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What is talent development?

The goal of talent development is growth: the growth of an individual, the growth of your team, and the growth of your organization.

Each individual has their own unique talents and skills. Talent development within an organization involves the process of helping your employees to develop their knowledge, skills, and potential so that they can perform better and continue to improve.

To achieve your team or organization’s full potential and stay ahead, it is necessary to identify the interests and strengths of each employee. With activities and initiatives that support employee development, it is then possible to strengthen those talents. This represents a great untapped potential for many companies.

Why is talent development important for organizations?

Talented employees who are allowed to sharpen their knowledge, skills, and abilities can deliver better results and fresh ideas. This in turn creates additional productivity, higher quality of service, and consequently, more satisfied customers.

Furthermore, employees who are motivated to grow feel valued and engaged. By investing in the knowledge and skills of employees, they are also more loyal. The result? Less turnover in your organization.

Lastly, talent development can also help to discover and develop leadership potential within the organization. This way, you can make your organization a success in the long term.

Who is responsible for talent development?

Allowing everyone’s talents to shine is of course no easy feat. There are three stakeholders responsible for talent development within an organization.

First and foremost, the HR and learning & development departments play a major role. They are close to the employees and know what initiatives they need to grow. HR departments usually develop talent strategies and implement development programs.

Additionally, managers also play an important role. They often create individual development plans for their employees. Personal guidance comes from them.

Finally, there is also a very large responsibility on the part of the talent itself. “You can bring the horse to the water, but you can’t force it to drink.” Even if you give people the opportunity to develop their skills, if they do not take ownership of their own talents, they will not grow.

What are the different forms of talent development?

Each talent learns in a different way, whether it’s by doing, reflecting, conceptualizing, or applying in the work environment. To maximize the potential of all talent in your organization, it’s best to apply different forms of talent development.

These are the most common forms of talent development:

Training and education

 

This includes group training, (online) courses, and workshops to build both soft skills and hard skill knowledge. This can be done in-person, hybrid, or blended form.

Mentorship and coaching

 

Having a mentor or coach who provides guidance and feedback can help in developing skills and solving challenges.

Job rotation and job enrichment

Assigning different tasks or responsibilities to an employee can help them learn new skills and broaden their experience. Don’t underestimate the power of “side” assignments within their current job as well.

Feedback and performance appraisal

Regular feedback and performance appraisals can help individuals identify their strengths and weaknesses. Based on this, they can improve their work relationships and performance in a focused way.

Personal development

This includes activities that talents do on their own to develop their skills and abilities, such as regular reflection moments, shadowing colleagues, organizing working groups around specific themes, hobbies, and even volunteering.

Setting up a talent development policy for your organization?

Organizations and talents need a talent development policy. So, get started as soon as possible!

Curious about how Ormit Talent develops the skills of young talents?