Is it time to look at your Talent differently?

We all  know about managing Talent don't we?...and we manage it very well, thanks for asking.

No need to dwell on this point...

We look after our High Potentials, we talk about them, (at least once a year) we put them into blank spaces on 9 box grids and debate at length their likelihood to take their less popular boss's job ... and  occasionally, we even promote them.

Big personalities and profiles matched to bigger roles.

All good here thanks, Move along.

Ok if you are pushing, yes, some of them do eventually leave us..and in exit interviews they politely talk about "the need to take their next step" but we wish them well, because they worked hard for us didn't they?..and you simply can't hold them back can you? ..it's ok to let them move on, right?

..and then we go to market and spend top dollar trying to find their pale shadow, and the wheel turns and we start the process again...

C'est la vie. That's Talent Management for you

...Or is it?

I'm not so sure.

What is a bit strange is that in the splash of any high potential leaving, our organisations can sometimes experience a smaller but much more significent ripple as we start to lose some of our "slightly less talented ones", you know the sort...those individuals that don't quite live so much in our corporate limelight, fabulous people who worked hard and delivered much with the HiPo's but who didn't quite get to dance in front of the higher executive members or boards.

These are the ones that wrote the reports, who actually got much of the hard stuff done, the stuff the Hipo's perhaps presented, our Cinderellas, our hidden ones, our hidden talent.

These are the guys who when the vacancy opens up...can be 'career crushed' when we overlook them to recruit the next external Prince Charming.

  Maybe, just maybe, we have got this all wrong...what do you think? Ready to talk?

Let's talk.

Lets start with a simple question ...what does Talent mean to you?

I ask as there appear to be so many definitions out there, many from high profile academics and Guru's who quickly emerse and seduce us with pseudo scientific topics from emotional intelligence, visionary thinking to the very latest fad concepts like RDC 'Results Driven Charisma'  - you've heard of this one? 

I hope not....I just made it up...but you take my point ....talent, like beauty...can just be in the eye of the beholder, and it's fickle assessment can often prove as objectively valid as a teenager's crush on the latest Pop star - passionate, blind but ultimately unsatisfying.

I think we need more than this. Humour me.

I read a survey report in the Financial Times, not long ago that stated what we have all known for years, that 99% of an interview is spent looking for 'confirmation bias' to validate that initial 10 second impression we had when he/she walked through the door.

What if our traditional talent assessment is equally laden with such 'Confirmation bias'.

As we race to validate (and re-validate) as 'Talent'  the confident ones, the stars in our business who manage meetings well, who play savvy corporate politics, the sound byte Kings and Queens, experts at managing upwards, but possibly less so with those that follow them. Which is perhaps why the usual names can bounce around those top right boxes and are discussed at length, before we build their ego, promote them or indeed lose them.

So how do we look beyond the sparkle and find the real gems of talent, beyond the fools gold?

Let me try and throw something at you...

How's  your maths?

Don't panic!...mine's not great either, so trust me - this won't be too tough...

Talent, whether its bright, shiny and currently sparkling under the microscope of HR,  or that hidden gem, yet unearthed, can be simply tested, considered , and cheished ...just through some basic mathematical thinking.

True Talent Management  is a simple equation... 

The Talent Equation :

 Talent =          Performance + Potential (– Interference)

                    ___________________________________

                              Individual Aspiration

Ok , STOP......you're  having flash backs now to that 7th grade maths class now aren't you?...but don't .....its not that tough algebra again, relax, trust me ..we'll step through it together... I will even leave out the numbers for you.

Talent  =      Performance   +               (–                   )

                 ___________________________________

Talented people Perform highly in their current role - not necessarily high profile positions - so focus here on those who consistently hit or surpass their objectives.

• They are Impactful - their contribution makes a difference regularly to our business  - things happen directly from their efforts. When we have problems, they are normally our "go-to" people. Their colleagues want them on their project teams.
• They simply require Exposure now to Leadership team environment to show their ability

Quick Question 1:  When was the last time you provided an exposure opportunity for senior leadership to see some of your un sung hero's?

If you can't recall one  - try offering  up a small part of your upcoming leadership team agenda to a key topic that provide moments for wider talent pool to shine.

The energy effect of such exposure will ripple through your organisation. Just watch. It will be talked about in the coffee breaks, at the water cooler and in the corridors, about how Cinderella did go to the ball.

 Talent    =            +   Potential           (–                   )

                   ___________________________________

• People with high Potential have the capacity to rise quickly in an organisation (usually 2 levels +)
• They are technically skilled, learn quickly, they are agile and often adapt very well to the new 
• They are usually more influential and productive than their peers in similar roles - this is less about how loud they are, but more about content...and just how many colleagues actually listen to their opinions.

Quick Question 2  : So, do you have development opportunities to test your talents adaptability to perform outside of their usual responsibility area?

Smart people can do lots of smart things, given a chance, try creating opportunities for them to contribute to something off-piste where their learning agility can be honed and they can offer new thinking and perspective. A new take on a problem can often take a problem away.

Talent  =              +                  (– Interference)

                  ___________________________________

• Talented people respond very well to clarity of purpose, trust and challenge
• Talent responds very negatively to micro management or unnecessary interference
• Suffocating leadership behaviour will lead to loss of Talent from the organisation

Quick Question 3 : Do you know if your talent is being over-managed or not?

If you don't know - just look at your leaders 360 personal feedback / and engagement survey feedback from the floor - do people feel empowered? No 360 or Engagement process in place?...ok, well just go and ask them!

Talent    =                  +                   (–                     )

                 ______________________________________

                               Individual Aspiration

• Aspiration is the single most significant factor in determining Talent Management success
• Talented people often have clear aspirations & plans for their future
• Companies often have aspirations & plans for their talented people
• These plans just need to be talked through & aligned to avoid wasted time, energy & investment.
• Unaligned plans accelerate talent loss.

Quick Question 4:  When did you last check on the personal aspirations of your most talented people?

If you don't currently know, that's ok, just build the discussion into your mid year review process...or (you guessed it)...go and ask them! They will learn you care, you will learn their plans, a good trade, I would suggest.

If we are uncovering deep seated ambition in coffee fuelled exit interviews, I am sorry, but it's clear we should have done better here.

So... The Talent Equation:

T    =      Performance + Potential (– Interference)

           ___________________________________

                     Individual Aspiration

Its really that simple.

For those that really love maths, feel free to score (and/or weight) each element of the Talent Equation for your internal assessment purposes, that's fine - but if you do please always keep Aspiration as the determining variant.

Remember whilst its your Talent process...its their talent and their career.

I hope you stayed with me.

If you do have a moment - please me offer a thought or two on this article,  and how you create opportunities for the talent in your world to shine  - we will all appreciate and learn from your experiences. .