Session Focus: Panel of Talent leaders discussing key areas to focus on for successful integration of skills-based talent practices.
Developing a comprehensive, sustainable skills strategy aligned with business objectives is a critical but complex undertaking for organizations. In this insightful panel discussion, talent leaders shared their experiences and perspectives on key focus areas for successfully integrating skills-based talent practices.
One of the biggest challenges highlighted was finding the right level of granularity when mapping skills. As Anton Maletich pointed out, "The challenge is not only what's the appropriate level of detail to ensure people are thinking about this consistently and that it covers what people would expect to see and then the other piece is if we go to that level of detail are we going to be able to address that right?"
The panelists reinforced three key takeaways for participants:
- Align skills development to critical business goals and priorities first, rather than developing skills programs in a vacuum.
- Start small by focusing on mapping skills for priority roles/areas, get experience, then evolve and scale the skills strategy over time. Don't try to boil the ocean initially.
- Use skills mapping to identify opportunities for enhanced career mobility by connecting people across roles that require similar skill sets.
The session emphasized that a comprehensive skills strategy is an evolutionary journey, not a one-time exercise. Organizations need to be flexible and iterative in their approach, continuously adapting their skills frameworks as business needs change over time. Starting with high-priority roles and aligning to overarching business strategy can help make this complex undertaking more manageable and impactful.