Godel’s Talent Management Function was founded to ensure the right people on the right engagements, reflecting the need for hard and soft skills in the IT market and Godel’s projects. We spoke with Lead DevOps Engineer and the new Head of Talent Management function in DevOps, division Andrei Andryieuski to discuss his exciting new role and what’s in store!

What initially attracted you to the field of Talent Management, and what motivates you to lead this function within your division?

First of all, Talent Management relates to communication, information exchange and informal communication between Talent Managers and Talents. Secondly, the Talent Management function reflects the need for hard and soft skills in the IT market and Godel’s projects. The presence of these two components allows a Talent Manager and a Talent to determine development directions and follow them. And since the main beneficiaries of the TM function are projects and our company, this makes the function doubly attractive. It is obvious that the function forms a significant share of the company’s success.

This attracted me. I became interested in the internal mechanisms and processes of the TM function, and moreover, I wanted to contribute to the development of the TM function.

In your opinion, what are the key challenges facing Talent Management today, and how do you address them within our organisation?

As for me, the TM function is semi-creative. On one hand, like all functions, it must be subject to laws, be repeatable, must be described by processes and some general instructions, but on the other hand, we work with people, where it is not always possible to apply a template solution to one problem or another. Therefore, the actions and decision-making mechanisms of function participants are not always obvious.

Transparency and attractiveness of the function are what we need to strive for. This would increase the motivation of engineers to be Talent Managers, which would attract engineers to participate in the TM function and distribute the load evenly between TMs. Motivated and not overloaded people are the key to success.

How do you collaborate with People Partners and Senior Leadership to ensure alignment and support for Talent Management initiatives?

To be ultimately efficient, it is necessary to constantly interact with the company’s leadership, know about the global goals of the TM function and their changes, receive information about decisions made in the company, and adapt global goals to the goals of the division. For this purpose, there are regular meetings with the participation of the heads of TM functions of divisions and People Partners, as well as meetings within the DevOps division. Such calls allow the TM heads and the manager to exchange information, look for solutions to certain problems, and receive support in any inconvenient situations.

As for interactions with people partners when solving some complex issues, I have not yet had such practice. I will definitely share with you information about the collaboration when there is an opportunity.

How do you balance the needs and aspirations of employees with the strategic priorities of the organisation in Talent management decision-making?

This is one of the toughest questions. As I said before, I would consider Talent Management as a semi-creative function. If the task of collecting and analysing the needs of projects for competencies, skills and knowledge is more technical, then the question of selecting (with the help of a Talent Manager) the desired developed competence/skill from a specific scope is no longer linear; the desire of the Talent does not always coincide with the direct demands of the engagements. And this is absolutely normal, people are all different and see their career paths differently. In such a situation, the Talent Manager helps the Talent decide on development plans, trying to find a compromise between the Talent’s desires and the business. We are constantly trying to establish a balance between the needs of the engagements and the personal priorities of Talents, and this is the direction we are going to work.

What are the benefits of being a Talent Manager?

I think there are quite a lot of benefits to being a part of a TM function. For example, this is knowledge of certain company plans and development directions and a better understanding of the company’s processes. Communication with people and networking is also a definite plus. In addition, gaining experience in participating in various situations and finding compromise solutions can also be considered among the benefits of participating in the TM function. And one of the main benefits, of course, is the feeling of one’s worth and belonging to the company’s results. The activity and positive work experience of the Talent Manager increase the efficiency of the Talent in the project, and this creates a positive experience for Godel’s clients and, ultimately, financial and non-financial indicators grow. I tried to describe the main benefits, but I think any Talent Manager can add something of their own here.

What skills can be developed in the position of Talent Manager?

The TM function develops soft skills very well. Communicating with Talents on a regular basis allows Talent Managers to develop communication skills, and the emergence of situations that require the function of a mediator – solving problems and negotiation skills. In addition, planning, adaptability, and stress resistance also always help a Talent Manager in his work.

Of course, not so obviously, but hard skills are also under development. For example, a TM helps a Talent to prepare PDP items; this requires the Talent Manager to have a certain technical level and knowledge base in the professional area. This knowledge must be periodically updated and developed. Therefore, as a result, the Talent Manager is constantly evolving along with the Talent.

How do you become a Talent Manager?

If you want to develop, becoming a Talent Manager is simple. It is enough to inform your Talent Manager about your intention or write to me directly, I am always available and happy to talk. We will set up a call, answer all questions and determine the next steps. And, after completing special TM training, we will have a new Talent Manager in our DevOps Division. Welcome!