Over the years, it has become evident to most organisations that there is a direct correlation between competent talents, increased productivity, and business excellence. Organisations with a strong culture rooted in employee upskilling invest heavily in various learning initiatives, ensuring their talent possesses the required skills and knowledge to execute their jobs effectively. However, experience has shown that employee development does not prevent key talents from exiting the organisation for better opportunities, leaving the business with a talent gap.
One difficult question for most Business Leaders and Hiring Managers to answer is ‘How to effectively fill the vacant roles critical to business success and continuity considering the current talent shortage in the talent market?‘. The first thought that comes to most Recruitment Managers is to search outward of their organisation and give little or no attention to internal talents, which can sometimes be risky if the organisation is greatly concerned about good culture fit. This bias towards external hires can be due to the expectation that they will bring in new perspectives and fresh ideas to strengthen the organisation.
However, hiring from within the organisation brings numerous advantages. This strategy can help the company save resources and costs related to external recruitment and boost employees’ morale by demonstrating that the company values and acknowledges its internal talents. It also leads to a seamless transition into a new position and enhanced productivity, considering the employee’s existing knowledge of the company’s culture, values, processes, and procedures.
Tapping into an organisation’s hidden potential to ensure its longevity and ultimately win involves carefully implementing specific strategies. This article will focus on the top five strategies.
- Developing and Executing a Talent Mobility Programme: An excellent way for employers to attract and retain employees is by offering them opportunities to work in other units within the organisation, allowing them to enhance their capabilities and identify potential career paths. This employee retention strategy can be achieved with a talent mobility programme. A talent mobility programme is a proactive strategy to create an avenue for employee development and career advancement within the firm. It also involves identifying their skills, strengths, and weaknesses for proper alignment with vacant roles and ongoing and new projects within the organisation. With a talent mobility programme, organisations are guaranteed a flexible and adaptable workforce, ensuring ease in responding to the market, industry, or business needs, increased productivity and enhanced talent development and succession planning.
- Focus on Leadership Potential: When tapping into uncovered gems within the organisation, paying attention to leadership potential is essential. The talent management team can look for certain core traits when evaluating an individual. Firstly, how does the employee handle challenging situations? Can the employee remain calm under pressure and make the best decisions? Is the employee inspiring other employees to strive towards achieving organisational and personal goals? These characteristics often suggest strong leadership potential in existing talents. Another way is to observe employees who consistently go above and beyond on assigned tasks. Do they voluntarily take on new projects? Are they deliberate with professional and personal development? These behaviours indicate that the employee is naturally inclined towards leadership and open to new responsibilities. Lastly, pay attention to employees who interact with others and have excellent listening and communication skills. These soft skills are essential for leadership. By being mindful of these characteristics, it becomes easy to pinpoint and cultivate the untapped potential in your company, ultimately strengthening your team and achieving success.
- Employee Development: One critical area in tapping into hidden gems every organisation should focus on is Employee Development. Implementing various learning and development initiatives should be a primary focus for organisations, ensuring that employees are growing in a direction aligned with the organisation’s strategic goals and objectives. When companies invest in their employees, they provide the necessary skills and knowledge to take on new challenges and responsibilities, allowing the firm to tap into their full potential.
- Proper Workforce Audit: Most organisations with a large pool of talented workforce struggle to connect the value of their employees with the organisation’s strategy. Nonetheless, this can be handled with a well-executed workforce audit. A workforce audit involves in-depth assessment and uncovering of the organisation’s skills and wealth of knowledge, which can be leveraged to gain a competitive advantage. By analysing the current workforce, employers can identify the gaps in the skills necessary to achieve their business goals. This analysis helps identify employees with skills yet to be utilised. These employees can be given opportunities to showcase their talents, and their roles can be modified to use their abilities best. A workforce audit can also help identify employees who have the potential to learn new skills and take on new roles within the organisation.
- Enabling Open Communication: Unlocking the hidden potential within your company is crucial for driving growth and achieving success. However, this can be challenging without an open communication process. Effective communication allows employees to express their interest in advertised vacant roles confidently. It also enables hiring managers to move employees within the organisation to enhance their skills. When employees feel heard, seen, and appreciated, they develop a sense of belonging and satisfaction, motivating them to contribute their unique talents, think outside the box, and promote a collaborative problem-solving approach. By implementing these strategies, organisations can kickstart identifying the hidden gems that have yet to be fully utilised and leverage their capabilities to attain organisational excellence and competitive advantage.
In conclusion, leveraging internal talent through strategic initiatives is essential for organisations aiming to navigate the challenges of the current talent market effectively. By developing robust talent mobility programs, focusing on leadership potential, investing in employee development, conducting comprehensive workforce audits, and fostering open communication, organisations can unlock their hidden potential. This approach fills critical roles efficiently, boosts employee morale, enhances productivity, and ensures a seamless transition within the company. Ultimately, these strategies pave the way for sustained business excellence and a competitive edge in the industry, demonstrating that the true strength of any organisation lies within its existing workforce.
At pcl., we have extensive experience in assisting organisations to unveil their hidden talents by leveraging best-in-class and impactful learning interventions.
Contact us via digitallearning@phillipsconsulting.net, and let’s help you optimise your workforce for improved business growth and increased revenue.
Written by:
Yewande Okemati
Learning Experience Consultant
