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Talent development

As explained in Think Like a Software Engineering Manager

The practice of hiring, coaching, developing, promoting, and retaining capable team members.

Talent development is an engineering manager’s practice of building team capability through hiring, coaching, career support, performance management, promotion, and retention. The aim is to empower people so the team becomes high-performing and self-organizing. section 1.1.1

A practical talent-development responsibility set includes:

  • Plan team composition around the roles and responsibilities the work requires. section 1.1.1
  • Screen résumés, hire people aligned with team and company needs, and provide a runway for their success. section 1.1.1
  • Use regular one-on-ones and career conversations to understand motivations, aspirations, blockers, and development needs. section 1.1.1
  • Coach and mentor individuals, address career gaps, give constructive feedback, support high and low performers, and promote people when ready. section 1.1.1
  • Retain capable people by keeping them challenged, motivated, and supported with empathy, honesty, and emotional intelligence. section 1.1.1

How Think Like a Software Engineering Manager covers it

How deep it goes
Enumerates responsibilities and leadership qualities but stops short of detailed coaching procedures, hiring rubrics, or performance frameworks.
Examples
Uses résumé screening, hiring, one-on-ones, career conversations, coaching, feedback, promotion, and retention as concrete practices.
What it assumes
Assumes responsibility for team composition and projects while teaching talent work as a multipronged management practice.
What you can do after
Build a high-performing, self-organizing team by aligning talent, supporting growth, managing performance, and sustaining motivation.
How it connects
Connects hiring, team composition, one-on-ones, career development, coaching, performance management, promotion, retention, and emotional intelligence.
Cover of Think Like a Software Engineering Manager
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Related concepts

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Think Like a Software Engineering Manager. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.