Tony Bingham and Talent Management (ASTD General Session)

Here I am in the back of the opening session, and they just told us to take our seats. Then they turned off the lights. Nobody can see, except by the bight light of my screen.

Tony Bingham, ASTD President and CEO was just introduced. He is a rather engaging speaker. “There has never been a better time to be in learning.” Sounds positive. Hopeful. Yet also with its own challenge by being involved in a field that is the first to be cut as non-revenue generating. Of course, the possibilities are also limitless for demonstrating strategic value.

Tony is speaking about the BEST winners.

Tony stated that Talent Management is now the hottest area in organizational workplace learning and performance. People are the strategic advantage.

Evident that there is not a unified vision of talent management. Talent management was not even easily defined, so they defined it in a five-line definition. I wonder if it is really that complicated that it can not be simpler. Talent management, as a definition, looks like it was developed via committee.

There were just a few short videos on people discussing talent management and development. Senior executives seem, in those firms, to identify those with high potential and then track / support / engage them.

Tony asked two questions, “How many know your organization’s key strategies?” “How many people know your organization’s key metrics?” He then spoke about linking the two. Link learning with what is most important with our organizations. Sounds like good advice to me. How can budgets get cut

Tony’s recommendations:

  1. Create a learning brand. A culture of learning. Leverage it to help recruit, develop, and retain staff
  2. Leverage learning to manage talent.
  3. Take action on the skills gap. There will always be a skills gap. Fill it with training that follows #4.
  4. Be a business partner. We must deserve to be at the leadership table.

There are tremendous prospects in learning, as training effects the greatest resource in organizations–their people.