Purposeful Talent Development: The machete or the map?

Purposeful Talent Development: The Machete or the Map?

Imagine you are walking through a dense jungle trying to find your way back to camp. It’s dark and you have to hold your lamp in one hand. That leaves you only one free hand for either your map or your machete. Which do you choose? Either would be beneficial, right? The machete will help you to move through the tangles and vines more efficiently, while the map will provide you with a route.

You’re likely encounter a similar decision each time you look at where to focus your talent development resources. What should get your attention and time? Should it be the machete of technical training that quickly cuts through inefficiency within the daily work or should it be the map of leadership training that helps to guide individuals and teams in the best direction?

In a perfect world, you wouldn’t have to choose; there would be enough resources, budget and capacity to support all aspects of development within your organization. However, our world isn’t always perfect and many times you have to balance the resources you have with the needs of the organization and staff.

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