So you are talented, but is talent enough?

The modern Human Resources Manager is consistently on the lookout for talent to serve as a competitive advantage for his organization. On the recruitment and selection of a talent it bothers on the managers to ensure that the skills and gifts of the selected staff are used maximally to achieve the organizations goals and objectives: Thus the phrase: Talent Management.

Achieving an organization's goals and objectives should be more of a guarantee, not big talk! The knowledge skill and ability of the people concerned should breed confidence. The key question rings large in the minds of HRMs and line managers: Who can do the job?

Success versus Talent

Talent is not enough. Management analysts note that there is little correlation between man’s effectiveness, intelligence, talent, imagination and knowledge. The questions therefore arise: what does it take to succeed and where does talent fit? There are three perspectives:

1 Everyone has talent! People may have equal value but not necessarily equal giftedness. Some People have multiple talents. Most people have fewer abilities. All of us can do something well. Someone is always capable of doing something better than as many as the next 10,000 people. What is your strength zone? Find it and use it. In the organization that job of finding the strenght zone is the  HRMs

2. Develop the talent you have. Why do people spend more time trying to strengthen their weaknesses in skills development? Why not spend more time strengthening your strengths? (Apart from attitude and character which need to be worked on always) technical abilities can always improve if we put our minds and practice to it! Lawyers, doctors, speakers, teachers, musicians and fighters can always improve their performance level with practice, additional training and additional skills acquisition. Multiple award winning football recently said "   "I have kept growing off the field and on it. I am improving and adding things to my game, every day I enjoy being a footballer more" There is always an upper level we can make and meet if we work towards it. Again from the organizational perspective the HRM and his training associates have to draw up programmes that help strenghten these areas. 

3. Everyone can make choices that add value to talent. Apart from natural talent, key choices you make will set you apart from others.  Choose, for instance, to associate with people in your area of specialty who can influence you to do better. Choose to consistently think of ways in which your performance level can be improved. Focus and concentration is required in some professional callings, deep thinking and speedy analysis is required in others. What is your requisition? Find it and apply it.

So if we marry improving talent with the right attitude and skills we should be on our way to getting the best performance available in our area of operation. The competitive edge is coming as much from people as from products. The optimum use of peoples’ individual competencies is in order to match the organizational goals
If you are in top management you need to develop yourself. If you have top managers in your organization, do not leave thier development to chance. Engage them! There are some key areas in which top managers need to be developed consistently in major organizations:
New attitudes and behaviors that would promote culture change. \
We live in a changing world. Organizations are consitently in the flux over change. The work environment, climate, markets and customers are consistently changing and so we have to prepare our managers to change to suit conditions and demands.
Styles of empowerment and innovation are also changing drastically. Top managers are giving more authority and power for decisionmaking activity and they are being schooled in methods in which they can innovate and introduce new methods and approaches into their work activity on a regular basis.
New markets are opening up for different products on a regular basis. Sometimes it takes a different level of expertise to spot or identify new markets. A lot of the new markets in today's world are either hidden, esoteric or difficult to penetrate. specialized training is in order to enable managers to look in odd and unexpected places and understand new trends.
Managers are also in  need of knowledge that would help them maximize the use of technology.

Nigeria portends a big market for all manner of products and services. Some of this demand for services is readily recognizable, where as the other demands need to be subtly enticed out of the would be consumer.