Talent Acquisition Needs a New Name. Please.

Can we please rename this special and vital business function? Please? People possess infinite potential and are far more valuable than simply the work they are competent in doing day-one.

Let’s break this down.

The dictionary defines “Talent” as natural aptitude and skill. This can also be called competency.

And the word “Acquisition” is defined as an asset or object?bought or attained.

So then why not call the process Competency Buying? Here’s why – because in no way would all the right people come running. In fact, they would run the opposite direction.

We are talking about a person – the most amazing creature on the planet; not an asset or an object, a person. A human being. And like it or not, that talent/competency is embedded in a multi-dimensional being that is immensely more valuable than what they can do on day-one.

Sure, we want a person to contribute value to the team, organization, and customers as soon as possible. But what they do day-one doesn’t hold a candle to what they can do in the future IF THEY ARE TREAT AS, AND FEEL WHOLLY VALUABLE day-one and beyond.

Perhaps we use the label “Talent” because it’s friendlier and more flattering than resource or employee. These words have been commonplace in corporate America over the past 75 years and seem to be a nod toward Level 1 Exploitative Authoritative, and Level 2 Benevolent Authoritative as identified in Likert’s System of Management .

The word “Talent” kindly denotes possessing an ability to generate and contribute value and leans more toward Level 3 Consultative and Level 4 Participative sentiment. But the word “Talent” still seems to relate to the word competency, and what a person can readily do. This word doesn’t learn toward who they innately are and all their yet-to-be-discovered possibilities for greatness in them, aka their potential.

The most effective lens is the whole-person concept of mind, body, heart, and spirit. And what people want and expect today is quite straightforward: To be a valued member of a winning team doing meaning work in an environment of trust.

See others this way and treat others this way and they are greatly inclined to move heaven and Earth to help their teams win; and will discover their own parallel growth path along the way. Now this is how to attract the right people and build the best teams.

If we want to attract, retain, and unleash A-players then let’s improve on our words and practices. But perhaps the best starting place is to enhance our entire paradigm about people.