Two recent reports found information that, used together, could significantly improve talent management practices in government. The first report, which was performed by the Government Accountability Office, revealed that the Office of Personnel Management could improve its guidance on training decisions. Choosing types of trainings that are most pertinent and relevant and evaluating the effectiveness and results of those trainings top the list of areas that need the most improvement. There are plenty of white papers, blog posts, webinars, and tools on this talent management portal that discuss different types of training and learning and ways to improve them both. A great new resource is our Communities of Practice, particularly the Innovative Learning and Experiential Leadership Development communities, which provide a place to discuss and learn about today’s most pressing training issues in government.

The other report, from i4cp, showed that involving frontline managers in all stages of talent management positively correlates with a company’s market performance; this finding translates to government, as well, with agencies performing more efficiently and effectively when top managers are involved in the process of talent management, and I’m not talking about just HR managers. For talent management to perform at its best, leaders from each department, not just HR, must be involved. From recruiting, to development, to measuring the results, involvement from every key person is essential to getting the most out of each step.