Why your key talent is as amazing – and annoying – as a Timelord, and how engaging and keeping your talent can be as frustrating as being a Doctor’s assistant.
 

1. They won’t stay still. Even in a recession, real talent moves. For some, it’s like there was never any recession, they have continued in their career path. The normal rules of time and space, or recession and economy, just don’t apply to a Timelord or a talent. This is good news if you’re trying to attract some, but maybe not if you are trying to retain your key talent.
    
2. They’re always looking for the next thing. This is the problem. If something else comes along, they just might have to do it. At the same time it’s not that they are disloyal as such… they just feel that sometimes they are more needed somewhere else. Your challenge is to keep them stretched and engaged.
    
3. Their values are important. Don’t get us started on the latest series, but the Doctor doesn’t like guns. Or destruction of races, or death or misery. And talent like to be with a business which aligns with their values – environmental, social or political. There’s a reason some brilliant people go into politics. Talented people like to feel they are working towards a purpose greater than a salary and shareholder interest.
    
4. They want flexibility. You can’t tie talent – or a Timelord down. Even Rose couldn’t stay with the real Doctor forever. Sometimes you have to let go for them to come back – sometimes you may have to accept that some skills are best learned outside your organisation. And money won’t always work – you need to work out what motivates them and use that to your advantage. Benefits, flexible working, projects or challenges – there’s more to motivation than cash, especially when it comes to talent.
    
5. They need room to grow and change and challenges to meet. Timelords change with every regeneration and find new personality traits and appearances. Talent will continually seek new challenges and areas – perhaps even cross-departmental opportunities or projects. Can you spot these and provide them to your talent?
    
6. They are special. How irritating! Timelords are the exception to almost every rule and it’s the same with key talent. If you want to avoid frustration in teams and handle corporate culture, you need to be smart. It’s all about how you communicate, what opportunities you offer to others and how it’s managed. After all, if you put together a great talent management programme, you’ll attract more talented individuals to your brand.
    
7. Foreign lands are attractive. And they might not be shy about asking for a sabbatical. It’s not you, it’s them. Obviously you won’t want to set a precedent , but you might want to consider exactly what you will do when it comes up. Balance losing the talent with the effect of their demands on the business. If you do decide to allow carer breaks, consider what it might do for your attraction – as well as your retention and engagement of talent. At least they might stay on this planet – which is more than can be said for a Timelord.
    
8. They are rare. Ok, so there’s probably more than one left (again, bear with me, I have been watching it recently, and we all know about the Face of Bo, right?) It was predicted by Manpower and Right Management that talent would become even harder to find and keep hold of in 2011, as talent would seek to move around and find new opportunities once the economic situation began to look slightly more healthy. Consider how much it costs the company in terms of lost knowledge, experience and potential revenue when you lose a key talent.
    

So, more seriously, perhaps… if you want to identify your talent management style, we’ve teamed up with K2 and Sage to deliver an advice download with tips for your particular approach. Just answer some quick questions about your organisation and you will receive a tip sheet. You can also share the widget with your friends and colleagues online. Click here to get started – it’ll take only two minutes to complete.