We’ve just hit our 20th episode! Since it launched in September 2020, we’ve been proud sponsors and I’ve been a proud co-host of the Talent Intelligence Collective podcast. We’ve spoken to talent intelligence leaders from all over the world to talk about the role talent intelligence plays in our ever-changing complex world and everyone has given me something to ponder on or learn. Looking back, here are just a few of the fantastic lessons we’ve learnt.
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- “When people lean in you can really start to have strategic discussions.”
Annie Chae, previously Head of Global Talent Intelligence & Strategy, Alexa & Devices, now Senior Leader of Global Talent R&D at Amazon
Our first guest, Annie believes that applying talent intelligence solutions to issues is a team effort. “The more people you have onboard, the more exciting and interesting things you can achieve”, said Annie. We agree that the more stakeholders that are bought in, the higher impact talent intelligence can have. That’s why we built Stratigens to join the dots between stakeholders.
2 " Think of Talent Intelligence as a profit centre for the organisation. It should be driving revenue in one way or another.”Sean Armstrong, Previously VP, Global Talent Intelligence at Standard Industries
The broad scope of strategic talent intelligence means specific goals can be set, measured, and achieved. Rather than a cost, investing in talent intelligence can be a profit centre so long as projects are closely tied to business goals.
3 “Talent Intelligence is a more holistic practice. It takes a bit of workforce planning, a bit of analytics to look from a 10,000ft view.”
Megan Buttita, previously Talent Acquisition Technologist, IDC Worldwide Services Group now Analyst Relations Director at Workday
It’s all about the bigger picture. Organisations are multifaceted and talent intelligence puts it all into perspective by combining data that influences both business and talent strategy through a wide-angle lens. We were really delighted we were able to bring Megan and this expertise to Stratigens for a period in 2021.
4 “Talent Intelligence teams are really the unsung heroes. Hence why this shift in making data and insights accessible for the wider team is a step in the right direction.”
Alethe Denis, previously Market Intelligence Manager at ManpowerGroup Talent now Senior Security Consultant at Bishop Fox
Talent intelligence functions may be in their infancy in many organisations but data-driven decisions are increasingly taking precedence. A volatile labour market should directly lead to an increase in leaders harnessing data to make smarter decisions.
5 “Data alone or knowledge alone is not enough to make a decision. Take smoking for example. Simply knowing that smoking is bad for your health isn’t always enough to make you stop. You cannot simply look at data and find your answer. There are always other things involved.”
Lyndon Llanes, Talent Intelligence & People Analytics at Verizon
Data is one part of the picture. Combining data with insight, opinion and qualitative research make it more powerful. Remember no leaders have the experience to draw on that is relevant in today’s talent market, in unprecedented times, using data to make informed decisions is the other half of the challenge for talent intelligence leaders and their stakeholders.
6 “At Intel, Talent Intelligence is used akin to the way we use competitor intelligence. The smartness is in the way we are able to connect different dots and come up with a specific picture.”
Vibhu Ganesan, Global Talent Intelligence Lead at Intel Corporation
Joining the dots is at the heart of what we do. Combining data points to draw the right conclusions is otherwise impossible. Talent intelligence helps you build a comprehensive view by thinking outside the box.
7 “If you are a subject matter expert, you can certainly build up your credibility. As long as you start with confidence and a business perspective. Because the biggest thing an executive is looking for is: Can you help me picture the future with this knowledge that you are bringing in?”
Lesley Rood, previously Senior Research Consultant for Talent Analytics at Allstate now Senior Research Consultant for Talent Acquisition at ServiceNow
Being future focused is a major advantage of strategic talent intelligence. Where should we grow, consolidate, hire, and extend our operations? By helping to create this vision, talent intelligence professionals can build credibility by combining expertise with data. We can use data to make sure we are framing the right question for the business to answer.
8 “I would argue the smaller you are the more important talent intelligence is…and at that level, your insight and information can have a bigger influence.”
Co-hosts of Talent Intelligence Collective Podcast Toby Culshaw, Talent Intelligence Leader at Amazon & Nick Brooks, Senior Talent Intelligence Manager at Cruise
We work with some global organisations that have mighty talent intelligence teams. We also work with fast growth rapidly scaling companies with small talent intelligence teams. In these environments, talent intelligence insights add value quickly and more effectively at the strategic level, than other workforce planning tools.
9 “Gender diversity is the target for many big organisations, but there are also talks about other diversity mandates that we will likely see in the future focused more on the internal workforce.”
Chris Long, Digital Transformation & Workforce Intelligence Advisor previously at Preacta
Talent intelligence can help you set real diversity targets based on external market availability. By providing data on gender, ethnicity, skills, and locations, companies can plan an ambitious yet realistic diversity strategy.
10 “We are at a crossroads. And this is where we are going to start seeing how adventurous hiring managers are willing to be.”
Meta McKinney, previously Associate Talent Intelligence Manager at Stryker, now Talent Intelligence Program Manager at NVIDIA
University degrees and work experience are typical yardsticks for recruiters, but managers who break these trends by looking for talent on a skills-first basis can tap into often ignored diverse and talented pools of talent. Understanding adjacent skills and skills clusters will be key as organisations look at career pathways and strive to compete for the talent and skills they need to thrive.
We couldn’t have asked for better speakers for the first 20 episodes and we can’t wait to see where we’ll go from here! For updates on the Talent Intelligence Collective community and even more insights, follow us on LinkedIn.
To find out more about how Stratigens answers strategic talent challenges, book your demo here.
Keep an eye out for our next blog, with even more insights and another 10 lessons from the Talent Intelligence Collective Podcast.
