“Every employee has talents, but not every employee is a talent.”
Sandra Hoeylaerts, Talent Director at Huntsman
Sandra Hoeylaerts, Talent Director at Huntsman
This statement rises the question on how we define ‘talent’.
Yes, everyone HAS talents, let’s call them ‘strengths’.
No, not everyone IS a talent, being someone who shows the will & skills to grow vertically to more complex positions in the organization.
We also call these employees ‘high potentials’ or ‘future leaders’. While they represent only 5 to 7% of the employee population, they do have a significant impact on the output.
We are convinced that these future leaders or high potentials need a development approach customized to their specific needs.
We recommend you to read the inspiring article: “Delusions of employee development”, written by Marc Effron on 6 changes that are needed for realistic employee development:
1. Radically reduce expectations: Set one development goal
2. Differentiate your investment: Develop a talent philosophy and communicate it broadly
3. Let managers set development goals for their direct reports
4. Double-down on experiences: create experience maps
5. Create development plans in talent reviews
2. Differentiate your investment: Develop a talent philosophy and communicate it broadly
3. Let managers set development goals for their direct reports
4. Double-down on experiences: create experience maps
5. Create development plans in talent reviews
6. Make managers accountable for development