Checking In on Your Talent Management Programs
by SEAN CONRAD | Jul 5th, 2010 | Performance Management | 
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Now that 2010 is half over, it’s a natural time to check in on where you are with your HR programs. As HR professionals, there are a number of areas where you rely on managers and employees to execute on an ongoing basis. And while you may track the process periodically, summer is a great time to check in with how activities are going, in particular employee coaching and learning activities.
Checking in now can save you a serious headache at the end of the year. You can identify areas of concern and work to correct them before year end. Taking the time to review where different managers, teams and individuals are gives you time to work with them and right the course they are on, before an entire year is lost. This can be a formal or informal review.
Here are just a few areas you want to check in on:
- Progress on training and development activities across the organization
- Ensuring managers are working regularly with employees to guide and coach them
- The use of employee and manager journal notes so these are available come appraisal time
And here’s a summer checklist of things your managers can do to help keep their teams focused:
- Check in on goals. Make sure they’re still SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound), and clarify or make any adjustments if necessary.
- Give feedback on competencies. This helps to keep them top of mind and guide performance.
- Review the status of development plans. Ensure employees are on track for completing them and assign any new ones needed.
- Have a dedicated performance chat. Sit down, one on one, with each employee and have a chat about their performance, the organization’s goals, and any challenges, ideas, questions either of you have.
One final thing to keep in mind, is to make your managers an ally in this process. Schedule a time to talk to managers and reinforce how important their role is in the talent management process. Get their feedback on how things are going, and help “coach” them on how to be better coaches. The more engaged your managers are in the process, the stronger and more powerful your talent management programs will be.
