Link between talent and value

Do you know where the best people in your company are to gain maximum value and growth for your business?

Getting the best people into the most important roles does not happen by chance; it requires a disciplined look at where the organization really creates value and how top talent contributes.

Disconnects such as this between talent and value are risky business — and regrettably common. Gaining a true understanding of who your top talent is and what your most critical roles are is a challenging task. Executives often use hierarchy, relationships, or intuition to make these determinations.

They assume (incorrectly, as we will explain) that the most critical roles are always within the “top team” rather than three, or even four, layers below the top. In fact, critical positions and critical people can be found throughout an organization.

This quote has been taken courtesy of the McKinsey Quarterly April 2018 and authored by Michael Barriere, Miriam Owens and Sarah Pobereskin.

This is a message for all levels of management and supervisors of staff. Do you know where your talent lies in your team – which member or members would make your life harder if they left your group? Do you understand how each member of the team adds value or otherwise is critical to the overall performance of your organisation?

Isn’t it time you took notice of where the gems are? Do you know how to find them? The answer is not so simple – for some it is just being observant and ensuring you know the people working with you, listening to them and their peers, observing their efforts and results. For others it is a matter of having very formal review processes, including peer reviews linked into values based organisation charts. No matter how you get the answer it is important to understand the strengths and weaknesses in the members within your team – and keep in mind that the weakness may be you. Take the time to listen to and observe your team at work and sometimes at play, it will help you understand where the potential value lies

If you want to gain the maximum value and growth potential for your company and grow your team’s effectiveness you need to understand the talent within your company or group. Look for the leaders and nurture them, don’t lose them because you just did not know their value and potential.