Megan Leasher, Chief Solutions Strategist, Talent Plus.
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I really wanted to call this article “Let’s Put Talent Back In Talent Planning,” but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’m not sure if it was ever truly there, and that makes me sad. Much about talent, succession and internal mobility planning these days is focused on identifying and placing decently qualified people that simultaneously possess the fewest number of defects. Why doesn’t it start from a place of identifying and leveraging each person’s natural talents? Why can’t it be driven by the internal compass of honoring and celebrating the best aspects of each person?
Walk with me for a moment. An organization starts off with an overly simplified, dreaded nine box to place people in fancy-named, relatively useless buckets. Perhaps a company has something more scientific or sophisticated that purports to measure job performance, leadership competencies, potential or some sort of extravagant combination of the three. Then what happens? After this guidance, decisions are still made by human beings, who tend to hone in on candidates who appear to have the fewest, tiniest gaps that are believed to prevent success.
But, you say, “We already talk about success stories in talent planning!” or “We call out strengths when we host calibration sessions!” I get it. You might already incorporate some talent utilization. But let’s dream a little. Actually, let’s dream a lot; big dreams can be scary at first.
When you start from a place of natural talent, you are setting people up for success. You are inviting and expecting people to bring their rock-star selves to the table, a job or an organization. It’s about taking open advantage of the best people have to offer and not wasting time fixing what is deemed broken. Simply, it’s about creating a workplace where people are encouraged to do what they enjoy and are good at.
What would talent planning look like if it centered around the idea of leveraging each individual’s natural talents?
1. You would recognize, value and leverage the gifts people bring. You would place people in roles that matched their talents, celebrating all they have to offer. You would drive talent planning from a place of what people bring each day; not where people lack.
2. You would engage each person’s talents in every development opportunity identified. When people get to do what they are good at and enjoy, they light up inside and out; they are happy and proud, and the compliments flow to them. The joy is contagious. Your workplace culture would likely shift in positivity gains.
3. You would accelerate individual and team development through a strengths-based approach. You would bestow new roles and growth assignments based on alignment with natural talents. Allowing people to do what they are good at and enjoy could fuel a productivity surge. People would be powering through on a full tank of natural talents instead of running on the fumes of being forced to fix flaws.
4. You would lead by example and showcase your own talents. You would view leadership with an individualized approach, as an expression and extension of the strengths each leader has to offer. You would place leaders in the right roles with the right teams with the recipe-perfect mix of complementary talents. You would help leaders transition into new roles with their strengths paving the way.
Talent planning can be rooted in the healthy foundation of what we bring, instead of the sour dirt of shortcomings. Aspirational? Yes. Delectable food for thought? Absolutely.
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