Organizations have varying levels of success when it comes to increasing the quality of their talent. Some organizations have the drive and the means to invest in their employees. Others just do the best they can with what they have. The result is that many organizations probably don’t have any real measurable success upgrading their talent – or maybe even maintaining it.
What’s always puzzling about this anecdotal observation is that most nonprofit leaders understand the importance of getting the right people in the right job for mission success. Heck even the country seems to understand that our national success is reliant upon the quality of our workforce.
Gallup, in coordination with the Lumina foundation, just completed a national pollwhere 78% of those polled said that the U.S. will lag behind other countries if its talent isn’t developed. Leaders at nonprofits probably feel the same way about their own organizations.
This is such a universally agreed upon sentiment that even Presidential candidates like Sen. Bernie Sanders have included a free college tuition plan as part of his campaign.
The Sanders plan may make many roll their eyes and say, “that’s just politics.” But politicians often don’t come up with ideas without data.
The Gallup-Lumina poll found that 87% of U.S. adults agree with the statement, “the federal government should make it a high priority to increase the talent of our nation’s workforce,” and 89% agree with the statement “cities that commit to increasing talent among their citizens are more likely to have stronger economies, better quality of life and greater prosperity than cities that do not.”
There are very few subjects that have a near 90% agreement rate in this country. The probability of a national talent management program are still slim due to the usual problems – disagreements over how to solve a problem that everyone believes exists.
More from Gallup,
At a time when Americans are greatly divided on various aspects of life related to politics, education, and racial and income inequality, there is harmony to be found in the public’s agreement on the importance of investing in the development of talent in the U.S. workplace. Americans not only see investing in the knowledge and skills of the U.S. workforce as a priority in general, but also something for which the federal government and local communities should step up their efforts.
The sentiment appears to be clear. The nation needs to invest in a plan to better itself; and so does your organization.
