7 Virtues of Talent

For an executive passionate about building great teams, “talent” is a magical potion which is the cure to many business challenges. However, despite having been a part of some of the world’s most exclusive talent programs - I still found it difficult to holistically articulate which traits and characteristics a leader should look for in an employee while searching for potential talent .

Hence, this article is dedicated to summarizing seven traits I look for and evaluate in potential candidate. I like to call them the Seven Virtues of Talent.

1. Passionate: It is important for them to have a deep and positive passion for the work they are doing. Passion gives them a positive energy and enables them to challenge the status quo in their teams and push for changes.

2. Go-getter: Being able to advocate for themselves and demonstrate that they are able to complete work in time without waiting until the last minute or depending on others are both very important skills. This resourcefulness comes handy to them as they climb higher in the organizations.

3. Skillful and learner: Having the proper skills and being able to learn and accumulate knowledge and experience are traits that are vital to getting things done in challenging situations. They also demonstrate a desire to learn new skills that may be needed as an individual's career progresses.

4. Ethics and Values: Being able to to demonstrate the consciousness towards compliant and ethical behavior becomes a real asset for organizations when these talents rise to positions of power within teams.

5. Risk taker: Being able to demonstrate that have taken calculated risks in their career to learn and grow shows that they are unafraid to try something new.

6. Team player and grateful: They consistently demonstrate behavior of sharing credit for their success with their team and be grateful towards every contribution. This quality enables them to win the respect of any team they are leading or are part of.

7. Emotionally Intelligent : They have the ability to predict, understand, and empathize with people at an emotional level. This helps them to win the trust and loyalty of their teammates.             

As leaders we need to invest time, thoughts, and personal energy in selecting and nurturing the right talent as they will become value creating assets for our organization. On other hand, if done incorrectly, this will not only results in wasted efforts and resources but it can also put the future of our organizations and ability to create value for society at stake.

Sourabh Pagaria