Talent Management and Succession Planning | Season 2 Episode 1 | Marc Earnshaw

Navigating Performance Management: Your Compass to HR Success is hosted by Roly Walter, CEO and Founder of Appraisd. We’re all about nailing the essentials of performance management and in each episode, Roly and his guest discuss one of the foundations of performance management.

Season 2 of this delves deeper into performance management addressing areas such as: Talent management and succession planning; recognition and visibility.

Summary:

In this insightful episode of Navigating Performance Management, we had the pleasure of speaking with Marc Earnshaw, Independent consultant at PeopleDev. Marc has worked in Talent, Learning, and Organisational Development over the last 20 years and has impacted thousands of people at global organisations. 

Key Takeaways:

• Does talent management relate to performance management? Especially in larger organisations, talent management and performance management can go hand in hand to ensure employee retention, as well as offer senior leadership insight into the team’s readiness for their next move.
• The impact on both the business and the individual of holding talent management information: According to Marc, on a business level, this helps organisations to better understand their people. Especially in larger organisations, where this type of information isn’t top of mind for all staff, organisations can gain insight into talent pools and where to use them to help grow the business. Also, on an individual level, not only organisations can reflect opportunities to individuals' aspirations, but individuals themselves can see those opportunities and self-identify ways to develop themselves.
• Succession planning strategies and individual development plans: Marc highlighted that organisations can support individuals to develop their skills and step up to new opportunities within the business. Organisations can also identify the types of programs to develop their people based on future opportunities for their staff.
• Using the term “talent” in an organisation: Labelling talent within an organisation can lead to issues in team morale. Marc suggested that correctly defining what talent means for an organisation can aid with transparency and clarity, as well as ensure that team leads are focusing their efforts and funding towards enhancing performance, instead of hindering it.
• 9-box grid: Love it or hate it? There can be a love/hate relationship with frameworks such as 9-box grids. According to Marc, although categorizing people can be a difficult task for managers, particularly newer managers, frameworks such as these can support organisations in having productive conversations. 
• Skills-based approach: A revolution or evolution of what was previously known as competencies? Marc suggested that organisations should be cautious about the length and complexity of their skills, and measures of competencies list. Ensuring these are easily understood, succinct and simple will support organisations and individuals in achieving their highest potential.

Conclusion:

Our conversation with Marc Earnshaw shed light on the world of talent management and succession planning, lifting some of its issues as well as identifying ways organisations can use it to further people’s individual needs and aspirations.

Remember to subscribe to our podcast to catch up on past episodes and stay updated on future insights into performance management.