The traditional metrics used in talent management are often either around performance or about talent acquisition.

While in Sydney with the growing Taleo user community in the Southern Hemisphere, we reviewed the metrics that they monitor today. Comparing this to a couple of years ago, we see a great improvement in the precision that all organizations can achieve today.

Our recommendation for years has been to take into account these five key principles when selecting metrics:
1. Business Alignment
2. Actionable
3. Consistent
4. Time Trackable (internal benchmark)
5. Peer Comparisons (external benchmark)

The most important thing for us is after you have made sure you are aligned with the business, you must make sure that those metrics are actionable. Today, tools are not the issue anymore for controlling the process. The key thing is what you DO with those data.

Root cause analysis is the tool that will lead you to the greatest impact. Take the time to do it.