I’ve been noodling for some time on the role of managers in a talent strategy. Specifically, how they can seriously screw it up. Being a manager myself, I understand that I’m violating the glass house principle, but you know that hasn’t stopped me before.
Let’s take an easy example to prove my point. Let’s say that your goal as an organization is to develop and engage talent. Seems that as an HR organization, you would focus your energies on building individual development programs and follow up on employee engagement surveys, right?
Sure, but how does that actually work when you have managers who won’t let their teams attend the training? How does any program provided by HR break past this group that is clearly motivated to horde talent?
I’ve long been pondering the idea that for any talent strategy to really work you must first address the pivotal role of manager and find a way to align a manager’s personal goals with the overall talent strategy.
I would love to hear of cases where companies have been able to effectively make this happen. Ideas? Experiences?
Meg Bear 