First written published July 2016 by Ian Cormack
This is about talent - yours . Its also one reason why 50% of the fortune 500 of the year 2000 no longer exists.
I'm a Org psych with 32 years experience as a CHRO, CEO and Commercial Director with mostly blue chip Companies. I've been scouring for talent for all that time. Many of the people I have hired have gone on to have stellar careers.
I spoke to a young person a couple of years ago and said "there is something special about you". There was, and I was simply noting it. Some had seen it, many had missed it. I have seen that before on several occasions.
One time I was hired by Campbell's Soup (Arnott's) and for the first time my boss was younger than me. It took me a few weeks but eventually I told him "we have met before". I tried to recruit him 15 years earlier when he was late 20's - to Lion Nathan but it did not happen (money and family relocation). I was not surprised that he was CEO of one of Australia's biggest Companies before he was 40.
So how do you sense talent (because you don't "spot" it). I should say from the start that it is assumed that they work hard and are quite smart (IQ 110-135 ideal). When I run leadership programs and I ask put up your hand if anyone has told you you seem to "work hard" or are "quite bright" - ALL the hands always go up. These are table stakes. You have to have the discipline, drive, focus, even ambition, and you need to be able to deal in the abstract and conceptual (IE: They are ALL "strategic" so stop putting that on your resume - we can tell in 20 seconds after you open your mouth). Note that too much IQ is a problem, especially in the CEO.
So here is my list of things that differentiate unique talent and its not really in an order ... and I'm sure not exhaustive.
1. They are LEARNERS. They have a go. They take risks. Its not the winning its the playing. They reflect and think about what happened. They are not driven by fear but by interest and possibility. They change jobs for learning. Often this means they end up with multiple functions, industries, geographies, and challenges (start-ups, own business, big business). They can figure out a new situation quicker than most people. They are curious and ask good questions. They accept that failure happens so they wont make you the 'fall girl' for a bad number.
2. They are TEAM and PEOPLE FIRST. They know the Company is an ecosystem of relationships and interactions. They can talk to the janitor or their boss' boss. They understand that there are mixes of motivators but people are individuals. They listen, speak in a way that you want to listen, and most of all build trust and can be trusted. They have your back but require you to face the front and yourself. They want you to own your own work and behaviour, to learn and be accountable. They are empathy, they are not sympathy - if this is not your place, they will help you move to somewhere more appropriate. They hate politics but are savvy. When they fire people it is for behaviour not policy. They are about team and they are are great at assembling and building teams which means they make 'people time' a priority as much as task time. They are values driven, know right and wrong, don't walk past stuff. They are solid on the inside and softer on the outside - these people are tough and warm. Ask them about their family or who they were at the age of 10. These people care. They may have come from wealth but often didn't.
3. They have the 3 executive "life skills" as I call them even if these are not yet polished - COACHING, facilitating and presenting. They leverage themselves by turning those around them into little "repeater stations". They are great at these things. Some of them have learned it and some its natural because of their interpersonal qualities. After a while the employee's know that this is genuine and authentic not just practiced and will follow them forever. When you have a 1:1 with these people they ask: "what can I do more or less of to help you achieve and succeed".
4. They use their intuition but always check that the NUMBERS support this. They are often quite numerate. They use their CFO and HRD well when they get senior. They know things need to be checked against facts.
5. They have made sacrifices for their career. They have DISCIPLINE. They wear responsibility well. They keep calm.
6. There is an absence of BAD BEHAVIOUR - politics/competitiveness, blaming, losing control, power centricity, avoiding, bullying, manipulation, and anything driven by fear or hubris or doubt.
7. They are about YOU because they know that that will make the team and themselves successful. You feel that they are truly "in the conversation". They have your back. Performance reviews are just inspiring discussions. Your career is an important topic.
8. They have PERSPECTIVE. I had a great boss once who said ... "Ian, we sell soft drinks - its OK". As long as people try hard and are well intentioned there are allowances. The numbers do not always reflect the pure truth of us, our quality or our effort or the market dynamics (My rule is YOU own 50% of the problem and WE own the other half - so promise me you will try really hard to fix your half). The understand why abstract ideas like talent, leadership, engagement, culture, work-life balance and diversity are important business issues. That's why HR people should choose their boss well. The best CEO's have more EQ than IQ but have plenty of IQ at level 2 and particularly at level 3. For these folk - WINNING and SUCCESS are related but different.
9. You can spot them very young. Something has given them a MATURITY beyond their years. Yet they are often very funny.
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