23 Feb Talent For Organizations
What Does Talent Look Like?
Christopher Hart here with Transforming Lives Coaching and Consulting here from beautiful sunny Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. So we’re continuing our Lead Strong series of how to teach leaders… or how to teach people to be better leaders both in their organizations, their businesses, their lives, their families et cetera.
So we talked about talent, like what does talent look like, and we shared with you a talent code that I buy into, it’s my talent code, and I’m not saying I own it, I’m just saying it’s what I use to evaluate talent. Because like I mentioned yesterday I believe if you ask a hundred people you’re going to get 300 different answers, so it’s almost kind of like what is talent really, it just become subjective to people. So if it’s subjective how it’s subjective to me is by evaluating through my talent code. So I shared that yesterday, my talent code is T equals I plus S – talent equals intellect plus skill, and in the intellect it’s about evaluating people’s ability to participate in, contribute and understand high-level conversations. And all that’s well and good but if you have intellect without skill then I don’t believe you’re talent, I just think you’re intellectual.
The skill piece is when someone has the ability plus action and then results and then achievement, so they have to have the ability to do the job then they actually do the job, they show up and do it and in doing it they get results and that results translates into some sort of achievement in their life. So that element, that collective element or meeting up with the intellect I believe tells me that someone is the quote/unquote “talent” that we speak of.
So when we use that talent code we use it to basically evaluate people through the recruiting and selection process to help us move our organizations along so that we’re hiring the right people not just hiring any people, because one of the one of the most common elements of leadership… because think about if you’re consider yourself a leader, you’re leading other people and I think the biggest struggle both psychologically and physically for people that are leaders is their ability to align with those people that are just going to do what they’re supposed to do and not feel like you have to babysit them and push them along. So when we look at growing our organization we want to grow it on talent.
But Chris how do I attract this talent to my organization?
I think the number one question I receive from many people that I coach and consult is why would that person join my organization? Well here’s what I believe, in order to attract talent you have to be talent, it’s in line with that be-do-have. Who do I need to be in order to do the things I need to do so I can have what I want to have? So if you want to have talent in your organization you need to be talent, and in order to be talent you need to do what talented people do.
Talented people execute in the areas that they’re supposed to execute in order to get the results; doing it consistently in order to get the results that translates into achievement, and oh by the way be able to have a conversation of a higher intellect, because if a talented person has intellect and you cannot engage with them and that in a high level conversation then you yourself aren’t a talent. And that’s where people are going to struggle is that if you yourself aren’t a talent then you’re not going to be able to attract talent. And even if you can they’re not going to stay long in your organization.
So you know that’s a self assessment process, you’re going to have to self assess whether you believe you’re able to engage and conduct high level conversations as well as possess the capability, the execution, the results, and achievement that people are going to want to attract to you. Because if you are that person then believe you me there’s no question whether or not other talented people want to join you, here’s why, because talented people understand that individually we all have a ceiling of achievement. Look I don’t care how great you are or how great you think you are, you have a ceiling of achievement. There’s only so much time in a day, there’s only so much one individual can do, it then becomes a matter of how do I break through that ceiling of achievement. And yeah you can sit there and say “Well I can bring on systems… I can bring on tools… I can bring on a fish and sea to be more effective.” Yeah we can talk about all that but eventually there’s still going to be a ceiling and how you raise that ceiling in order to create exponential achievement or success in your life is by aligning with other talented people and it’s under the mindset of interdependence.
See there’s three types of mindsets in business.
There’s the dependent mindset; there’s the independent mindset; and the interdependent mindset. The dependent mindset is typically your employee, and a lot of times that’s really what people are hiring is “Hey I need you… I need this job… I need this paycheck… I’m dependent dependent dependent.” And don’t get me wrong, that’s not bad, there’s going to be some roles in most people’s organization where you need dependent people; but here’s the problem, you don’t grow an organization on dependency, you grow an organization on interdependency. I’m going to speak about that in a minute.
And so I understand where a lot of leaders show up because their ego tends to get in the way is that they grow organizations on dependency, they like the fact that they’re needed and they’re wanted and it’s more of like a control element. So just be careful, understand what roles that you need the dependency mindset and understand what roles that you need interdependency. So if you’re going to hire someone that’s going to lead a division, maybe like a buyer division, if you have a dependent mindset person in that role, no bueno. That’s a role that you want an interdependent mindset.
But then again if you have maybe like a showing assistant or… I don’t know, maybe just an assistant, like I don’t want to say low-level assistant, but someone that’s just doing basic administrative tasks, that’s clearly a dependent mindset role that it’s okay to hire dependency.
The next one is …or excuse me, independent. Independent is “I don’t need anyone to succeed.” Many of us leaders actually show up in that independent right, like “Hey I’m not going to go work for someone else…”
What I’m saying is that’s where many people show up, it’s like “I don’t need someone. I can do it myself.” And that’s good, don’t get me wrong, the problem is if you stay there that’s where the ceilings of achievement tend to happen, and that’s where other talented people tend to hang out too because a lot of people just don’t understand the interdependent mindset, and as leaders that’s our job in the attraction process, the recruit and selection process, whatever you’re going to call it, it’s how you’re going to attract talent to your organization is helping those talented people move from interdependent, “You know what, absolutely, you don’t need me to succeed. Matter of fact your results show me that you’re an independent achiever.”
