A+ Talent: Key to a successful digital transformation
Discover how to identify, hire, and retain A+ talent to drive your digital transformation and strengthen your long-term competitive advantage.
Did you know that 72% of digital transformation initiatives fail due to a lack of A+ talent?
In this article, you'll discover how to identify, hire, and retain the professionals who will accelerate your digital project and give you a sustainable competitive advantage.
JOSÉ ANTONIO GARCÍA - Monterrey – May 18, 2025
What is the relationship between talent, experience and methods?
At AVANTECH, after more than 28 years advising clients from all sectors, we've proven that talent, experience, and methods are inseparable pillars... but none drives success like A+ talent.
3 key factors in every business strategy
These are the three pillars that will strengthen your digital transformation and any corporate strategy:
- A+ qualified talent – The 10% most competitive professionals in the market.
- Proven experience (knowledge, practice, and mastery)
- Tested and validated methods
These are the pillars that will support, throughout the implementation of the digital transformation strategy, other factors of change such as the company's philosophy and culture, organizational structure, technological infrastructure, updated technology, and its use over time.
A+ Talent as a competitive advantage
A+ Qualified Talent. Identify, select, hire, and retain.
While human resources were once referred to as "the main asset of every company," in practice we found that only a few companies lived up to this motto. We observed that in large companies and most SMEs, human resources are considered only as employees and not as collaborators, and talent is even less considered a strategic factor for the company.
When analyzing the current state of HR in some companies, we identified an unusually high staff turnover, which lacks a recruitment, selection, development plan, performance evaluations, and payment process that allows employees to understand their career path within the company and, consequently, their future. Above all, however, there is a permanent focus on talent development and retention.
In addition to the above, a lack of culture, promotion, and effective communication was also identified, which is why employees were losing interest and a sense of belonging to the company. Well, in these previously mentioned cases, we focus on defining the type of corporate philosophy and culture that the board, shareholders, and/or CEO would like to have. And based on the above, we design a business model where human resources are truly the main asset and, as such, design and manage a career plan within companies for different functions, thereby adopting it as a best practice in continuous talent development.
You might be wondering...
Image created by Avantech using graphic elements from Canva.com.
Where to start? The A+ method from Avantech
By acquiring this HR best practice for identifying, selecting, hiring, and retaining talent, we set out to apply our A+ method. Once the job requirements are defined in terms of competencies, we divide them into two groups: technical skills (hard skills), also called threshold competencies, and soft skills (soft skills).
Although technical skills are used to perform the hard tasks of the job, such as knowing a method, a technique, assembling, disassembling, calibrating, programming, purchasing, selling, etc.,
What we have observed and proven, in different consulting services, is that soft skills are what make the difference over time between a competent employee and an outstanding employee in an organization. And that is when we label this type of talent as A+.
What defines an A+ contributor?
- Exceeds the threshold competencies for his or her position.
- Is self-manageable, competitive, and collaborative.
- Adapts to multigenerational teams.
- Demonstrates commitment, reliability, and a clear purpose.
- Has high emotional intelligence and a drive for self-development.
The real challenge: managing the career of A+ talent
The challenge is not only to hire well, but also to create conditions for the employee's continuous growth within the company:
- Personalized career plans.
- Ongoing performance evaluations.
- Assignment of new challenges and responsibilities.
- Timely recognition and promotion.
How to identify A+ talent?
In external recruitment processes
- Look for candidates who are at least 90% compatible with the challenges of the position.
- Those who belong to the top 10% of the market for that profile.
On your current team
- Identify those who already perform 90% of the critical tasks that only 10% of the team manages to complete.
What is the key to success?
Adopt disruptive methods and talent-centric practices as the foundation of any business transformation. At AVANTECH, we provide you with practical tools, assessment models, and proven methodologies, such as our A+ model, so that talent ceases to be a promise and becomes your competitive advantage.
Image created by Avantech using graphic elements from Canva.com.
In summary
A+ talent isn't improvised; it's identified, developed, and retained. Don't waste time with traditional methods. Dare to innovate your talent management strategy and ensure a robust, sustainable, and scalable digital transformation.
Contact us and learn how our methodology can adapt to your company's needs.
Prepared by:
José Antonio García A.
CEO & Founder – AVANTECH CONSULTORES
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