Most consumer businesses can list their senior roles. Fewer can say which critical roles carry the growth, savings or protection the business plan depends on, and what those people must deliver. A talent to value approach starts with that question. Hiring, development and succession decisions then follow the work that creates value.
This piece draws on Bend the Curve, a July 2026 CTF session with Rob Twigg, Head of Talent Management, Kraft Heinz. The session made the point that these principles work in a smaller business as well as a global organisation. So the thinking below applies to teams of any size.
Why talent to value starts with the business plan
Start with the strategy, not a list of job titles. Look for the areas of the plan where a meaningful amount of growth, savings or value protection depends on successful delivery. In practice, that means reading the plan for priority categories, markets, accounts or productivity opportunities. Then attach a clear business measure to each.
HR cannot do this alone. Business and finance leaders need to help decide where value sits. Interviews with the leaders responsible also show which work makes the difference.
Value covers more than new sales, too. Work that protects quality, safety or other important outcomes belongs on the map. So begin with a manageable part of the plan, and agree what success means before you decide which role is critical.
Follow the work, not the hierarchy
Critical roles are not always the most senior. Once you know where value sits, ask who directly influences the outcome. Often a specialist or account role carries more of a particular priority than the senior role above it.
So for each priority, look at who makes the decisions and does the day to day work that moves the measure. The title does not tell you that. The work does.
Keep the list focused as well. A long list of important job titles spreads attention thin. It also does not show how the business will deliver the plan. So for each proposed role, try to finish one plain sentence: which value priority does this role deliver, and how? If nobody can answer clearly, the role may not belong on the list.
Define the jobs to be done
A job description lists broad responsibilities. Jobs to be done are narrower: the three to five pieces of work that must land for the plan to succeed. For each one, state the result, the approach and the timeframe. That way, the incumbent and anyone assessing the role share the same expectations.
Next, translate the work into the few capabilities that matter most. They should fit the actual challenge in front of the role, rather than everything the role might one day do.
Look at the work and the role before the person
A capable person can still struggle when the work is unclear or the role lacks the authority and capacity to deliver it. So the session suggested reviewing the work, the role and the individual together. Are priorities clear and stakeholders aligned? Can the incumbent make the decisions and access the support required? Do their capabilities match the essential work, and does it fit their goals?
So check the work and the role as carefully as you check the person. Otherwise you may train or replace someone when the real problem is how the role is set up.
The diagnosis then shapes the response. Sometimes the answer is to resolve conflicting priorities or decision rights, or to split a role's work. Sometimes it is development, or a move to a role that fits better. And when you do need to recruit, assess candidates against the jobs to be done and give them a realistic account of the challenge.
Whatever you choose, agree a focused action plan with the incumbent and the leader responsible. Record the blocker, the response, the owner and how you will measure progress.
Make it part of the planning cycle
Timing matters too. Hold your talent to value review at the point in the year when leaders set targets and budgets. That way, people decisions stay tied to the plan from the start, and business, finance and people leaders share ownership. The same requirements can also carry into hiring, development and succession planning, without a fresh assessment for each. For wider background, the CIPD's talent management factsheet covers how talent activity connects with organisational strategy.
Questions to take to your team:
- Which priorities in your plan create or protect the most value, and how do you measure them?
- Which role directly delivers each priority, regardless of seniority?
- Can each critical role name three to five jobs to be done, with outcomes and dates?
- Where a critical role is struggling, have you checked the work and the role as well as the person?
The full session
Members can watch the full recording of the session and download the slides. They also get the member ebook, which includes two practical worksheets to use with your team. All of it sits in the CTF Session Library. If you want this kind of practical conversation with peers, apply to join or see what membership includes.
