As the labor shortage continues to challenge businesses across industries, employers are seeking innovative solutions to fill crucial positions and maintain productivity. By focusing on internal talent development, businesses can tap into the untapped potential of their current workforce, fostering loyalty and commitment while also reducing the need for external hiring.
Below, 18 Forbes Business Council members share key steps leaders can take to effectively develop internal talent and promote talent from within. Over time, this will positively empower employees and bolster the long-term success of organizations.
1. Provide Personalized Training
Ask your employees about their goals—in their careers, not just their current position—and give them training to achieve those goals. You’ll build your internal roster with new and better skills and you’ll empower your employees along the way, building trust and loyalty. If they wind up leaving, congratulate them and then look for the next person on your team ready to move up into that role. – Mark Williams, Brokers International
2. Understand Where Your Employees Fit
Understanding where employees fit based on personal drivers and skills is critical to creating succession plans. By using powerful AI tools, leaders can identify quickly what motivates employees and what intrinsic value drivers match the roles they are doing. Create pathways for promotion and playbooks on skill gaps for development. Communicate frequently. – Christine Nielsen, Contrast Results Group
Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
3. Create An Environment That Values Learning And Personal Development
As a leader, it’s important to cultivate an environment that values ongoing learning and personal development. By providing avenues for skill-building, coaching and mentorship, you can identify and support emerging leaders within your team to foster growth and boost employee retention. – Kameel Gaines, Rig On Wheels Broker & Recruitment Services
4. Provide Opportunities For Growth And Development
By providing opportunities for growth and development, leaders can encourage employees to take on new challenges and responsibilities within the organization. Additionally, leaders can make a point to recognize and reward employees who demonstrate a commitment to learning and growth, which can help to foster a sense of motivation and loyalty among the team. – Nikola Iliev, Cafe De Anatolia
5. Implement An Effective Method Of Talent Recognition
To encourage people with better capabilities and promote in-house talent, one step a business can take is to have an effective method of talent recognition. As most tasks can be quantified and managers can evaluate the performance quality of individual employees using various parameters, an automated tool can be utilized. We use an effective in-house computer application called OpenVio for this. – Beth Worthy, GMR Transcription Services, Inc.
6. Allow Your Employees To Express Themselves
Grant employees the freedom to showcase that same talent. Oftentimes, employees feel they need to “play by the book” when it comes to living up to the company’s standards until the point when they mold into one, losing any sense of uniqueness or individuality. By allowing employees to express themselves both personally and professionally, businesses could truly benefit. – Ivan Popov, Vipe Studio
7. Develop A Cross-Training Program
Lack of career development opportunities is one of the biggest reasons employees leave, so provide them with a clear path to future advancement. Everyone should have their own growth plan that’s unique to their interests and abilities. If you’ll need an upcoming position filled and it aligns with an employee’s development goals, create a cross-training program that will help them earn that role. – Adam Povlitz, Anago Cleaning Systems
8. Make A Learning And Growth Mindset A Core Value
A company that makes a learning and growth mindset a core value will gain greater insight into the aspirations of its employees. Employees naturally face the internal barrier of being pigeonholed into their current role. If they are able to demonstrate through interest, shared insights and accomplishments their strengths in additional areas, that can be a platform for promotion. – Lowell Aplebaum, Vista Cova
9. Hire Employees Who Want To Develop And Grow
Promoting talent begins at the point of recruitment. If you hire people that want to develop and grow, you’ll have an easier time keeping people engaged long term. Think about the questions you ask during the interview process and later in one-on-one meetings. Establish clear expectations that can help you assess which people are motivated by lateral growth. Overall, remain transparent with your team. – Jeremy Bradley-Silverio Donato, Zama
10. Establish A Formal Career Development Program
One step leaders can take to begin promoting more talent from within their own organizations is to establish a formal career development program. This program can include training, mentoring, job shadowing and other opportunities for employees to learn and develop new skills. By investing in their employees’ growth, leaders can increase the pool of qualified candidates for higher-level positions. – Christoph Straube, W&L AG
11. Provide Tools
One step leaders can take to address the current labor shortage is by providing employees with the tools they need to learn and develop new skills. Create a culture of learning and development. This involves providing employees with opportunities for growth and advancement, as well as investing in them. Doing this will ensure that leaders create a more engaged and motivated workforce as well as a stronger pipeline of internal talent. – Cris Cawley, Game Changer Publishing
12. Understand The Strengths And Weaknesses Of Your Team
I think the best advice is to pay attention to your team. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of team members allows you to get more productivity from their work and help them to enjoy their work more. When you are able to balance job descriptions to focus people on where they shine, everyone is in a better position at the end of the day. – Laura Scotti, Pathways Consulting Group
13. Be Proactive
Businesses must nurture talent proactively. During the initial interview, it’s crucial to identify traits beyond mere qualifications and experience. Once a candidate is identified, it’s essential to create a work plan that leverages their strengths and sets them up for success. Assigning them a mentor who can guide them through the process is a crucial step. – Francisco Ramirez, The ACE Group (TAG)
14. Foster A Supportive Culture That Encourages Learning And Growth
Leaders should foster a supportive culture that encourages learning and growth. By allocating part of the budget to personal development stipends and creating opportunities for employees to work on projects that interest them, employees will feel more connected to the company and develop new skills. This will not only improve retention, but also help with talent management and succession planning. – Stephen Sokoler, Journey
15. Offer Continuing Education Opportunities
Create a variety of continuing education opportunities. If you provide openings for development through company seminars or outside courses, certifications or modules, you’ll provide your team with the skills they need to grow, succeed and rise within the organization. – Dr. David Lenihan, Tiber Health
16. Create A Dynamic Succession Plan
Organizations should create a dynamic succession plan that provides the basis for exposing and promoting promising talent into leadership roles within the organization. The plan should also state the specific skills and qualifications needed for each of these leadership roles. There also needs to be a training and development aspect of the plan that helps with upskilling internally. – Erik Pham, Health Canal
17. Offer Internal Company Universities Or Training Sessions
Some Fortune 500 companies have their own internal company universities, which are basically training sessions. While you probably can’t get a law or accounting degree, you can perhaps learn a new programming language or some other skill that allows you to move to other departments or perform other job functions. For example, the military has similar internal training groups. See how you can develop something similar. – Zain Jaffer, Zain Ventures
18. Promote Avenues For Growth
One way leaders can promote from within is to foster and develop their internal talent. Although we’re in the “information age,” the sheer volume of information and the decentralization of access points can intimidate greener talent from pursuing ways to expand their knowledge and abilities. To best develop from within, leaders should identify and promote avenues for growth for their entire team. – Matthew Davis, GDI Insurance Agency, Inc.
Read the full article here
