How to Cultivate and Nourish Talent Within Your Organization

How to cultivate and nourish talent within organizations, the impact of talent development on employee engagement, and how to boost ROI with internal learning and development.

As the number of experienced leaders starts to dwindle, it’s more important than ever to support and develop talent. This article discusses ways to boost your ROI with L&D Training:

• Give employees what they need and want—a supportive environment that fosters continuous learning and development.
• Engage managers in the talent nurturing process.
• Help managers think like marketers.
• Encourage managers to be flexible in access, delivery, and content.
• Have managers show value to employees.

HSI offers self-directed online courses that allow learners to choose training based on their skills and interests, providing continuous learning opportunities.

Due to the shortfall of experienced leaders in today’s workforce, it’s increasingly important to cultivate and nourish top talent within your organization. Additionally, there’s a growing need for more employees versed at gathering, analyzing, and developing plans based on data—especially in the context of AI integration. Further, there’s a high demand for employees who are comfortable with ever-changing technology. Not to mention the call for more people who are at ease with change and ambiguity. Plus, more team members with strong soft skills—like communication, creative thinking, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking as human connection is essential in the age of AI.

And while hiring teams may know what they need, they have a challenging time finding, onboarding, and retaining the new hires. As they spin their wheels and endure a revolving door of onboarding and offboarding top talent during an environment where employee disengagement and turnover have become hot topics, there's one critical area that’s often overlooked—talent development alongside leadership development.

Impact of Talent Development on Employee Engagement and Retention

Instead of looking externally for new talent, what if you focused more on internal efforts—on developing and, subsequently, retaining the employees you already have?

Companies and their workforces benefit from talent and leadership development. Organizations end up with a more engaged, productive, and loyal workforce. One widely cited study by professional services firm Accenture found that, for every $1 invested in training, companies received a $4.53 return. That’s a 353% ROI! And employees benefit from personal and professional growth that can help them excel in a competitive environment.

It's important to remember that not only do these inherent benefits exist, but employees are also increasingly demanding development and training from employers. In fact, more than 76% say they are more likely to stay with a company that offers continuous training.

Engage Employees Before It’s Too Late!

Disengaged team members may already be on their way out the door if they haven’t just given up while on the job and joined the ranks of “quiet quitters.” Today’s “quiet quitting” describes the cultural shift to employees doing what the job requires—and no more—stepping away from the “above-and-beyond” mindset. They don't feel fulfilled at work, so their work-life balance is almost all life and no work.

According to Gallup’s 2024 report, 62% of global employees are not engaged. Engaging employees right away can help you retain them and help ensure that they are productive and committed to the company and their work.

Talent Management: The Key to Cultivating and Nourishing Talent Internally

How do HR professionals and L&D leaders nurture and nourish talent and future leaders internally? The old methods of training and development that were widely used prior to the global reset of 2020—in-person and even synchronous online training—simply don’t offer the convenience and flexibility of today’s more accessible and customizable options.

Modernizing talent management and development efforts can increase participation and learning outcomes—boosting the ROI of training investments.

How to Boost Your ROI with L&D Training

• Give employees what they need and want—a supportive environment that fosters continuous learning and development. Employees want to learn, but they also want to learn what they want. Providing them with a wide range of training options on topics that interest them personally and professionally can help keep them engaged and motivated. Yes, managers should work with employees to identify skill gaps for today's and tomorrow's business needs, but this should be in a supportive environment and a collaborative process that helps align employees' interests, natural talents, and skill sets with the company’s needs.
• Engage managers in the talent nurturing process. Directly involve managers in the training and development process. Managers need to know not only what is required in terms of talent management and development efforts but also why these efforts are critical. What are the benefits for employees and the organization, and how can they best position themselves as catalysts in the process?
• Help managers think like marketers. Engaging both managers and team members in development efforts requires selling them on the value of professional development programs. The critical thing consumers—and employees—want to know when considering an offer is what’s in it for them. So, why should managers and team members embrace your company’s training efforts? Regular check-ins should include open communication to discuss employees’ development plans, and discussions about various career paths they may want to take are beneficial. These types of discussions lay the seeds to creating and nourishing a growth mindset culture. Also, share the multiple options for course access, as well as the professional and personal value, training, and development offers. Providing continuous learning opportunities enhances employees’ job satisfaction and motivation.
• Encourage managers to be flexible in access, delivery, and content. The old paradigm of gathering all employees in one place at a particular time doesn’t work in today’s environment. Not all employees work in the same place at the same time, nor do they all need or want the same information. Increasingly, most employees want freedom and flexibility to access training and information when and where they need it. Immediate, seamless access to up-to-date, practical, and valuable information is the requirement. If you can deliver that to your employees, you can not only cultivate and nourish talent—you can keep that top talent on board and engaged.
• Have managers show value to employees. If you can convince employees of the value of your L&D offerings, engage them, and keep them engaged, you will have lower employee turnover rates and avoid the revolving door that many companies are dealing with today. For example, leadership development training offers the opportunity to advance in the corporate world, with increased responsibilities and income.

HSI Can Help

We offer self-directed learning, allowing individual learners to direct their learning based on their individual skill development needs and interests. Our online courses offer continuous learning opportunities. At HSI, we know the value and power of weaving the learning people crave with the learning people need. Our online courses on stress management and communication can draw people in, where they can then "bump into" and engage with learning on inclusion, critical thinking, and resilience. This plays a critical role in employee retention strategies.

As a first step, check out HSI’s handy ROI calculator to calculate your return on investment using online L&D training. Then, contact us for a consultation to learn how HSI can help you take a strategic approach to L&D training. You’ll see your ROI boost and your bottom line improving.

Additional Resources

• HSI’s L&D ROI Calculator
• Preparing Employees for a Bigger Role
• Training and Development: An Integral Part of Employee Recruitment and Retention