How to build a company powered by people
Many organizations struggle to provide learning experiences that align with employee aspirations and lead to meaningful career outcomes, let alone have a significant impact on business performance.
People-driven companies change this dynamic by balancing personal and business outcomes. These organizations can foster loyalty, agility, and innovation to create a workforce capable of growth.
This article examines Mike Ohata’s book, “Talent-Driven Enterprises,” along with the author’s unique insights. We uncover four core themes for talent-driven companies and share actionable strategies to shape tomorrow’s workforce.
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A company driven by talent
People-driven companies recognize, develop, and celebrate the rich talent within their organizations.
A talent-driven model transforms both the workforce and the workplace by embracing continuous learning. It focuses on the skills of the future and the heart of the organization: people and the outcomes they deliver.
“Many traditional talent models have viewed employees as a resource, but a talent-fueled company is a workplace that values and develops the full potential of its employees and the organization,” says Mike Ohata, author of The Talent-Fueled Enterprise.
From an employee’s perspective, it’s important that they feel valued and supported in their growth by tying personal growth goals to meaningful outcomes. It’s important for businesses to foster a culture rooted in shared values, provide a rich employee experience, and make employee education a core element.
Four pillars of a company powered by human resources
1. Balance professional development and personal growth
Organizations have long optimized learning around professional development.
However, people-driven companies include personal growth as a key learning strategy. For example, a factory may focus on upskilling employees in automation and continuous improvement techniques to align with professional development goals.
“If you want an agile organization, you need to create or redesign your work systems with agility in mind,” says Mike.
The challenge is to break out of the cycle where skills entrenched in specific roles inhibit internal mobility. To break this loop, L&D teams must balance professional development with personal growth and provide employees with opportunities to upskill and reskill.
2. Possibility: Even broken crayons can be colored.
L&D must challenge a system that focuses solely on high performance and high potential, a system that can leave many employees behind.
“Even a broken crayon can be colored. The idea is that everyone has potential,” Mike says.
Hiring practices often focus on specific tasks and overlook attributes that indicate adaptability and learning ability. Organizations should recognize the potential of their employees and strive to empower them by investing in upskilling. Failure to do so often results in high turnover and widening skills gaps as employees seek opportunities elsewhere.
3. Skills: Important Currency
Many L&D and business leaders understand that skills are the driving force behind tomorrow’s organizations.
“Skills are the currency of the organization and the currency of the individual,” says Mike.
L&D teams working to stay ahead of the curve and close the skills gap within their organizations are leveraging skills strategies, skills ontologies (using tools like SkillsGPT), to optimize and define how the organization assesses those skills and proficiency levels.
You need to prioritize your skills strategy. This helps employees understand their journey and where they are in their professional growth. When developing your strategy, monitor the market to understand the skills your organization needs and the skills your employees need to succeed professionally.
4. Ongoing transformation
A people-driven company is one that balances talent and professional development.
“One of the things we say about transformation is to stop talking about shaping the workforce. Transformation is something you do with your employees, not against them,” Mike says.
In his book, Mike outlines guidance and practices that L&D professionals can take to rebuild their organizations’ systems. The first recommendation is to work on the parts of the skill that will benefit everyone and the organization.
Tips for developing tomorrow’s workforce
There are many actionable steps you can take today to develop tomorrow’s workforce and become a talent-driven company.
1. Start with a skills strategy
Empower your employees with a focus on technical and personal growth opportunities, prioritizing skills that give your organization the agility to stay competitive.
2. Invest in employee experience
Connect learning experiences from hiring to onboarding, team collaboration, and career advancement. Ensure every touchpoint fosters engagement, skill development, and personal growth.
“I think the imperative for all of us is that whatever we want for our employees, if we want a learning experience for our employees, that’s the investment we have to make,” Mike says.
3. Expand your L&D skill set to meet tomorrow’s needs
Coaching: All L&D professionals should have basic coaching knowledge to effectively lead teams and individuals. Talent Management: Build expertise in talent management principles to strategically support employee growth. Business Partnerships: Understand how to align your L&D strategy with broader business objectives for maximum impact. Organizational Design: From onboarding to team integration, learn how to design experiences that connect personal growth with organizational goals.
4. Define good looks
Identify and balance the skills and experience that drive individual and organizational success. Along the way, we will continue to deepen our understanding of what excellence means to our people as our business evolves.
To determine what kind of organization you actually want to build and what strategies you need to implement to build it, get The Skills-First Enterprise: A Leader’s Guide To Building Talent That Lasts.
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