Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Talent Management II
After Jeff's comment on the last post, it occurs to me we should differentiate between task management, people management, and talent management. Task management is MBO-stuff (management by objective) and a very useful thing. People management is about ensuring people are focused and effective (hopefully with a good attitude). Talent management would be an effort to develop and adequately deploy talent, whether it be on an individual basis, or across a group of people. This isn't touchy-feely - and not everyone should be on American Idol (though they all seem to try). I'm suggesting we make an effort to inventory people's talents and figure out how best to deploy them. This would likely increase productivity and growth. At worst, engagement levels and retention rates would improve.
Have you ever worked with someone who is really talented and knows it? The prima donna types stand out (and we despise them) but there are many talented people who are down-to-earth. We see it in the opportunities taken - or passed by. Jobs that don't utilize their skills effectively aren't acceptable. In a talent-short economy, more people will behave this way. I'm surprised more don't already. Instead, most of us rationalize our underemployment and double our efforts to focus on jobs that have become exercises in repitition. They test our self-motivating skills, not our talents. We should teach classes in college on how to motivate yourself through a boring job (a truly useful skill). For those majoring in business, perhaps a minor in Rationalizing is in order. This focus would be justification of short-changing yourself across a career of chronic under-employment.
To borrow Maslow's heirarchy for a moment, once your need for cash, benefits, vacation, and status have been met, it's the challenge that counts. The use of your time becomes the highest need, and jobs not addressing it aren't worthwhile. Why? Because it isn't an appropriate use of your talent. It doesn't stretch, nurture, or teach something new. You think the competition for talent is going to heat up? Do you think you're adequately challenging your people? Are you?
As we age, it becomes clearer that our working lives are finite. Many of us have achieved some goals by mid-life, only to wish we'd set them higher. With half the game over, we aren't interested in short-changing ourselves for the sake of a mere paycheck, or worse, an ignorant task-focused manager.
Have you ever worked with someone who is really talented and knows it? The prima donna types stand out (and we despise them) but there are many talented people who are down-to-earth. We see it in the opportunities taken - or passed by. Jobs that don't utilize their skills effectively aren't acceptable. In a talent-short economy, more people will behave this way. I'm surprised more don't already. Instead, most of us rationalize our underemployment and double our efforts to focus on jobs that have become exercises in repitition. They test our self-motivating skills, not our talents. We should teach classes in college on how to motivate yourself through a boring job (a truly useful skill). For those majoring in business, perhaps a minor in Rationalizing is in order. This focus would be justification of short-changing yourself across a career of chronic under-employment.
To borrow Maslow's heirarchy for a moment, once your need for cash, benefits, vacation, and status have been met, it's the challenge that counts. The use of your time becomes the highest need, and jobs not addressing it aren't worthwhile. Why? Because it isn't an appropriate use of your talent. It doesn't stretch, nurture, or teach something new. You think the competition for talent is going to heat up? Do you think you're adequately challenging your people? Are you?
As we age, it becomes clearer that our working lives are finite. Many of us have achieved some goals by mid-life, only to wish we'd set them higher. With half the game over, we aren't interested in short-changing ourselves for the sake of a mere paycheck, or worse, an ignorant task-focused manager.
