Book excerpt: Talented and ambitious people will only stay with their current employer if they are offered positive development, motivation and nurturing to ensure they are given every chance of realizing their potential. Simple financial packages, although superficially attractive, often assuage a short term need but rarely cater for the long-term requirements of a talented person. Talent Assessment demonstrates how to manage the needs of the individual employees and those of the organization in parallel; how to identify the aspirational and development needs of potential top performers and how to manage them sensibly. This involves using techniques to assess their mindsets, behaviours and skills and then providing effective training, development and performance management interventions. IT is an increasingly important support and enabler of this kind of process and the authors provide guidance on the process and content required for a talent management database. There is also a chapter exploring the critical operation role of HR in talent management. The book is filled with practical examples and mini-case studies to help you apply the various techniques. It provides positive, practical guidelines to encourage you to implement a suitable talent management programme as well as introducing more advanced aspects of the subject, particularly in terms of assessing suitable candidates for this way of managing your organization's future.