Manage Smarter have covered a recent HCI/Hewitt study on "The State of Talent Management: Today's Challenges, Tomorrow's Opportunities"....and the headline they drew out was Unaccountable Talent Management. A lack of planning, alignment and accountability for talent is evident across most businesses, according to the study...and is why most businesses have trouble executing talent management.

I think it's simpler than that - if Talent Management is the processes we use to shape our talent pool into what we need in the future, how can that possibly be working if we haven't effectively defined what we need in the future? It's that old "shaping it into WHAT?" question!

A good workforce plan is a lot more than a list of required headcount and skill gaps - it's a proper definition of the workforce we will need for future success, how we'll attract and retain that workforce, and how we'll measure and monitor our success! And THAT is what will create accountable talent management - a measurable talent strategy, developed from a strategic workforce plan. Easy!