It is also important to clarify that we can talk about development-focused talent management when we cannot or do not have the capacity to strive for perfection in the recruitment process. If we know from the outset that we will have to make compromises at the recruitment stage, or if the selection system is not so professional that it would exclude candidates at the outset who would be difficult or impossible to retain in the organisation. In other words, development-focused talent management always thinks in terms of the existing workforce and tries to make the most of it, both in terms of performance and reducing employee turnover.
This is important to note because if the HR professionals of an organisation think only in terms of development-focused talent management, then the workforce challenges and the increase in turnover will turn into a spiral process, as they will not act at the beginning of the process and stop it without contradiction at the recruitment and hiring phase. There, they constantly allow for compromise, and as a result, different development methodologies must then be put in place. Make no mistake; it is not that if you recruit someone with a perfect profile, they no longer need to be developed. Development-focused talent management is about assessing the people in the current organisation and comparing their profile with the expectations of the position, and seeing significant differences. As a result, the employee is dissatisfied because they do not feel comfortable in the job that they may have wanted to be in in the first place. Their personality at the time dictated that it was the right place for them, but as their personality has changed within the company, their motivational system has changed, and they are no longer willing to meet the same expectations. We are talking about simple human development. Development-focused talent management focuses on the “present personality” of the employee, which includes many learned personality traits that are used for a while and then discarded. Therefore, the expectations and motivation system built on this personality will sooner or later become obsolete and meaningless, and dissatisfaction will drive the employee to leave.
Present and original personality
Development-focused talent management, therefore, focuses on retaining the employee in the organisation by monitoring their personality change and addressing it via their motivational toolkit. It looks at what new personality traits the key person has at any given time and tries to balance them with financial and moral rewards, education, and leisure time (among many other solutions.) The application of development-focused talent management is also critical because, in most cases, the employee themself does not know, when applying for a particular position, whether the job, the company, or the corporate culture is what their current personality state prefers or whether their ‘original personality’ says that this is the right field for them. A good employer will then do everything possible to ensure that employees feel comfortable, work in a stress-free environment, are honest, and don’t have to resort to behavioural tricks to achieve their goals. Yes, but often it is precisely this employer’s care that triggers a personality change for an otherwise healthy individual that brings the individual back to their “original personality” and really wants what is best for them, and even knows exactly what that is. Only this changes their expectations and motivation. A lot of managers feel guilty about this and, out of a sense of duty, stay with the company that helped them become happier people. But in the long term, unfortunately, it doesn’t work. If a colleague’s “present personality” at the time of joining shows a significant divergence from their “original personality”, i.e. they have a strong set of acquired traits that they have imposed on themself in the past in response to expectations from society, environment, family, etc., sooner or later the “original personality” will start to demand the peace of mind and truly happy life that they deserve. And this is the point when even the best HR manager cannot keep the employee in the organisation for long.