Got Talent?

Spotting the talent and potential in others is a great skill to develop and work on.  Sometimes the person you notice with the potential hasn't yet spotted it themselves - so you identifying that talent can be a confidence booster for that person.

Here are a few strategies to employ/things to consider when thinking about someone with skills.

1. Promote slowly.  Let the talent take their time and develop their skills in their own time.  If the person is older chances they will have the maturity to handle such a move.  However younger or people will less experience may be overwhelmed by the dizzying heights.  Time will allow maturity and life lessons to sink in.  Managers, like fine wine, need time to mature.
2. Provide mentors.  Provide your talent with experienced managers who will provide training and a sounding board for your talent.  No one person has all the answers and it is important that your talent be given the time and opportunity to interact with others giving your talent the chance to formulate a well rounded philosophy and style of management that is unique to them self.
3. Praise publicly.  Managers are people too.  Giving praise in public and backing up your managers no matter what (in public) will raise their self esteem as well as give them confidence.  If they muck up - so what.  Reflect, change and move on.  I like what Bob Sutton wrote on this subject in his blog post about caring bosses.

Oh yeah - one more thing.  Let your talent pick a fight or two.  Like kids you need to allow them to learn to defend themselves when attacked and establish their own methodologies.  That isn't to say you let them take a beating, but you don't wrap them in cotton wool every time there's something going down.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/funky64/4096134002/)

Building Credibility - Growing Others

One of the keys to long term stability and sustainability is for an organisation to be growing leaders and future managers.  Where do those talented individuals come from?  Often times talented managers are in your department and are in your team already.  The key is being able to spot the talent, challenge them and ultimately release them to show their skill.  

1. Identify talent.  Who in your team has more skills that can be developed?  Is your team members boredom a sign that need a bigger challenge?  Talented individuals are usually the ones who a) have the skill and ability to complete small tasks quickly and effectively, b) are able to get others on side and motivate them to complete their tasks as well and c) think they can do your job better than you can.
2. Take a risk.  Allow your developing managers to lead projects and to stretch their wings.  This is risky for both the existing leader and the aspiring leader.  Both parties need to assess what size project is appropriate and then get to work.
3. Praise and reward.  This is true of every employee but especially so for the aspiring manager.  If they make a mistake - so what?  If they do well - excellent.  One thing to be weary of is being hard or harsh towards someone who is giving it a go.  Review the final outcomes and then  give praise for the good things they have accomplished.  Then find another project or assignment and start the growing cycle again.

Let your up and coming stars stretch their wings, learn from their mistakes and ultimately replace you.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornveek-markkstyrn/4531874943/)

Job Management - It's all in the way you market yourself

Traditional job seeking websites list positions that are put their by employers looking for the right kind of person.  This process involves -

• Having a position to offer;
• Knowing what you are looking for before you advertise;
• Having no idea who is going to apply or what the quality of applicant may be;
• Then spending hours and hours looking through and vetting CV's and reumes that were a complete waste of time.

What alternatives are there?

1. Hire people on short term contracts.  Make an initial contract no more than three months in length and watch how the person goes.  Are they a a fit?  Are they who you thought they would be?  Does their skills match their CV?  If not, you still have an opt out option.  This is fairer on them and you as well.  And if the person fits the organisation they already know the job and can continue on at full speed.
2. Use social media to source people.  Find someone who knows someone who has the skills you are looking for and find out before you hire where they are at.  This is also a great way to pick up people who may currently be overseas and are returning soon but don't want to commit in to big a way upon their return.
3. http://www.greensky.co.nz/  This website reverses the standard 'looking for employment' process.  Employers can browse over the CV's and resumes of potential employees and can pre-decide who looks like a great fit for the company.  It is also a great wat to see peoples CVs and work historys in advance.  This kind of self advertisement also takes a bit of nouse and ago which are probably both skills that your organusation needs.

Try it.  It works.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jfgallery/3537124962/)

Management Brands

Whats your brand?  And how do you define one?  HBR has a great post on this exact subject matter.

Human Capital Management

PeopleStreme.com have made this awesome video and posted it onto You Tube.  I have put it here and will add my contribution further down the page.

What value do you place on your work?  What value is placed on you?  Do you rate yourself or not?

Conversely - What value do you place on others work?  What value do you place on others?  How do you measure that value and is that measure relevant or accurate?

Here are a few facts of life as far as organisation's go -

• Size matters.  The bigger the organisation the less they know about you.  What happens is the more layers in an organisation the more removed you will be from the central services.
• Front Line Managers matter! The relationship between you and your direct manager is always the most important relationship you will have.  This is true if you are the cleaner all the way through to if you are a Director of the Board.  You must work with your boss!
• The HR Department matters!  Admitted in most organisations the only time you most people will interact with HR is when they are hired or if they are fired.  But it doesn't have to be that way!  Go out of yur way to meet the staff and make sure they remember who you are (for the right reasons of course).  It pays to make friends and keep them for as long as you can.
• The skills and abilities of your staff matter!  Update them!  Watch your staff.  Learn from them.  Be open to having your staff tell you where they think what sklls they need to work on and develop.  If you disagree you can help steer them in a better direction.  Create an audit or questionaire to work through at appraisal time to help lead and guide your discussions about where peoples skills are at.
• Coaching matters!  The best time to coach someone is when they are reflecting and considering their performance.  If your manager doesn'tdo this for you - tell them or look for another manager.

PunkRockHR posted a great piece on employee engagement a few days ago which ties in nicely with this post.  Head over there and check it out - WARNING: it will provoke a response.

People who are paid to do work will do a better job when they feel valued, understood and have the freedom to do what they have to in a way that makes sense to them (while adding value to the organisation).

Success - Defined

What is success and how can you measure it? This really short 3 and a half minute presentation will give you some fantastic ideas.

Watch the video - you'll experience the greatest impact within the shortest 3 and a half minutes of your life.

Beware - Too Much Knowledge

Having a star performer employee is great. Having two or more is fantastic!

What you need to watch out for though is sometime's the knowledge of the business can be held by only one or two people.

So what happen's when those people go or holiday? Does the business come to a standstill?

Be careful not to let too much knowledge be stored up in particular invdividuals. rather work as much as you can to ensure the knowledge is spread around.

Just in case.

Talent - what do you do with it?

Every employee you have and person you know has a particular talent and tons of potential. The key is to figure out - what is that talent and how do you make the most of it?

Talented people generally are on the move (either upwards or sideways) and think they know where they are going. What you need as a manager to do is to provide a balance between untried ambition and actual skill. Provide a balance between new challenges and the development of new skills as well as the refinement and strengthening of current skills. Getting the balance between the two is hard - but the results are also very rewarding both for your business and the person concerned.

The other idea is to make every employee a CEO of something. Make them completely responsible for an idea or project. Give them a budget, authority and the right amount of support to make it happen.

Talented employees also need feedback and reflection time. The reviewing of KPI's and goals is a powerful motivator. Keep the KPI's short and aggressive. By doing this you, the manager, keeps close to the talent and you can gauge their growth. Where growth is quick - you can set higher targets and more complex problems. Where growth is slower - this provides a good time for both you and the talent to catch a breather before proceeding.

Note - not all talent is under 30! Some of the most talented people you have are over 30, settled into their jobs and are quite possibly bored. the mission is to identify them, lure them out of their secure place and unleash their hidden skills on the world!