How to Attract and Retain Strong Talent

We can talk about strategies like great employment brand and bias free recruiting and having strong retention policies, but for me, the biggest impact that organizations can make in attracting and retaining strong talent is in the hands of the direct managers. That we need to put focus on building people leaders right from the get go so they are incredibly good at a few things.

One is being a strong talent scout. That people want to work with them and for them whether it’s inside the organization or attracting them from outside. And then they need to get really really masterful at giving feedback. Not afraid of it but that it becomes part of the expectations of their team, that they crave it that they want it that it’s part of a development tool. And then they need to be able to work with people throughout their career, they need to be able to retain them. And not manage their careers for them but help engage in those conversations to help give them exposure and projects and experiences.

So for me, let’s not think about policies that are owned by HR that it really, the biggest impact, is in hands of the people leaders  that lead the talent.