Committed employees are THE key to success!

Today, the concept of talent has become a real puzzle for both Human Resources teams and businesses in general. “High potential”, “key contributor” and “top performer” programmes are widespread although they ultimately pen employees into narrowly defined boxes. In reality, do these theoretical models really reflect the complexity of our lives and the challenges of our companies? I believe it is time to rethink our notion of talent management and, above all, how to engage with them in our organisations.

The myth of a straight-line career

When we hear the word “career”, we very often imagine a straight line with an upward trajectory: promoted at 40, retired at 65. Reality, however, is more complicated. Life does not follow a simple, straight path and neither do careers. According to McKinsey (2022 European study), 40% of employees feel that there is a gap between their personal ambitions and the career opportunities offered by their company. It is high time to introduce both horizontal and vertical promotions and to recognise employees at the best points of their careers, whether that is at 30 or 50.

Behavioural competencies: the criteria to really look for

Very often, promotion processes are based on technical competencies, expertise and quantitative performance indicators. However, a company is not just a sum of individual performances, it is a community of talents. And in order to function, a community needs to share a common vision and values, which are the very foundations of a strong company culture to which employees feel connected and committed.

Companies that take into account behavioural competencies in their promotion processes (quality of cooperation, team satisfaction, development, well-being) report a 20% increase in commitment and a 23% increase in productivity (Gartner survey, 2023).

According to Welcome to the Jungle (2023 European study), 89% of employees feel that how leaders exemplify values is vital to their level of commitment and intent to stay with the company.

The connection is obvious: the engagement of talents is a driver of retention and performance in companies.

Changing the status quo

Employee engagement cannot be dictated, it is lived on a day-to-day basis, through the company culture, the values shown and the behaviours tolerated.

By accepting that career paths are not straight roads with one person by car, and viewing them instead as mountain hikes accompanied by a group, we give people and community the place they deserve. Understanding that performance is fuelled by employee commitment in our organisations, above all, makes them more profitable, and on a more sustainable basis.