Industry Influencers Share Their Top Takeaways from Talent Connect

This year’s Talent Connect was simply abuzz about emerging technology and a skills-first approach to building a workforce, as industry leaders from around the world gathered to talk about the latest trends — and challenges — in talent acquisition and talent development.

The annual gathering had a dynamic group of speakers, from the Rt. Hon. Dame Jacinda Ardern, former prime minister of New Zealand, to legendary filmmaker Spike Lee, from Josh Bersin, the celebrated industry analyst, to Donna Morris, Walmart’s chief people officer. 

For those of you who couldn’t join in, there’s good news: We asked industry influencers who attended the conference to reflect on what they learned. Below you can find some of their key takeaways, but be sure to check out our Talent Connect Influencer Reflections report for all their highlights — including quotes, survey results, and thoughts on what talent professionals can expect in 2024.

1. Even L&D pros don’t always have time for development

L&D pros don’t just deliver courses. They also help nourish meaningful careers. Yet even learning professionals often find that day-to-day tasks take priority over learning. In an informal survey of industry influencers at Talent Connect, we asked, “What are your top obstacles to development?” Sixty-six percent said, “I don’t have time for training.” 

How can we change this? 

“Ensure that everyone is scheduling training and courses with L&D. Different training channels are important, so people can learn when and how learning works for them. Incentives (and penalties if necessary) are important too, to motivate ongoing learning behaviors.” 

— Sophie Wade, founder of Flexcel Network

2. Soft skills are as important as ever 

When talent leaders talk about skills gaps, they often mean they need more people who excel at hard skills like generative AI, Python, or Java. But soft skills are as important as ever. We asked participants what skills workers needed to develop most, and 64% cited communication skills, followed by AI, management, and analytical skills.  

How can talent teams support skills development? 

 “Talent professionals must be proactive — rather than reactive — to close skills gaps in AI, communication, analytics, and management. Let’s level up our teams with AI literacy, refine communication with a focus on empathy, promote data-driven decision-making, and shift from mere management to empathetic leadership.”

— Jackye Clayton, vice president of talent acquisition and DEIB at Textio

3. Cost is the biggest barrier to using gen AI

Generative AI is poised to change how companies hire and how employees learn. So what’s stopping talent teams from embracing it? Forty percent of the participants we polled said, “It’s too expensive to adopt.” Meanwhile, 27% said that it was too difficult to learn and 24% said it took too much time to master.

How can businesses overcome this? 

“In truth, it’s just fear of the unknown. But leaders who embrace AI help show the way for their teams.”

— Johnny Campbell, CEO and cofounder at SocialTalent

4. Talent leaders can drive impact now 

When we asked talent leaders what they planned to take away from Talent Connect and start applying immediately, 30% they would start using gen AI or learning how to integrate it into their daily work. Meanwhile, 18% said they’d shift toward skills-first hiring. 

How will this help talent teams?  

“Adopting a skills-first approach will innovate our existing recruitment processes, making them more adaptive and inclusive. This will reduce time to hire and improve employee retention, as individuals will be positioned in roles that genuinely leverage their unique skill sets.”

— Jackye Clayton, vice president of talent acquisition and DEIB at Textio

Want to see more of what Talent Connect 2023 had to offer? 

For a more comprehensive look at what these industry influencers and thought leaders took away from the event, read the entire Talent Connect Influencer Reflections report here.

Methodology

Responses were gathered from an informal survey of Talent Connect speakers and attendees in October 2023.