Practical steps every leader can take to ensure a talent-rich organization

CHICAGO – November 7, 2011– At a time when many businesses are still doing more with less, The Vaya Group today released six tips for optimizing talent.

“Many business leaders start out with good intentions, but then get distracted by the urgent crisis of the day,” said Paul Eccher, author and co-founder and principal of The Vaya Group. “However, when performed routinely, a few practical steps can keep talent fresh, current, and most importantly, productive for the organization.”

• Visibly Recognize Learning and Skill Development. In addition to rewarding employees who develop new skills or take on challenging work assignments, it’s important to celebrate the learning that comes from trying, even when the team falls short of their target. A little praise can go a long way in inspiring employees to push themselves to keep learning and adding new skills that will benefit the organization.
• Encourage Clear Learning Goals and Objectives. To foster increased productivity and employee satisfaction, ensure that everyone on the team, including you, has at least one clearly-defined learning goal. Then, make these goals public and give the team the time, support and encouragement needed to achieve these goals.
• Maintain Consistency in Talent Assessment. Avoid classic assessment errors, which include not spending enough time interviewing job candidates or not routinely assessing and making observations about the strengths and development gaps of each member of the team. Create clear criteria for the skills, knowledge and abilities an “ideal” candidate should possess, and continue to observe and assess these critical-to-success factors with your incumbents.
• Know Your Employees’ Career Aspirations. Take the time to get to know the career aspirations, hopes and dreams of each of your team members. Assist your employees to create development plans that align their aspirations with the long-term needs of the organization. 
• Be a Role Model. If you want your employees to be proactive learners, it’s important to let others know that you are not perfect.  Consider going public with your own development targets. Encourage employees to provide you with feedback and suggestions on how you can meet your development goals.  Always express gratitude to those willing to give you feedback—even when the feedback hurts a bit. They will feel like a valuable part of your team and more likely to contribute their ideas and viewpoints more frequently.
• Remember to Look to the Future. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in the present that we don’t focus on the future. But it’s also important to take a break and ask yourself about the skills and abilities you and your team will need to succeed and thrive down the road. Identify ways to begin building these new skills into the team. Connect your team’s development to the future success of the organization.

“It’s important to reflect upon and improve both your spoken and unspoken values as a leader,” said Dave Ross, co-founder and principal of The Vaya Group. “Ensure that what you preach matches up with your actions. People are a company’s greatest asset, and by spending more time on your employees, you, your employees and the company will reap the rewards.”

For more information about talent optimization, visit  http://www.vayapath.com/resources/optimizing-talent-book.php or take the Talent Optimizer Quiz.

About The Vaya Group:

The Vaya Group is a Talent Management consultancy that applies science and precision to the art of talent assessment and development. Driven by their passion for helping leaders and organizations improve behaviors, capabilities and business performance, Dr. Paul Eccher and Dave Ross founded the consultancy—originally called Corporate Insights, Inc.—in 1997. With its talented team of consultants, The Vaya Group is able to provide quality service and sage advice to its clientele. In August 2011, The Vaya Group was nominated to Inc. magazine’s annual list of the 500 | 5000 fastest growing private companies in America. For more information, visit www.vayapath.com.