Managing Gifted People

Working With Brilliant but Challenging Team Members

Sophie runs a publicity team in a small company. She has noticed that one of her newer recruits, Rhodri, isn't fitting in with his colleagues. He stands out as "different," and keeps to himself. Whenever he's obliged to work in a group, tempers fray.

Just as Sophie is deciding whether to let Rhodri go, he masterminds a hugely successful publicity campaign. Four months later, he delivers another project that leaves the competition trailing.

Sophie no longer has any doubts about Rhodri's extraordinary talent, but he continues to be a challenge to manage. Fortunately, she recognizes that he is "gifted," and she starts thinking about how she can develop his unique strengths, and help him to work more effectively with his team mates.

In this article, we look at how to identify gifted team members, and we explore six strategies for bringing out the best in them.

How to Identify Gifted People

The immediate problem with using the term "gifted" is that, beyond its use in education, there's no hard and fast definition of it in relation to adults in the workplace.

In the U.S., The National Society for the Gifted and Talented uses the Department of Education's definition of giftedness, which describes "children and youth with outstanding talent who perform or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment."

That provides a good starting point for defining giftedness in the workplace, but it can be approached in a number of ways. For example, having an extraordinary intellect or an IQ score of at least 140 are commonly accepted indicators of giftedness. It's also possible to describe giftedness in physiological terms, as having a brain that can absorb and process information unusually quickly and efficiently.

In the workplace, gifted people are seen as the visionaries, innovators and problem solvers who get to the heart of complex issues. But there's more to giftedness than high intellect and brain power. For example, boxer Muhammad Ali was considered "gifted" in his field but, on IQ scores alone, he wouldn't qualify. As he famously said, "I said I was 'The Greatest.' I never said I was the smartest!"

In her 1999 book, "The Gifted Adult," psychologist Mary-Elaine Jacobsen identified three traits of gifted people:

• Intensity: gifted people are extraordinarily focused, empathic and enterprising.
• Complexity: they can quickly digest and analyze huge amounts of information.
• Drive: they are highly inquisitive, motivated and committed.

And in his Theory of Positive Disintegration, psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski claimed that gifted people displayed certain characteristics or behaviors. For example, he said that they tend to be intensely perceptive, use visualization  techniques to achieve their goals, and can be nonconformist and independently minded . They can quickly go off in unexpected new directions when inspiration strikes.

However, gifted people can present challenges for a manager. They can be very emotional  and sensitive, and prefer to work alone  rather than as part of a group. This can lead to resentment and conflict  with other team members. They can feel lonely, depressed and misunderstood, and may be socially awkward.

Six Strategies for Managing Gifted People

The key to establishing a good working relationship with a gifted team member is to create a mutually beneficial management strategy – one that makes the best use of his or her ability, and makes him or her feel challenged and engaged. This is what leadership experts Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones call being "a benevolent guardian, rather than a traditional boss."

Note:

While it's important to understand and support gifted team members, remember to treat all of your people fairly to avoid any accusations of preferential treatment. And they must be made aware of what is acceptable behavior , and what level of performance you expect from them.

Here are six steps to help you to become that benevolent guardian:

1. Acknowledge Giftedness

By acknowledging her giftedness, and encouraging her to acknowledge it, you can bring her/his talents to the fore. You can help her to feel fulfilled and to be proactive in managing his/her own talents .

2. Tackle the Pitfalls of Giftedness

Your gifted team member may be bullied  by people who don't understand him, or he may intimidate people who can't keep up with him. You can help him to see how other people might perceive his behavior as critical, condescending or arrogant.

Encourage him to engage with colleagues using small talk , and offer him coaching on how to be a team player . He could work on improving his communication skills  to listen, to respond, and to question better, and not to "talk down" to people, for example.

Help him to manage distractions and workloads, as gifted people can be prone to experiencing stress and burnout .

3. Set Challenging Tasks and Projects

Give her tasks that are stretching, interesting and challenging. Gifted people tend to have low boredom thresholds, so she is unlikely to enjoy or engage with routine or repetitive jobs. Assign tasks that play to and develop her strengths. Get her to perform a Personal SWOT Analysis  to better understand her strengths.

4. Allow Autonomy

Give him time and space for researching and thinking. Gifted people don't like to feel confined by rules or by structured, micromanaged  environments. So, as far as his role permits, give him some freedom and room for spontaneity, and to explore his own ideas.

However, you may still need to set some boundaries to ensure that he is accountable  for his work and that he meets his objectives.

5. Create a Supportive Environment

If possible, make some simple changes to the workplace that can benefit her, without inconveniencing other team members. Gifted people work best without distractions , so try to provide a quiet workspace, or allow her/his to work with headphones on.

Gifted people typically hold themselves to high standards and can have a real fear of failure . Reassure her/him that failure is part of life, and not a punishable offense. Explain that how she/he responds to failure is important, and that it is something to learn from and move forward.

6. Be a Strong, Empathic Manager

Some managers can feel intimidated or threatened by star performers on their team. They may feel that these team members' excellence can undermine their own position, and their insecurities may cause them to inadvertently sabotage  their own careers.

So it can pay to develop your own self-confidence  and build and project your own strengths and abilities, as gifted people tend to respect and engage with expertise and accomplishment far more than with hierarchy and authority.

As well as helping your gifted team member to achieve his full potential , it's also crucial to be an empathic  manager. Be prepared to adapt your management style  when you deal with him/her. For example, instead of throwing up your arms in exasperation when you see melodramatic behavior, try to help him to recognize the warning signs of an emotional outburst so that he can respond more calmly.

Key Points

"Giftedness" is defined in various ways. Intellectual ability is central to some definitions, but the term is more often used to describe those whose extraordinary capabilities far exceed most people's.

Gifted people can bring exceptional amounts of value to a workplace, but their giftedness can also create problems. It can inspire fear, suspicion and dislike in others, and gifted people themselves often suffer from depression and loneliness.

It's crucial to find the right strategy for managing gifted people. For them to flourish, they need an approach that allows them to work autonomously, challenges and stimulates them, and offers a supportive environment.