Discovering and Nurturing Talent

We hear the word ‘talent’ used so much and in so many contexts that we could be forgiven for beginning to deliberately avoid its use. So what is it and who are the talented? If a genuine talent really does exist, how do we discover and nurture it for maximum benefit?

The word ‘talent’ is derived from the unit of ancient Roman/Greek currency and used to describe something of value or a gift bestowed on someone. It is the sense of that ‘gift’ that I want to explore as I truly believe in the power of humanity and its reliance on those ‘gifts’,  that everyone has an innate potential which we (teachers, educators, mentors, leaders, managers) have a duty to nurture. We are all ‘gifted’ irrespective of our social circumstances but it is those circumstances, played out at home, school or college, which can either nurture or destroy the potential which each individual has.

We often talk about ‘potential’ as if we, or the individual concerned, know what it is and what needs to be done to convert that potential into a real talent. Yet this process can get hijacked by self-interest. It is not about public recognition or a financial gain placed upon that talent, or how such talent can positively affect productivity, but more about how an individual can use their talent for the benefit of others and have a positive impact in their lives.

It is true, that in many cases, the ‘potential to be talented’ which an individual possesses needs discovering by someone, but that action must be selfless and not motivated by gain, as we provide the encouragement to realise that potential; to nurture and to enable the opportunities to exercise that talent. The most genuine talents are not always recognised by those who possess them, as they believe themselves to be just ‘average’, the curse of school reports! ‘Average’ gets no special attention and it is within ‘average’ that the potential gets ignored in favour of those who seem to be high flyers.

It takes people with higher functioning empathy skills to recognise the potential in others, to ignite their passion which unlocks their talent. These ‘discovers’ need to be intuitive and astute, to be able to look beyond the veneer of ‘average’, to locate that innate gift and find that desire within to be ‘the best you can be’, because you really can make a difference. They need to be selfless and only motivated by the joy of mentoring and nurturing others.

I see the most incredible talent around me; in the young, in College students, in the eyes of the unassuming, in the untapped potential hidden in remarkable people. People who have strong values underpinned by a belief that the world is made up of many good individuals, that we are here to make a difference and that the cumulative power of humanity can bring about change. These people are often the truth seekers who have learnt much from their experiences; a surprising number are also those who have had to overcome hardship or not had the benefit of privilege. They are the people who do get overlooked as average, they are undiscovered talent.

In the context of organisational development, we need to go beyond the HR practice of using the word ‘talent’ to describe the ’very best’, but rather use the term to refer to the potential in every employee. This must surely be the case if we have proactively sought to recruit on the basis of an individual’s capability and potential. It is then about how we develop that potential, encourage aspiration & innovation and value the person for who they are and the talent that we can unlock.

In recruitment, organisations need to consider the benefits of talent pipelines, seeking out that potential to bring into their organisations because these people really will make a difference, revitalise teams, inspire others and provide for that all important succession planning. They will also, by virtue of their inherent work ethics, have a positive effect on performance. However, we must not confuse the need to improve performance with the desire to develop potential, as referring to them in the same narrative could cause ‘potential’ to be viewed as a disposable commodity, if it does not fit the need of the moment.

Organisations need to encourage and enable those who can discover and nurture talent, the experienced coaches and mentors who may well exist outside the formal HR structures, who do not seek to be applauded but are driven by that desire to see potential realised and talent shine in others, for the benefit of others. What if we replaced the ethically questionable concept of ‘talent management’ (which so often only considers a small proportion high performing employees) with the more inclusive ‘optimisation of human potential’ of all our employees, because we identified that potential when we recruited them. If we refer to ‘human capital’ as something of value then we must surely want to increase that capital value through nurturing what determines that value.

What is required is a much more holistic and inclusive organisational approach to the managing of an employee’s potential following successful recruitment and not necessarily measured solely by the amount of CPD activity that is offered. It is the valuing of an employee’s potential that will help unlock their talent but it is also about enabling the values which drive them to be aligned with those of the organisation, for it is that which will retain them.