Tools and Strategies for Successful Team Development: From Talent Acquisition to Strengthening Your Existing Organization

The Battle for Talent just became a War

In recent years, it has become nearly impossible to attend a human resources conference that doesn't at least touch upon the so-called "war for talent."

The war for talent represents the intense competition between companies and organizations to attract and acquire the most talented and skilled personnel in the labor market.

However, in the race to find the most promising candidates—those expected to turn the team into a star lineup that will effortlessly achieve even the boldest goals—a critical mistake often arises.

Organizations frequently overlook those who are already part of the team. Instead of taking care of their existing employees and developing their talents, companies often opt to chase after new "stars."

Building a Successful Team – Focus on Attitude, Not Just Knowledge!

When searching for personnel, we often focus solely on their skills and knowledge.

However, the added value of a team doesn't just come from the knowledge and experience of its members but from their ability to connect, collaborate, and strengthen the organizational culture.

We don't hire people just for their knowledge but primarily for their attitude and values.

If an individual doesn't also have the "talent" to establish and strengthen interpersonal relationships, their potential will be limited in the long run.

We must recognize that we already have people in the team who co-create the organizational culture. It is the duty of every leader to recognize this, encourage it, and provide support to employees in their continued development.

It is also important to emphasize that market demands are constantly changing. The knowledge we need and seek today may no longer be useful tomorrow.

According to a report by the World Economic Forum, due to rapid technological advancements, as many as 50% of all employees will require reskilling in the next three years.

Creating an organizational culture takes time and effort but is crucial for long-term success.

Invest in the people on your team, encourage their development, and when strengthening the team with new members, exercise appropriate diligence and caution.

Don't be blinded by a sparkling resume; instead, be impressed by the alignment of an individual's values with those of your organization.

Everything can be learned, but a good attitude takes time.

Employee Development as a Competitive Advantage!

In today's rapidly changing business environment, employee competency development is not just another task for the HR department—it's the most important leadership skill and a decisive factor in ensuring and maintaining the long-term success of the organization.

Creating an environment that encourages employee growth and development is no longer just an advantage but a necessity for the survival of the company and the sustainability of its business model in the market.

So why are employee development activities the first to be cut during times of crisis?

Discover why employee development is the heartbeat of your organization's 'life cycle'—the key to long-term survival and success. Dive into the full story HERE!

Effective Competency Model – From Career Maps to Job Profiling

How Career Maps Come to Life with Career Paths

A career map is a comprehensive representation of all possible job positions and career paths within an organization that employees can achieve through the development of competencies, in line with personal career goals and organizational needs.

Unlike the usual job classification, which summarizes the overall organizational structure of job positions with an emphasis on hierarchical relationships, career maps indicate the possibilities for employee advancement within the existing hierarchical ladder or horizontal movements across different areas and departments within the organization.

Companies that understand the importance of creating clear and transparent career maps and paths aligned with the company's vision, strategy, and values have a significantly greater chance of successfully and sustainably achieving even the most demanding organizational goals.

Companies with clearly defined career paths achieve 30% higher employee engagement and a 34% higher retention rate. (Deloitte)

Employees with a clear career path are 2.5 times more likely to stay with their current employer. (Gallup)

A career map is essential for employee development as it offers a clear, transparent path to all positions within the organization, from entry-level roles to the highest leadership positions.

Career paths represent the "qualification distance" between the current and target job positions, defined by certain requirements that candidates should ideally meet before actually assuming the target position.

Promoting an employee should never be a sign of favor due to past performance but a confirmation that the candidate largely meets the conditions and requirements for taking on a more demanding role.

Job Profiling

The requirements of a specific job position are determined within a profiling system that defines responsibilities, required knowledge, experience, and competencies in more detail.

It is especially important to avoid duplication of responsibilities within the organization; therefore, in addition to job descriptions with key task definitions, we should further specify the roles of responsible individuals using specific process tools and organizational guidelines.

The organizational structure is a "living" system directly connected to market demands.

Just as the requirements related to the organization's operation change, so do the structure of job positions and the expectations related to employees, their potential, and competencies.

