One of the things that most successful organizations have are highly skilled people in their workforce. In fact, the really good companies have so many that many of them leave and start their own businesses. So did you ever stop and think how the other guy was doing that? Sure, they pay them more, however, more than likely at some point in time they were not. How do you get that talent? 
- Hire it! – You might think that is cheating a little but heck it is. If you can afford it and you need it, there is nothing like playing George Steinbrenner and throwing some money at it. However, it may keep you at the top but not always are you winning championships.
- Nurture it – This is the opposite of #1 but it is the most effective way. It just takes time. Providing a lifetime learning experience rather than just a job will benefit your organization thorough out the years. Since I started with baseball, I might as well stay there, build a good farm system.
- Provide Mentors – Good Managers (Baseball) that will work and provide leadership rather than just telling and correcting what someone is doing. Explaining the process and why that needs to be done that way creates learning experiences, and sometimes for the mentor more so than the student. If you explain why they should be doing something, why are they doing it?
- Social Media – I think one of the greatest strengths of the Internet is the explosion of knowledge that is taking place. Exposing your organization to it can only increase that wealth of knowledge inside your company, sure you are going to make some mistakes along the way but I think what you can learn from the web is tremendous.
- Create Learning Opportunities – There are so many training opportunities that exist today and much of it is free or very cost effective, take advantage of it and encourage your people. Develop a a learning culture in your organization. Let people try unique and different experiences. Without a doubt the best learning experience I ever had on evaluating situations and processes was a simple art class on “How to Draw”. It is amazing what it taught me to observe and see!
- Interactive Web training – It is becoming very advanced and the ability to learn on your own time and rate is quite effective and even attractive. Especially, specific industry type webinars that allow someone to learn and master the subject matter before or during an event. This can assist in making the event more successful and productive.
- Create Flow in the workplace – you might think this is a tired out term but when people understand what is required of them and the right material or other aides are there, work gets done. It is the constant interruption that will kill enthusiasm quicker than anything.
- Know what is right and what is wrong? Practice alone does not make you better but “Perfect “ practice will. We cannot practice and improve ourselves unless we are practicing the right thing.
What are some of your ideas to develop TALENT?
Encourage mistakes. Not that the mistakes are good but they are the outcomes of trying new things. More often the outcome will be something good. Just have a process for quickly responding to mistakes. Mistakes without blame develop innovators.
I like to distinguish beyond mentors to coaches, but not how most people think they should be coaching.
There are two types of coaching. Coaching the solution means coaching people down a path of finding the right answer. Coaching the method means coaching them down a path of how to think, examine, observe, experiment, learn, improve. It's the well-know-yet-little-practice “teach a man to fish” analogy.
Above all else, this is guided learning-by-doing, and the core to developing talent.
Jamie Flinchbaugh
http://www.jamieflinchbaugh.com
Thanks Jamie for taking your time and commenting. I really like the comment “guided learning by doing.” I think so many times people equate coaches and consultants as people that just point things out. I think it is a bad rap for them as there are just as many of them that roll up their sleeves and get involved.
Well there are plenty that just point things out. Some of us strive for better.
Karen thanks for the insight and yes, I made a “mistake” by not adding a “mistake.” I do agree with you and maybe that is why we have developed that “it's not my fault” culture. If people were not so afraid of accepting blame they might be more willing to take on additional responsibility.
Good talent menu, Joe. Before “Hire it”, I would include continuously “look for it” as logical first step.
Most companies look/hire episodically. Episodic recruiting and hiring is stop and go examination of talent when a specific need arises. Success in hiring this way is more speculation and risk and not always repeatable. Talent is always circling. Unfortunately, if you’re only connecting with talent episodically, your talent window stays small. Working with a small window, you may enjoy a successful hire, but that success may not be repeatable. As variation increases, process waste between the need and hiring system accumulates.
Solution?
Create a system to continuously evaluate talent and replace episodic hiring with a talent supermarket. Now, go to the supermarket to withdraw what you need, when and where needed – on-demand.
Combine you’re #4, social media, and continuously interact with talent in your supermarket real time vs. hording and storing it. All of this takes place long before the actual hiring need surfaces. By creating the supermarket, you’ve also created #7, a continuous flow of relevant talent into your organization (current and future). Your supermarket builds a talent bench.
#5 is the best value at the supermarket – creating learning opportunities for your hiring teams. Your hiring teams now learn by direct talent connection and interactions, versus reaction to current needs. Your hiring teams daily visit and collaborate with your talent supermarket.
Knowledge, skill, capability, and relevance are regularly assessed against a future standard vs. stale job titles and vague duties.
Your employees are active at the supermarket. External talent, hiring teams, and your workforce are now learning on one common platform.
TPS works if you work it.
Jim Baran