One of the best parts about launching a community is watching it grow. Last night, we got the chance to talk with people leaders and innovators from more than 90 Twin Cities organizations. As we walked around the room and asked individuals how they knew one another, they often said, “We met at the last TalentMN.”
Since launching our community earlier this year, we've learned how some of the region's best leaders accelerate growth with better people strategy, and have met some amazing people along the way. The best news? TalentMN is just getting started, and we can’t wait to continue to watch the community take shape.
Connecting with other talent leaders in the Twin Cities was just one of the perks of attending the TalentMN Leadership Summit at Impact Hub in Downtown Minneapolis. Attendees also got to hear from some of the region’s leading talent and culture thought leaders, including Mary Grove, Rodd Wagner, and David Stillman.
Missed the event? Here are the top three takeaways from the experts:
1) Talent development doesn’t happen on its own, and leaders play a critical role.
Historically, companies have relied on hiring to power growth, without paying much attention to cultivating the skills of existing employees. With unemployment at a 50-year low, recruiting and hiring has suddenly become increasingly expensive, slow, and inefficient. Mary Grove, founder of Google for Entrepreneurs and current Partner at Revolution's Rise of the Rest, suggested internal talent development should be prioritized, starting at the highest levels of your organization. From building a culture of innovation, implementing measures for objectives and key results, to developing the next generation of talent, your talent development strategy is now as critical as outbound recruiting.
2) The best teams are greater than the sum of their parts.
NYT bestselling author Rodd Wagner shared an anecdote with attendees about the power of combining complementary skills on a team. Combining the right people, he suggested, was more like an explosive chemical reaction than a iterative improvement. Instead of following our natural inclinations to work with people who are just like us, we can achieve better results when we partner with others with different perspectives, backgrounds, and skill sets. “Chances are, your strengths are stronger and your weaknesses weaker than you realize. You need help, but you are also the help that someone else needs.”
3) Move over Millennials. Gen Z is coming, and they want your job.
Open offices and collaborative meetings are about to meet their match with Gen Z. Born between 1995 and the early 2000s, Gen Zers were shaped by a rocky economy, easy access to information, and personalized consumer experiences. As they enter the workplace, “they’ll bring more competitive and independent attitudes, along with a desire to blend their work and with their personal interests” said David Stillman, a generations expert who, along with his son Jonah, advises companies around the world on how to leverage the strengths of a diverse workforce. The takeaway? Gen Z is a unique generation, and companies should plan to adjust their people strategies accordingly if they hope to recruit and retain the best of them.
The TalentMN community is picking up steam, and we want to invite you to be a part of it. Subscribe to learn about our upcoming events, and stay tuned to hear how the Structural team is making it easier than ever to unleash the potential of people and teams. We’re taking a short break during the holidays, but we’ll be back with our next TalentMN event on March 12th, 2019. Interested in speaking or sponsoring ? Drop us a line, and we’ll be in touch!