Competency Model

A competency model defines the key competencies needed for successful performance in specific job positions, thereby also addressing the need for development across different career stages.

Competencies are a set of skills, knowledge, characteristics, and behaviors that enable an individual to successfully carry out tasks and activities in line with defined goals.

The most effective competency models are aligned with organizational goals, strategy, values, and culture. Effective competency models are characterized by these 5 steps:

1. CLARITY (specific definition of behaviors, knowledge, and skills)
2. SIMPLICITY (defining no more than 6 to 12 key competencies)
3. ADAPTABILITY (resilience to changes in roles and job nature)
4. CONNECTIVITY (ability to integrate into existing systems—e.g., with a tool for conducting annual development discussions)
5. DIVERSITY (considering cultural differences within the organization)

With an effective competency model, employees can more easily and quickly understand what is expected of them and how they can advance within the organization.

Thus, a competency model is not just a theoretical framework but a practical tool that impacts all aspects of the organization's operation, particularly in areas such as:

- Employee development and performance evaluation

- Promotions and succession planning

- Recruitment and talent acquisition

- Disciplinary procedures

What about showing some Leadership?

Competency development cannot merely fall within the HR department's domain; it represents a key leadership task that should be on the daily priority list of every leader.

No other leadership task captures the essence of leadership more than employee development.

Leadership effectiveness is demonstrated in three steps—guiding, supporting, and monitoring.

1. Guiding: Setting Clear Goals

By setting clear, achievable, and measurable goals, a leader not only sets the direction for each employee but also the development of the organization, team, and individual.

Goals should be set annually in line with the organization's annual business plan. For easier monitoring of their achievement, it makes sense to define them with interim targets—e.g., semi-annual, quarterly, or monthly goals.

The problem with goals that are set too long-term without interim monitoring is that attention to their achievement may significantly diminish, ultimately threatening the achievement of the set organizational goals.

Therefore, it is important that goal setting at the individual level follows the dynamics of goal setting at the organizational level.

Every employee's goals should encompass:

A. PERFORMANCE GOALS (KPIs - targets measured by key success indicators),

B. PROJECT GOALS (OKRs - objectives tied to the successful execution of projects), and

C. GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT GOALS (focused on developing key competencies and operating in harmony with organizational values).

2. Supporting: Providing Assistance and Encouraging Corrective Actions

Leaders who actively engage with their employees daily on their development journey can provide support for developing certain competencies not only through their direct involvement but also through organized mentoring programs, either internally through individual or group mentoring and other educational-development programs, or with the help of external collaborators.

A Gallup study confirms that employees who can count on their leaders' support achieve up to 25% better results.

3. Monitoring: Ensuring Accountability

Providing regular and timely feedback also promotes awareness of accountability, which is key to ensuring successful employee development.

Providing feedback should not be a "one-way street." The most effective leaders are characterized by providing feedback to employees as well as actively receiving feedback from them.

Companies that implement regular feedback mechanisms achieve up to 14.9% lower turnover rates and higher productivity levels.

When was the last time you encouraged a team member to give you honest feedback?

Want to master the art of giving effective feedback? Dive into the details HERE!

Guess what? HR isn't the one to blame.

While leadership guides the development process, the HR department plays a supporting, yet crucial role. The HR department's task is to empower and equip leaders with the right tools to effectively develop their teams. The HR department's role includes:

- Implementing competency models

- Developing educational programs

- Providing software for tracking employee progress

In smaller companies or teams, manual tracking of progress can also be quite effective. The most important thing is to properly define the process. If correctly implemented, even the most ambitious goals become achievable.

Final Thought

In the battle for talent, we often forget a key factor for success—the development of existing employees. Instead of focusing solely on attracting new "stars," it is essential to invest in your teams, as long-term competitive advantage comes from the continuous development of employee competencies and the strengthening of organizational culture.

Employee development thus remains a priority task for the organization, as it is crucial for achieving its long-term goals and success in a competitive environment.

By creating clear career maps, aligning competencies with the company's vision and goals, and actively participating in the development process, the organization will not only meet current challenges but also be prepared for the challenges of the future.

By investing in your people, you’re also investing in the future of your company.

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