How Poor Talent Management Pushes Career People Out

We continue our discussions on the fact that poor talent management can push employees into premature entrepreneurship.

According to Johns Hopkins University, talent management is, "a set of integrated organisational Human Resource processes designed to attract, develop, motivate, and retain productive, engaged employees."

Hear Christabel’s Story

I graduated from the University with very promising career prospects. I was priviledged to have started working straight away with a multinational organisation post the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps. I transverse regions across the country by reason of my role and I really enjoyed the first three years in that function. By the fourth year, I started to wonder what else could challenge me within the organisation.

I was so grateful to have hosted the leadership team at a conference in Abuja, the country capital city. This was one of the few occasions I got to interact deeply with the company’s leadership.

I made them know that the role and territory were no longer challenging. No doubts I had performed very outstandingly, for which I got a cash bonus reward. Few weeks after the Abuja engagements, I got a call to report to head-office, upon which I was offered another role in the Marketing department. I relocated to Lagos city and was very excited to learn about managing products for growth.

I was on this role for another five years, even though twice, I had to manage new product launches. I became agitated again about my future in the organisation. By year ten in this maiden organisation and industry, I was desperate to move.

I attended an industry conference as a representative of my senior manager and somehow got interested in conversations around a related industry with focus on youth products. I later got an appointment with one of the leading multinational players in that sector as a senior manager. That seemed very okay. It took another six years to be promoted, despite several commendations by management.

Finally, I became a deputy GM and was on this grade for another five years. At some point, I was giving a lateral movement to manage our group sister organization. This new move was initially exciting since I had to manage few new challenges, but that waned just after few months.

To add to my frustration, most of my colleagues that changed jobs often, had become CEOs and full GMs or Executive Directors whilst I remained a deputy GM. By now, my portfolio had been best performing for three years running, yet no one seemed to think of my career prospects. Was anything wrong with me? Am I supposed to lobby to be promoted in a global organisation that prides itself as one of the leading places to work? Is anything wrong with our local leadership in terms of people management? Must I be overtly friendly with the Human Resource team or my line managers for proper recognition of my contribution to the business? Has my contribution of double-digit growths to the business not been worthwhile? Why have these organisations not deemed it fit to reward my loyalty and long-stay with them? I was determined to exit if I was not promoted by the next season and I was already in my early forties.

I decided to exit, or shall I say, I was pushed to exit howbeit not sure how fully prepared I was for entrepreneurship!

Slow career progression is the reason some people leave career for business or entrepreneurship.

Sometimes, managers do not know what level of ownership they need to take for their personal career. Please note that no one can best manage your career like yourself! Most companies do not have the system to manage talents professionally. Do not fall a prey, manage your own talent.

It was these machine-learning techniques that enabled Cylance to uncover -- and protect users against -- a new campaign by OceanLotus, a.k.a. Apt32, a hacking group linked to Vietnam.