Talent Management Monthly Brief: See Through Talent from Different Angles X May. 2016

“Hiring the right person to the right position at the right time,” is the mantra of many forward-thinking organizations.

People are always the most invaluable asset in businesses. “Hiring the right person to the right position at the right time,” is the mantra of many forward-thinking organizations. The question is how would you define the right people? How do you define wrong, average, mediocre, good, great or extraordinary person? Or put simply, for what should they be right? Traditional Performance Management focusing on measuring what an employee does (mainly being told to do) in a quantitative way is not sufficient to identify high performance or high potential, should we see through talent from different angles?

 

See Through Talent from Different Angles

• Three Questions to Assess a Person’s Agility:   Agility is related many things such as adaptability, flexibility, changeability, robustness, sensitivity, comprehensiveness, speed, responsiveness, etc. Either at the business level or from the individual perspective, agility is the multidimensional competencies to adapt to changes, formulate creative or unconventional alternatives or solutions to resolve problems, to show versatility and flexibility in response to unpredictable or unanticipated circumstances. It’s a crucial ability to thrive in today’s “VUCA” normality. Which questions should you ask to assess an individual’s agility?

• Three Questions to Assess a Person’s Vision: Vision is about having a positive outlook on the future that is not predicated on the past or present. The vision needs to be a good metaphor - 'the guiding light,' so that people can see themselves and their work reflected in it. It is through identifying the "destination" for all, charting the route for all from their own respective positions toward the destination, and then guiding along the way when some for a time deviate or supporting the ones who are lagging behind. There is also a passionate connection to a vision. When a vision is realized, people live with change. Which questions should you ask to assess a person’s vision?

• Three Questions to Assess a Person’s “Out-of-Box” Thinking Ability Every mind has a certain box, some smaller, some bigger. The box starts set-up at a very early age, by your surroundings, the media you followed, the books you read, the education you received, the people you interacted with and the standards by which you lived. The "boxes" are the walls in your mind. Walls in your mind are constructed by the society's conditioning and rules imposed by influencers. However, the box keeps changing, in today's competitive environment, what was outside the box yesterday, may not be such today. Our thinking has to continuously evolve, adapt, and prepare for change. Which questions should you ask to assess a person’s “Out-of-box” thinking ability?

• Three Questions to Assess a Person's Courage: Many people cannot get out of ‘comfort zone” due to fears or doubt, or to put simply, lack of courage. Fear has always been one of the major obstacles to change--fear of failure, fear of loss of control, etc. Fear can paralyze an individual to do nothing or become manipulated mentality to spur negative emotions. Fear will drive you away from your personal goals, your ambitions, your standards, and norms. Likewise, fear can paralyze a company to maintaining status quo, refusing to adapt to change. It turns to become such counter-productive behavior when the contribution of others offers the potential to add so much value. To achieve success, either at the individual or organizational level, it is necessary to have “enthusiasm,” and courage, based on the inner strength that is able to increase the quality of the individual and collective performance. So which questions should you ask to assess a person’s courage?

• Three Questions to Assess a Person’s Humility The humility comes from being humble and admitting that you don't have all of the answers. Getting on the level of those being led and really listening to understand the circumstances profoundly. Be confident to ask, be curious to learn more and be inclusive to understand other’s PoVs. Cultivate great listening skills with equivalent questions. Be polite, charm, patience, and tolerance for people in conversation and collaboration. It is a crucial quality for today's digital leaders and professionals because overwhelming information and unprecedented uncertainty. Which questions should you ask to assess a person’s humility?

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