I posted an article today on ERE - "Talent: The Ultimate Profit Center." I wrote it because I've been talking to more and more talent management and HR directors that are interested in figuring out how to systematically quantify their talent management activities in terms of revenue, profits and returns to the business. It's an interesting challenge no matter what business you're in - some business like professional services or law firms have it easier than others, as almost every employee has a direct line to revenue. In other businesses like software, it can be more difficult but is still possible and worth attempting.
Through the years I've made it a habit to tell people I've hired that, like it or not, everyone is in sales. (One notable exception might be a non-profit like the Peace Corps, but one could even argue that the Peace Corps helps sell America as a destination). Very early in my career, I resisted this - sales wasn't something I wanted to get into when I "grew up." Eventually, I came to realize that everything is related to sales - you're either creating a product that gets sold, supporting a team that sells that product, or actually doing the selling yourself. And if you're not positively impacting these sales, your job might one day be outsourced, be vulnerable to layoffs, or you might wake up one morning and realize that you're on the fast track to nowhere.
Thus, the article today - which will hopefully give people in this industry a reason to reconsider their role as revenue generators (better) vs. cost centers (cheaper, faster).
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