Revealing your orgs hidden figures
We all experience a certain reality every time we get up and proceed through a workday. We know who the people are that work for and with us, we know what their jobs are, and we have some idea of what they do day-to-day. This reality is the one we know. It’s the way things are.
There’s another reality, though. It’s concealed just far enough under the surface that we can’t see it unless we actually make an effort to. It’s the way things could be.
It starts with acknowledging that we may not know those people who work for and with us quite as well as we think we do. Our concept of them might be one-dimensional, limited to the status quo we see at work every day.
They could have valuable skills and talents that we don’t know about.
They could be a better fit and would flourish in a different role or another business lane.
They could be a future leader in the company, just waiting for a chance to prove it.
These people are our hidden figures. Every organization has them, and every organization is missing out on their unseen and untapped potential.
So, how can we recognize our hidden figures? How can we help them get to where they could and should be?
Well, we can’t see them if we don’t try to see them. Trying to see them is easy. All we need to do is provide our people with real opportunities to share their true skill sets and act on their true career desires.
The best method is a full-scale embrace of talent mobility. We need to make it easier for our people to explore and apply for open roles within the company, and easier for our recruiters and hiring managers to match open roles to internal talent. That means going beyond an internal job board and giving our people space to tell us about (and pursue) their skills and aspirations.
Because if you want to uncover these hidden figures, we need to get them to share those skills and aspirations. And to make it something they want to share, you need to have a carrot, a reason for them to share these things about themselves. That carrot could be their next job, a project to grow those skills internally, training, or mentorship opportunities. Honestly, if we are doing right by our talent, it should be ALL of those carrots!
When we finally open up those long-closed doors, with the help of a comprehensive talent mobility solution or otherwise, we’ll reveal our hidden figures and unlock our organizations’ true potential.