Here’s the problem, in independent achieving there’s that ceiling, like I said doesn’t matter who you are, how great you are, how many systems, models, tools, blah blah blah blah blah, you need other talented people. And so it’s that elevation, it’s that transcendence into interdependence where in the interdependence mindset it’s “Look I’m an achiever, you’re an achiever, we’re both independently able to achieve at a high level. But what would it look like if your talents skills and resources and my talents skills and resources actually joined together, we look at each other that I don’t need you, you don’t need me, but together we can partner, we can come together in a business relationship, an organizational relationship and our success, our achievement, can be exponential? Why? Because we basically use each other’s talents, not in a usage negative way but in a very positive way that you and I together, what we can bring together we exponentially increase that ceiling of achievement, and as long as we have that, as long as we have that then yes, together we can achieve so much more.” And that’s where the actual team acronym comes in together everyone achieves more.
You start looking for people that are talented and then you have the high level conversation, the intellect, the I of interdependence versus independence, that’s where you can actually start to influence those talented people to join your organization. But it all starts with you being that talent first.
So what does that look like?
So how many times have we tried to reach out to the quote/unquote “talented” or the skilled people and try and attract them to our organization and they go “Chris why would I join your organization?” Let’s hit the pause button. Understand something, right then and there that person is revealing to you, “I operate in independent psychology.” And there’s nothing wrong with that, that’s actually good because now what you’re doing is you’re actually creating an opportunity that can work for you in your benefit because now you get the chance to have that high level conversation with them to shift their psychology, their perspective. Change the way you look at things and the way you look at things change right, so help them change the way they look at their future, “Yes you’re absolutely right, why should you join my team? You are an independent achiever but here’s the problem, you’re going to have a ceiling of achievement and I believe my organization and what I provide as well as what I can bring to the table can exponentially increase our ability to succeed together. This is not about me using you for my success or vice versa, this is about you and I coming together and leveraging one another so that we can elevate together because that’s when we become a team, we’re together, everyone achieves more.”
So there’s two elements that I believe can jump to that.
Whenever you’re growing an organization, yeah you can sit there and talk about independent versus interdependence and dependency and all that sort of stuff, but how do you actually live it out? How do you actually…how does your organization create the value proposition of interdependency? Well I believe it’s really two simple things and I believe any organization if they implement these two very simple components then you can attract everyone and anyone that you need to attract in your business.
The first one is leverage. Why? Because like we said, every individual person is going to have a ceiling of achievement. How do we break through that ceiling? We break through ceilings of achievement via leverage, people, systems, tools. And then the next thing is great leadership, you see we live in a world today that’s defunct of leadership, don’t believe me? Turn on the television, actually you don’t even have to turn on the television, go on social media. Defunct in leadership at the highest levels and at the lowest levels. We’re seeing it in our government, we’re seeing it in businesses, like how many times have you had a problem with a business and you say “Let me talk to the manager… let me talk to your supervisor,” and you look to them and you’re like “Really? This how you’re running your business?” Defunct leadership.
Single parent homes. This world there’s way too many single moms raising children today. Defunct leadership. So it’s not to get social or political, it’s to understand that we live in a world today where leadership is so defunct it’s problematic, and if you can provide that element to people, because remember at the end of the day we’re still talking about people, if you can provide that element to people there’s a value proposition as well as an organization that’s sound in systems, models, and tools, so when someone says “Chris why should I join your organization?” I’m going to say “I’m so glad you asked that question…”
Here’s the thing, I’m going to have a conversation about independent versus interdependence and then from there I’m going to say “How we live that out is that it’s two things, my organization and my leadership. See my organization is sound, effective, and efficient in systems, models, and tools that are going to help you break through those ceilings of achievement; and my leadership along the way.”
So when you say we all need accountability that’s where our leadership shows up. We help them plan, we help them stay in alignment, we hold them accountable, account for their abilities, skill set and mindset, alignment, pace. This is how we attract talented people. When we first know what talent looks like, first we become that talent, we know what it looks like, we reach out to them, we have those conversations with them and we wait for those opportunities for when they say “Chris why should I join your organization? Cal why should I join your organization? Chris why should I join your organization? Jeana why should I join your organization?”
You go, “I’m so glad you asked me that question.” See I believe that’s where most of us fear the conversation with talented people is when they say “Why should I join your organization?” My friends that’s why, okay.
Okay, so simple test, or simple steps to take moving from this live video. One, evaluate, are you talent? I believe many of you are, those that are on this video you’re talent, you know you are. I think some of us just really need to believe that we’re talent, and just understand, if you have the ability to participate in high level conversations there’s half the battle right there. Skill set, you have the capability, I’m sure you do, we all have God-given capabilities. God gave us everything we need to achieve, it’s just a matter of putting it into play, doing it consistently and purposefully in order to get the results and allow that to translate into achievement. Boom! You do that and you’re talent. Now go out and have conversations with other talented people who are doing the same, look for those opportunities for them to say “Hey why should I join your organization?”
So hey hopefully this brings some value to your businesses, your organizations, your lives, for that matter. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me, Chris@transforminglivescoaching.com. I’d love to hear what your ah-ha’s were in the comments, otherwise just remember one thing, you’re a child of God and God loves you, so do I.
Have a blessed rest of your day. Take care.
About the author:
Over the course of 8 years, Christopher Hart went from an enlisted Private First Class to a Commissioned Officer-Captain. In 2005, Christopher chose to move on from his military career to focus on starting a family and embarking in the world of entrepreneurship. Christopher’s passion is now working to help others be the BEST version of themselves and helping them Lead others to the same!
To learn more about Christopher Hart or to get in touch with him regarding a coaching program you can email him at Chris@TransformingLivesCoaching.com
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