No organization can afford losing their talent, especially not SMEs. Beware! The outflow of talent is not necessarily the result of the departure of an employee: it is also about the wasted talents within your walls, if they are not optimized.
Revelation: the definition of talent has been modified, and no longer means the selection of genuises anymore. Talent in business is rather the set of skills and abilities that each employee has. It represents a valuable asset, especially as the role of each member of an SME is often crucial.
Here are some tips that will help you with your business’ talent management.
Do not let time harm you
Some decisions need to be taken quickly. However, when it comes to an employee’s career management, it is difficult to rush things. You might miss out on a priceless talent, and even affect the mobilization of an employee.
Make sure to act diligently, without compromising the relationship with the employee. A clear human resources plan will enable you to act quickly and effectively without losing your vision.
Talent management is a team effort. In this regard, the small number of employees in an SME is valuable: you will find it easier to have access to both the manager and employees. Make time to discuss the vision of the company or department with the manager. Set the direction the department needs to take, and identify the assets that are needed to succeed. Also, discuss these with the team to get their opinions and share their respective goals.
Talent management: it’s all about teamwork
The purpose of employee performance reviews is not only to award bonuses and salary adjustments. These meetings are important moments to learn more about members of your staff who surround you every day. It is also an opportunity to present the employee with what you have in mind for them, as well as working together in developing their career plans.
Take the opportunity to find out about their personal and professional goals, as well as the challenges they face in their duties, skills and expectations. It is a meeting where you should not be the only person talking; concentrate on also listening to the employee and measuring the extent of their strength and talent.
Also, consider the generation of each employee. The new generation entering the workforce does not consider career management in the same way previous generations do. You will notice that the sources of emancipation are different and that talent management must be adapted accordingly.
Focus on talent rather than deficiencies
Be careful – it’s not just an optimistic mantra! Above all, it helps to maximize the abilities of a person, without necessarily asking them to improve their shortcomings to achieve the standards required by the position.
How? Assign the employee whose tasks will be related to their potential. For instance, transfer a task that an employee who can hardly manage it, to an employee for whom it is a strength. You will be killing two birds with one stone: first, you will liberate an employee of a task that requires (too) much effort from them and let them focus on their strengths, while on the other hand, you will widen the responsibilities of another employee who excels in this area.
Also, consider developing leaders who can take over. An employee who has some technical limitations may actually have huge managerial potential, providing you with a prime candidate for management positions.
Take a few calculated risks: does an employee seem to have great potential, but does not have much experience? Provide them with some! Contribute to their professional growth by giving them additional supervised tasks.
Therefore, you will maximize employee talent while contributing directly to the performance of your SME.
Do not lie … not even just a little
A simple little promotion lie, even if it is to encourage the employee, is greatly harmful. If in the light of human resource planning, no promotion or career advancement is possible, please do not let your employee believe otherwise.
Avoid affecting the employee’s engagement and trust towards the company. Favor transparent communication and try to determine with the employee ways that will allow them to grow within the company, and not necessarily through a promotion.
Be creative: there are alternatives to promotions!
It is rather common within a SME that there are no possibilities for promotion. That does not mean we should forget about talent management.
Remember that growing within a business is not only made up of promotions. Advancement can be offered to an employee by expanding their tasks, such as an horizontal promotion that can be beneficial for both the employee and the company.
Consider reviewing their working conditions. For example, you could adjust your employees’ schedules in order to liberate a certain percentage of their time, which they will be able to invest in developing their talent. These hours can be dedicated to a project such as: creating a social club, developing an instant messaging service for the office, or even new software that could ultimately be added to your service offer.
Your employees are creative – act as a catalyst for their talent and allow them to demonstrate it within your SME.
Do not let them fall asleep!
Career progression and optimization of talent can also be achieved through training. Make sure employees are aware of the opportunities and resources available to them.
On one hand, encourage employees to point out the training sessions that interest them, and on the other, remain on the lookout for training that could develop your staff’s talent.
For some people, the possibility of growing in the course of their duties is worth much more than promotions! Think about it!
Although the management of an SME requires making decisions based on limited resources, talent is infinitely rich. Be part of the small and medium enterprises that are successful with their organization’s talent management, act as a catalyst in establishing a clear plan, and discuss with your employees how they see their career!