MSG Team's other articles

9894 The Increasing Popularity of Corporate Wellness Programs and What HR Can Do

Stress Affects All Leading to Reduced Productivity and Loss of Person Hours It is commonplace these days for professionals and workers alike to complain about excessive stress due to their work and due to myriad other personal and professional commitments. Indeed, stress is something that all of us experience on a daily basis. Whether it […]

8920 Stages in the Development and Implementation of a Performance Management System

Performance management is a strategic process and an integrated approach. The process involves an ongoing dialogue between the supervisor and the employee for setting goals which are achievable and contribute in the direction of fulfillment of the organizational goal. The main objective of performance management approach is to proactively manage employee’s performance for accomplishing organizational […]

9118 EQ @ Work: Emotional Intelligence at Work – Why it is Important and How to Apply it

Emotional intelligence and emotional quotient Emotional intelligence is an indispensable skill for people. Emotions impact every aspect of people’s lives, including the workplace. Those with a high level of emotional intelligence can identify the impact of their emotions on themselves and others. One indicator of a high level of emotional intelligence in the workplace is […]

9568 How Automation Can Help the Performance Appraisal Process Become More Efficient

How Automation Leads to Transparency and Accountability in the Appraisal Process It would be an understatement to say that technology would be a game changer for all Human Resource Management (HRM) Processes. By automating the routine tasks and using data analytics as well as big data, HR Managers can ensure that the end to end […]

8768 Personnel Management: Meaning, Nature and its Functions

Personnel management can be defined as obtaining, using and maintaining a satisfied workforce. It is a significant part of management concerned with employees at work and with their relationship within the organization. According to Flippo, “Personnel management is the planning, organizing, compensation, integration and maintainance of people for the purpose of contributing to organizational, individual […]

Search with tags

  • No tags available.

Different Aspects of Talent Management

Not all of us are born geniuses or are child prodigies.

Just as not all sportspersons are not Michael Schumacher or all entrepreneurs are Bill Gates or the Late Steve Jobs, many of us have some innate talents that need to be catalyzed by nurturing, enabling, and empowering thereby making us flourish and prosper in our careers and personal lives.

When talking about talent management at the workplace, it is indeed important that organizations ought to ensure that they identify the high potentials and the rare breed of prodigies, and then mark out those who are steady but gifted who with a little coaching and mentoring can flourish, and then identify those who are followers meaning that they are better off taking orders from others rather than giving them, and finally, those who perform some skills in an outstanding manner but are poor in interpersonal communications and relationships so that they can be placed into roles where technical brilliance is needed.

The Role of the HR Manager

To do all the things mentioned above, an experienced and astute HR (Human Resources) manager is needed in partnership with the line managers and top management so that organizations make best use of their employees.

Indeed, in addition to these requirements, identifying the different categories of performers needs the HR manager as well as the line manager to be insightful about human nature through which they can spot the difference between a born leader, a made leader, and a follower who can turn into a leader based on the circumstances.

This is the reason why many organizations have something called a list of employees identified accordingly and marked as high potentials, steady performers, technically brilliant employees, and followers who take time and patience to flourish.

Identifying Leaders

Some organizations keep this list confidential with only the HR department and the middle and senior management being able to access this whereas other organizations inform the respective employees in an indirect manner that the organization values them and hence, would seek their response on what is needed from the organizations’ side to enable them to make the transition to middle and senior management.

Of course, not many organizations reveal these details unless the employees enter middle management since it can lead to both overconfidence on the part of the high potentials as well as resentment among those who have not been categorized as such.

However, it is indeed the case that such lists exist in each organization irrespective of the sector or the niche it operates since the new economy or the emerging economy places a premium on talent and hence, it is in the interests of the organization to retain the top performers and on the other hand, intimate the poor performers from time to time that they cannot have a free ride and that the organization is not a charity show.

Emotional Intelligence as an Indicator of Leadership Potential

Having said that, it must also be noted that current research in individual and organizational behavior seems to indicate that a better measure of the employees’ worth to the organization is the EQ or the Emotional Intelligence Quotient rather than the other attributes such as IQ (Intelligence Quotient) or flashes of brilliance that most employees exhibit at one time or the other. This is the reason why many contemporary organizations send their employees to leadership training programs where their ability as a leader of people rather than a follower can be gauged so that the organization knows whom to promote and whom to discard in the competitive climb of the corporate ladder.

Moreover, given the fact that the Pyramidal nature of organizational hierarchies means that only a few can reach each higher level and only one can be the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) means that such identification of talent is crucial as well as critical to the success of the organization.

Perils of Promoting Lousy Managers

Further, it is the fact that many employees leave their managers rather than due to the wider organizational ecosystem which means that it is important to have managers who are high on EQ rather than managers who are good only at the technical aspects of the job.

In addition, having lousy managers is a double whammy blow to the organization as it has not only ensured that the employees who are otherwise gifted get wasted and demoralized but also the manager is a liability to the organization since he or she is not an enabler of people or can empower and nurture talent. This is the reason why many organizations in recent years have started to invest time and resources on promoting the employees who are fit for managerial and leadership roles rather than be influenced by experience or technical brilliance.

Talent Management is an Art and a Science

Finally, talent management is also fraught with danger if the exercise to identify and nurture talent leads to some employees feeling neglected and thereby developing resentment.

As research shows, whenever organizations promote a certain employee or a group of employees, it invariably leads to those who have been left out protesting against the same thereby leading to attrition as well as demoralization.

As mentioned earlier, given the Pyramidal nature of the corporate hierarchy, organizations have to be very careful when undertaking these aspects of talent management and hence, a nuanced, subtle, and understated approach is needed when promoting some employees over others.

In conclusion, talent management is both an art and a science and the specific aspect of identifying leaders and potential leaders as well as marking others as followers is a task that is fraught with risk and at the same time, yields rewards to the organization if done skillfully.

Article Written by

MSG Team

An insightful writer passionate about sharing expertise, trends, and tips, dedicated to inspiring and informing readers through engaging and thoughtful content.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

Current Trends in Talent Management

MSG Team

Achieving Competitive Advantage through Talent Management

MSG Team

Benefits of Talent Management

MSG Team