Making Talent Management Real

'A CEO or Board that has been in place for six or seven years and has not yet provided a pool of qualified candidates, and a robust process for selecting the next leader, is a failure' Ending the CEO Succession Crisis, HBR, February 2005

There is much talk of 'talent management' in business today - it's fast becoming a very common buzz word. But how do you actually do talent management ? Real expertise in delivering this to commercial organisations is scarce to say the least.

We are involved in developing talent management strategies for major blue chip organisations, getting beyond the hype to practical steps that can be implemented, and results that can be examined. We pride ourselves on our ability to be utterly pragmatic and practical in all of the work that we do.

Naturally, we are adept at developing a coaching strategy as part of the overall talent management strategy, but this is only part of the picture.

We also take a look at the long term strategic talent requirements for your business, building on your future business strategy. Activities such as building for key roles, developing talent pools and future skills audits are just some of the areas involved.

Crucially, our work goes beyond skills and behaviour - the standard areas on which development typically focuses. Our real difference is in working at the underlying, and far more powerful levels of beliefs, values, and the identity of the organisation and individuals within it - these are the keys to change that sticks.

The result ? A clear agenda and practical plan for developing your talent strategically, grounded in tangible steps to create momentum, and ongoing progress.

Making Talent Management real - further details

Purpose and Results

The purpose of developing a talent strategy is to underpin the overall business strategy with a clear, actionable strategy for developing and deploying the talent that will deliver that success.

The specific results you can expect are:

1. clarity on how your business strategy is underpinned by your talent strategy


2. the ability to articulate clearly and compellingly what your talent strategy is, and how it supports the future of the business


3. a clear plan of how this strategy will be implemented, and over what timeframe


4. tangible, clear, practical steps, both in the short and long term that will deliver this outcome


5. the ability to articulate the benefits of this work, and clarity on how you will track those benefits over time.

How it works

The structure of our talent strategy service varies, but follows a series of similar steps;

1. firstly we explore the overall business strategy with you


2. next, we explore the key groups of people who are, and will or may be instrumental in delivering that strategy


3. we then look in depth at the skills and characteristics of the key people who have got you to where you are now, and crucially, we look at how these skills and characteristics will need to be different to take you to where you want to be in the future


4. we then work with you to define programs of activity that will build those different skills, attributes and characteristics in the key parts of your population, over time. These programs can include training, recruitment, succession planning, coaching, mentoring and culture change.


5. we share with you our knowledge of other providers who offer those parts of your program that we do not. This knowledge is based on our experience of the market, as well as our experience of working with clients and other providers to bring talent management strategies to life.


6. Finally, we work alongside you to bring these plans to fruition and to track the benefits to the organisation.

Next Steps

If you think that this could be the service for you or your organisation, or if you are merely curious to find out more, either call or e-mail us to book a no-obligation conversation. This will allow you to explore the possibilities without pressure. We promise to come back to you within one working day, but will frequently respond within hours.

If at the end of the conversation, our service is still of interest, or is even merely intriguing, we can offer you the option to set up a meeting to explore further. If not, then we are probably not the right provider for you, and we may be able to refer you to someone who is better suited to your needs.