1997 was the first time someone coined the term ‘war for talent’. Nearly three decades on, and we’re still fighting – not just to attract great people, but to keep them.
Despite the endless articles and expert panels telling us the secret lies within – that developing the people you already have is the way forward – many organisations are still stuck in the same old loop: hire, lose, repeat.
We’ve been told what works
The idea that your best source of talent is your existing workforce isn’t new. It’s been said for years – invest in your people, and they’ll stay. Grow the talent you’ve got, and you won’t have to scramble for replacements.
It makes sense, it’s cost-effective, and it works. The solution to your biggest retention headache is already in the building. Yet so many organisations still don’t see talent development as a business priority. Why?
What’s stopping us?
Up first: Getting buy-in.
22% of organisations say that talent management is not a key priority for their CEO. We also regularly hear about the CFO challenging their HR and talent leaders to provide an ROI for any kind of people development. So how do you translate your experience and knowledge of the link between high engagement and high performance? It’s part of a wider challenge of getting ahead of the curve and influencing the future of work, but here are a couple of tips to get you started:
1. Work on your personal brand.
A lot of leaders hesitate to focus on their personal brand. Maybe it feels like self-promotion, or you think if you just do good work, people will notice. But when it comes to getting buy-in and influencing others, it’s not about ego; it’s about leading with authority and impact.
Here’s a video of our founder, Elke Edwards, talking about a personal value proposition to help start your thinking:
2. Partner with an organisation who does the hard work for you.
A CFO wants to know that any investment in a programme will improve performance and impact their bottom line. With every client we work with, we clarify their aims and objectives and work in partnership to create a measurement framework upfront, to report on the specific data they need, in a format that works for them. And it helps if these metrics can be shared in a way that’s easy to cascade across the business (we do this too).
The second barrier is simply not knowing the data.
Only 43% of large organisations are calculating the cost of staff turnover. If you don’t know what you’re losing, how do you build a compelling case for investing in talent development? A high turnover rate can be costly and disruptive. Employees with two years or less at a company have the biggest flight risk and are 38% more likely to search for a new job in the next 12 months.
This links back to your ROI challenge – knowing your facts and figures can help you build a compelling case for talent development.
Investing in talent development
When organisations upskill their people, you don’t just plug gaps – you create growth, loyalty, and long-term capability. In fact, 77% of UK employees say they’re more likely to stay with an employer who invests in their development. That’s a number too big to ignore.
According to the latest CIPD Resource and Talent Planning report, 83% of employers who tried to recruit faced challenges – so what did they do? They turned inwards. 42% increased learning and development opportunities in a bid to keep people. But what kind of development actually makes people want to stay?
The right development at the right time
It’s not just about learning. It’s about the right kind of learning. The kind that transforms people’s mindset, behaviours and self-leadership.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to growing talent. But there are a few things we know work:
Start with insight
You can’t grow what you don’t understand. Before anything else, take time to really understand your people. Go deeper than performance reviews. Use tools like:
- 360 feedback to capture multiple perspectives
- Behavioural assessments to uncover natural strengths and derailers
- Career conversations to understand aspirations
This helps you invest in the right people – and support them in the right way
Build individualised development journeys
Potential is personal. The best talent development plans aren’t off-the-shelf – they’re co-created. They reflect who someone is, where they want to go, and what the business needs.
That might look like:
- Stretch assignments and real-world challenges
- Shadowing opportunities or exposure to senior leaders
- Regular coaching and reflection to embed learning
It’s all about behaviour change – not just learning about leadership, but becoming a better leader.
The result?
After completing an Ivy House programme, 83% of leaders said they felt invested in their future with their organisation, compared with just 43% before.
So, how long is it going to take?
The war for talent won’t be won with better job ads or more recruiters. It’ll be won by those who choose to see talent not as something to hunt, but something to grow.