We Do Think Highly of Ourselves
Do you believe that you are among the top performers in your office? You’re not alone. According to a survey in Business Week magazine, 90 per cent of managers think they’re among the top ten per cent of performers in their workplace. The number is highest amongst senior executives, with 97 per cent considering them selves shining stars. The non-scientific survey of 2000 managers does not take into account that perhaps only top performing managers read their magazine, but you still have to wonder about how can such a large number think they are all the cream of the crop? I wonder how they would respond if we asked them if they were above average drivers on the road as well? In our non-scientific survey at HiringSmart seminars we found that 75 per cent of the workshop participants believe they are above average drivers. Maybe only good drivers come to HiringSmart workshops. It may all be in the definition of what is good or what do we define as talent on the job.
REDIFINING TALENT
Much has been written about “Winning The Talent Wars”, “Managing Talent” and “Finding Your Talents”. There are as many definitions to describe what talent is as there are books about the subject. For our purpose here we will define talent as those people that embody the core values of your organization’s brand, vision and values. True talent in your organization is your brand to your customers and your workers, to everyone. Talent when managed properly does not leave, it attracts others like them. Birds of a feather do stick together. Talent attracts talent.
Sports teams have people who spend every day on the job evaluating talent. Talent Scouts look for talented prospects in the minor leagues while coaches and analysts track every statistic possible. A team of people tape every practice and game for the sole purpose of understanding talent and potential talent. They then interview the player’s coaches, teachers/mentors, parents and others to determine the character of the individual. The ability to play the game is one thing, representing your self and the team, demonstrating fit with the core values of their brand, mission and vision makes the total package labelled a talent. A true talent is always a top performer, but a top performer may not always be a true talent. It all comes down to what you measure and how they fit. In sales a top performer may not get the business the way that the organization wants it secured. They may ignore the core values of the brand, mission and vision in exchange for instant results. The results look good in the “win” column, but the other players are looking to get out if they have to play with this person much longer. Where will that leave the team in the long term?
Sports teams know where the talent gaps are in their organizations & have a General Managers who are responsible for finding talent and integrating it into the team. They don’t limit themselves to what they have. They don’t wait till the end of the season. They certainly don’t wait for the player to retire. They look over the field and go after the ones they want.
Do you evaluate your organization’s talent like a sports team? Do you recruit like a sports team? How clearly defined are the core values of your brand, mission and vision? How are those core values incorporated into the evaluation of talent in the hiring process?
Are you having problems attracting talent? In baseball, the talent wants to play with talent. Consider the New York Yankees: who wouldn’t want to play for the Yankees, a team that is competitive every year and has won more championships than any sports team in any sport? The Yankees have a brand, a mission and a vision. Wearing the pinstripes of the Yankees means something and attracts talent and talent enjoys playing with others who share the same core values.
What is your team’s goal? Win a championship or finish and go home?
What characteristics separates your talented people from the others in your organization?
Here is my action plan to find out:
1. Profile the individuals that best represent the core values of your brand, mission and vision. Think of these people as your “core competents”.
2. Profile your middle group.
3. Finally, examine some of the people that are the furthest from representing the core values of your brand, mission and vision. We will call them your “core incompetents”.
What characteristics are different among these three groups? In each business where we use this process, we find different combinations of important characteristics. This explains why someone can be a marginal player on one team, then move to another team, fit in better, and have a career season.
A Note About Training
What about training in your organization? Sports teams spend more time training than they do playing the game. Sometimes a player is sent to a farm team in the system for future coaching and development. Sports teams recognize that it’s a good investment to spend dollars on training raw talent if he or she has the right attitudes and characteristics to fit in with the future team.
Have you ever noticed that the top players are not the coaches?
Phil Jackson, coach of the Chicago Bulls (eight championships in 12 years), had it figured out. Phil understood his players better than they knew themselves. He knew the “whole person,” and he knew each player needed to be coached on individual terms. After the championship season of 2001, Jackson was quoted as having said, “coaching is winning people over.” He understood winning them over, one player at a time.
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