What works in talent management
Gallup’s James Harter and Randall Beck have just posted a fascinating article titled, “New Research: How Four Talent Practices Add Up to Big Revenue Gains.” They analyzed the bottom line effect of four talent management practices “previously revealed to be valuable” to quantify their impact and whether they worked better together. There’s a lot of good stuff in the article.
Most important for leadership development
All four of the practices can boost your bottom line, but one is especially important for leadership development. Here it is in the author’s own words.
“If you do nothing else: select managers with natural talent. Let’s start with the strategy linked to the greatest impact on revenues per employee: the practice of selecting and deploying managers based on their true talent for managing people.”
The question is: “How do you do that?” There are a lot of instruments available that can help, but I’ve found you can spot than ten percent of individual contributors who can develop into effective leaders. There are three things to look for. They show up in everyday work life.
Look for a willingness to decide.
Managers are often the “default decider” for their team. People who can’t or won’t make a decision will find the job stressful and unrewarding.
Look for a willingness to confront others about performance or behavior
That’s part of the job, too. Managers who can’t or won’t do this will put off important, but difficult, conversations. That has a negative effect on team performance and morale.
Look for people who like to help others succeed
Great bosses like helping others succeed. That’s a good thing, because the leader’s job is helping the team and the team members succeed and grow.
Leadership development works better with talented people
Your leadership development program will be the most effective if you start with people who bring a natural aptitude. The good news is that they’re easy to spot.
