Talent and the Importance of Training

Is it a cliché to say that our most valuable resource is talent? Perhaps, but still true. The key delineator between one agency to the next, one marketing team and the next and one great client and the next is talent. We don’t want to believe that at the heart of it, we are interchangeable… but we are: It is the people that make the difference. How often do you hear about a client making a change of agency but bringing the key executives with them from that agency? A lot!! So how do we make sure that we (insert company/agency/client name here) have the best talent? 1) Recruit them; 2) train them; 3) reward them; and, 4) retain them. Fairly straight forward, yes…but not so easy.

If only these were sequential it would make it easier – but no such luck. The order can change; however, to recruit them you MUST foster a training mentality because everyone wants to work in a place where they can learn. Even high-level executives want to learn, and any superstar wants their company to invest in them. Training and time are the best (and cheapest) ways to do this. It doesn’t mean it is free, it just means that in the long run it is way less expensive than the alternative: turnover and losing grade-A people to other companies that will help them learn. In these tough economic times, we have to be more creative in how we train our employees. Managers need to utilize tools that are at their disposal–this includes key talent they already have and their desire to help train their staff.

To infuse Curiosity® and satisfy a hunger for more digital knowledge at UM, our senior leads started “Digital Class” as a way to permeate digital throughout the agency. It is a weekly class with a defined curriculum and it is now one of the most well-attended and sought-after learning opportunities in the agency. This has evolved into a forum where our clients participate and integrate closer with UM–a key indicator of success.

Another cliché: “use the internet, it is a valuable resource.” On Fast Company’s website, they have the :30 second MBA. Each day they talk about a different topic and CEOs give their :30 advice on that subject. This one is from Joe Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer & President of Pandora on retaining and nurturing top talent.:  http://www.fastcompany.com/mba/node/49/Joe+Kennedy

At UM we believe in Curiosity®. Curious people are intelligent and creative. We promote this within our organization and to our clients. If we didn’t train our people and cultivate this quality we would not be able to deliver the best-in-class to our clients. We recruit against it, we train to encourage it, we reward it and we ultimately retain because of it.