Do Your Talent Management Messages Connect with Board Members?

According to a recent survey that asked more than 1,000 board members worldwide to rate their companies’ performance in various talent management topics, it appears that talent management is board members’ greatest challenge. Under the headline “boards give their companies an F” in talent management, the Harvard Business Review published some of the results, which included low scores in attracting top talent, assessing talent and aligning talent strategy with business strategy.

Interestingly, according to an article in Human Resource Executive, many talent management experts believe the findings don’t paint an accurate picture of how HR is really doing. Instead, they argue that the results are a reminder to HR leaders to communicate talent management initiatives with their boards—particularly to CEOs.

Their reasoning is that when HR leaders fill their CEOs in on relevant talent issues, their CEO becomes a powerful ally who can educate board members about how talent initiatives impact productivity, retention, and the bottom line.

What do you think of the research? Do you struggle to make your CEO aware of talent management practices and results? Or do you believe your organization can do more when it comes to attracting, developing and retaining talented individuals?

What about yourself? How do you rank your own development level, and can you identify areas for improvement? Are you a talent optimizer, neutralizer or minimizer? Check out this quiz to gauge where you stand on the talent optimization scale. Then, leave us a comment. We’d love to hear your thoughts!