Bruce Springsteen's Talent Equation

Note: This article is part of a pilot series that I'm participating in for LinkedIn. Hit the subscribe button and you'll receive a notification when my weekly posts goes live.

Several years ago, I had the honor of seeing Bruce Springsteen on Broadway. The performance was incredibly moving. I have to admit, seeing Jimmy Kimmel and Howard Stern seated in the row behind me certainly added to the excitement. This was no ordinary Springsteen show. 

Springsteen told the story of his life through his music, and also shared quotes from his newly released autobiography, Born to Run. One story in particular stood out for me.

Springsteen said that most people think that one plus one equals two. However, according to his mathematical theory on talent, one plus one equals three. He then went on to talk about how each talented member of the E Street Band equaled way more than their individual parts.

I see the same thing in business. I always tell the executives that I work with that you don't need a lot of talent when you have it. The problem is that talent is in short supply in many organizations. Is that true in your organization?

Here's how to tell. Begin by asking yourself the following questions:

1. If I were putting a new team together tomorrow, would I include those who are already on my team?
2. Who on my team would I release today if I didn't have to go through the long-winded process that's required in most organizations?
3. Who would I hire tomorrow if money were no object?

Given that the unemployment rate is currently 3.6% here in the U.S. (and even lower in some cities), you may want to start digging for gold in your own backyard before heading on a long and expensive talent expedition.

Look for the hidden talent in your organization. For example, there may be non-degreed people in your company who are perfectly capable of taking on responsibilities usually reserved for those with college degrees, or people who are have taken jobs just to get a foot in the door, who have an abundance of experience that they may not be using in their current role. 

There's also the issue of raw talent. Springsteen spoke highly of his former saxophone player and friend Clarence Clemons, who passed away in 2011. No doubt Clemons had raw talent.

Who in your organization can blow the socks off of his or her co-workers if just given a chance to toot their own horn in a sea of cubicles? These are the people you should be investing in, as they are your rising stars.

Great artists like Springsteen didn't get where they are today without some help. They assembled a rock solid team of talented people who made them better than they were on their own. They created their own equation for success, which is exactly what you must do if you want people to be singing the praises of your company for years to come.

? 2019, Matuson Consulting.

Want more tips like this? Sign up for my newsletter, The Talent Maximizer?.