It’s a new year and time to make predictions. In the magazines, on the airwaves, and in blog posts pundits of all kinds offer their ideas of what will be new in the coming year. At TLNT, for example you can read John Hollon’s post, “Are These the Top 10 Talent Management Trends for 2013?”
Read them for fun. Read them for insight. Just remember Somerset Maugham’s observation that the great truths are too important to be new. The basics of human nature aren’t going to change any time soon, certainly not in the next twelve months.
People will still be the most important thing. You can call them “talent” if you choose, but they’re people and their knowledge and relationships create sustainable competitive advantage.
Fit is vital. There’s no such thing as generic talent. Knowledge and skills are important but they won’t be fully realized or used unless the people you hire fit your culture and values.
People still want the same basic things. They want to do work that matters with people they like. Compensation and benefits are important, but they’re hygiene factors. Make sure you pay enough and pay attention to providing a reason to do good work that transcends the numbers.
The boss is vital for everyday engagement. Pay attention to the way you select and support supervisors because they’re the key to high morale and team success.
People want to get better. They want to learn. They want to make progress. Design your talent development programs and practices to help people learn and grow and develop.
People can’t do a good job unless they have the resources. Give them the time and budget and support they need and they’ll do well. Create human scale systems that make it easy for people to do good work.
People want to know how they’re doing. Make sure that the boss and the system provide frequent and usable feedback.
None of this is new or trendy. Every bit of it matters. The great truths are too important to be new.
