Talents, Strengths and Strategy
When employing a new team member companies will often look for talents and skills that are missing in their current team. It is well known that while we want to have people with exceptional talents and skills, in order for the team to work well, we need to have a well rounded balanced team.
Being clear on the company strategy and direction is essential if a business wants to hire the right people to enable the company to achieve their goals. A well-thought-out strategy will be made up of individual department strategies, e.g. sales; marketing, operations, finance and of course HR. HR strategy needs to look at all other departments to see what they've committed to achieving, what their current resources are and what additional resources might be required in order to achieve the goals they have committed to reaching. Hiring people requires many considerations from culture fit to the attitude of the person, to their ability to actually do the job.
Many strategies are used to identify if somebody has the skills that they say they do. These include reference checks, doing 1 to 2 days on the job with the team, through to doing various psychometric and technical testing skills set tests. How do you currently ascertain if somebody is going to be the right person for your business? Gut feeling is one way of doing it - and while not scientifically proven it is certainly something I think needs to be considered. Whatever your approach, you are more likely to deliver reliable results if you take a balanced approach using a combination and variety of methodologies as this often helps to limit the amount of times one makes a mistake.
Something to be aware of when looking to recruit is the difference between talent and strength. Having a talent is the starting point. Knowing how to use the talent well (i.e. Your talent being a strength) is one of the key criteria for an ideal team member. A talent is the natural ability to be able to do something, almost innately and without having to think. For example using your natural writing hand requires little thought when you pick up a pen to jot down some notes. Talents need skill and knowledge to be developed to the point where they are a natural strength. Compare the difference between a 5 year old playing soccer and a professional - one might have natural talent but the other has honed this talent into a desirable and valuable skill. Sometimes we refer to talents being raw or mature. Raw talent needs work to develop to the point we would call it a strength. When looking for new team members and/or developing your team it pays to be clear if you need a team member with key strengths from the outset, or if you will develop raw talent to become a strength. Be aware raw talent can come with a degree of immaturity so ensure you buddy up less experienced team members with mentors and buddies to help them develop in line with brand principles and promises.
Skilled team players who align with a company's mission, values and vision are a force to be reckoned with. Build your team wisely and deliberately because it is your people that will help you get where you are going!
