How to Nurture Your Top Talent so You Don’t Lose It

Do Your Leaders Nurture Your Top Talent?
The best learning leaders work hard to hire and develop the top talent required to succeed both now and in the future. Once new hires are on board, you cannot afford to neglect them. You need to nurture your top talent to engage and retain them by challenging them, developing them, providing them with attractive career paths, and showing them that you value and appreciate their contributions.

A Surprising Lack of Training Opportunities
With all the investment in learning and development these days, we are surprised when we hear from workers, even at large companies that claim robust training departments, that they are frustrated with the lack of relevant learning opportunities. The operative word here is “relevant.” We might also add “timely.” Relevant, timely, and reinforced learning is what matters in a serious learning organization.

How to Nurture Your Top Talent so You Don’t Lose It
With organizations being ever more challenged to find workers with the competencies needed to succeed, it is critical that companies find ways to nurture and grow the talent pools they already have. There are traditional ways of supporting growth and learning and there are ways that rely more on technology. Here are four modalities to consider:

1. Leader-led, Classroom Format
   This delivery format is still regularly used in corporate settings. Live workshops are very effective when fully customized to the relevant needs of the participants, their bosses, and the goals of the business.

   Our research finds that effective leader-led training, when reinforced with skilled coaching, support processes, timely application, and training measurement, creates a 4-to-1 improvement when compared to stand-alone training events. Additional benefits are obtained when you seek a shared understanding and common learning among a specific employee population.

2. Informal Learning Format
   Informally, employees can learn effectively by observing experts in the skills they need to adopt, by receiving coaching from managers who know how to encourage and shape behavior, and from actual on-the-job experience. On its own, or in conjunction with leader-led training, on-the job application and feedback should be a critical component to any learning and development curriculum.
3. E-learning
   Learners go online at their convenience to access information, learn targeted skills, and then test out of each level as they prove proficiency. This is typically a far less expensive way to learn and can easily be delivered across geographies. It is useful for simple concepts; less effective for more complex skills.
4. Social Media
   Companies that take advantage of what is called “social learning” often develop their own internal platforms. Here, employees can share best practices, case studies, pose questions, receive coaching, and share meeting results and new product information. Many companies take advantage of existing social media platforms to connect employees.

The Bottom Line
Before selecting the most effective medium for learning, have clear business and learning objectives in mind.  Depending upon which skills are needed and by whom, you can figure out a delivery system. Most often it is a combination of all of the above.

To learn more about how to nurture top talent, download 3 Steps to Building a Smarter Training Initiative – One that Gets Business Results