and develop them to achieve
their personal goals and business objectives
- Equip leaders with the skills to engage their
talented people
- Involve leaders and their teams together in
acquiring skills for engaging talent
Step Two: Create 'time out' for people to clarify
the link between their personal goals and business objectives.
- Provide an opportunity for them to:
- Clarify an enriching story of their life
- Create a personal vision
- Extend their vision to set challenging business
objectives
- Renew personal effectiveness to create commercial
value
- Decide what to do next and how to act
Then enable them to bring the essential elements
of this process back into their work.
Step Three: Integrate these new skills into
established management practices through:
- Performance management and coaching
- Leadership development
- High potential manager development
- Career planning
- Mentoring
- Executive coaching
Step Four: Define measures of success and evaluate
the results, look at:
- Achievement of business objectives
- Achievement of personal goals
- Employee motivation and satisfaction
- Staff turnover
- Individual performance assessment
- Talent retention risk analysis
Final Comment
People want to pursue the goals they care about,
they want to be effective and they want balance in their lives.
It is time to give people the space to revitalise and build the
story of their lives, for the good of themselves, their company
and the people around them.
Tim Coburn works in Organisation Development and Leadership Supply
with Motorola in the Europe, the Middle East, and African region.
This article is a personal perspective on Engaging Talent. To find
out more you can contact him at tim.coburn@motorola.com
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