The following story was told by Jill Boone, director of talent development at Enterprise Holdings.

Client

Enterprise Holdings

Opportunity

At Enterprise Holdings, talent development team members often are promoted from operational roles, which means they typically lack backgrounds in training or education. It is critical that these individuals have the support they need to successfully transition into a talent development role that affects a globally dispersed workforce of more than 85,000.

Diagnosis

The TD Professional Development Plan is a year-long program for all new talent development professionals at Enterprise. During the program, each new hire is matched with an experienced talent development manager who serves as a mentor. New hires also are given access to resources that offer guidance on preparing for their first class, conducting new-hire orientation and training, and tracking and reporting on training.

Methods

The first-year development plan is designed to clarify job expectations, provide one-to-one support, and pave the way for effective communication between the new team member, her immediate manager, and the corporate talent development director. This effort is broken down in three parts.

Corporate guidance. Eight phone conversations are scheduled throughout the year between the corporate talent development director and the new team member; as well as one phone conversation between the team member and a corporate officer. These calls provide guidance and clarification on different aspects of the role, from legal requirements to evaluating training initiatives.

Mentorship. A successful talent development professional is assigned as a mentor to each new team member. The corporate talent development director follows up with the mentor to ensure the relationship is providing value, but the conversations between the mentor and mentee are confidential.

Manager alignment. Three phone calls are scheduled between the corporate talent development director and the team member's immediate manager. The calls ensure that both parties are in alignment as far as development strategies.

Beyond the first year, development opportunities are offered to all talent development professionals so that they continue to build their knowledge and skills. These include a three-day orientation program on designing and facilitating classroom training, monthly conference calls and webinars, a biannual company-wide HR conference, and resources on the company intranet.

Results

In the four years since the Professional Development Plan was launched, Enterprise Holdings's retention rate of talent development professionals has improved to 93 percent, and 19 percent of those employees have been promoted within the talent development team or into operational or other HR roles. The mentoring relationships that developed throughout North America and Europe as a result of the program have allowed participants to exchange best practices across countries and regions.

Lessons learned

Clarifying job expectations, offering one-to-one mentoring, and scheduling regular check-ins with their managers and director helps employees new to the talent development field get off on the right foot.