Episode 36: Measuring Talent Intangibles
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How do you measure what you can’t easily see?
For L&D and talent development pros, measuring improvement in skills like leadership, collaboration, and communication is a constant challenge. It isn't as easy as measuring technical outputs like sales numbers, quality scores, or production time. We often find ourselves wondering where to begin and how to proceed. In this episode, Jess and Colin J. Hahn explore why this problem keeps resurfacing followed by three highly practical ways to measure these intangibles. From operational definitions to breaking big questions into estimable parts and observing corresponding behavior, they share tools and stories to help you bring the unseen into focus, creating the clarity needed to show business impact.
Jess and Colin Discuss
Why measuring intangibles is a constant challenge for L&D/TD
Using operational definitions to give context and clarity
Breaking intangible skills into estimable parts
Applying order-of-magnitude thinking to speed decision-making
Watching for outcomes that signal intangible strengths
A manufacturing case linking leader behavior to retention and productivity
A simple first step to tackle your next measurement challenge
About Colin J. Hahn
Colin J. Hahn, Ph.D., CPTD is an experienced Organizational Development leader who specializes in improving performance through data-driven talent development. In his 15 years of talent development experience, he has led programs that have generated more than $2M in annual impact and improved performance in over 95% of participants. At FranklinCovey, he coaches global clients to align learning strategies to business goals and use data to show the operational impact of their work.
Find and Connect with Colin J. Hahn
now available!
Jess's book, L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner, published by ATD Press, is now available for pre-order wherever books are sold! The official release date is September 2, 2025. If you want to learn more and be the first to get behind-the-scenes updates, early sneak peeks, and join the virtual launch party, join Jess's email list! You'll get the L&D Must Change newsletter delivered to your inbox weekly as well as special updates on the book when available. Click here to join!
