How many times have hiring managers been blown away by the resumes and interviews of talented candidates only to be surprised a year or two later when the individual is clearly not reaching their potential?
We recently read an interesting article on this topic. The article introduced us to the science of human potential, which explains why talent does not guarantee top performance. There’s a difference between what talented employees can do and what they normally do. This is called competence, and it’s about much more than talent – it includes a person’s emotional makeup, preferences and disposition.
What can you do to ensure that your talented employees remain competent? We recommend asking yourself the following questions.
Are we matching candidates to the correct roles?
The first thing you need to do to help unlock the potential of talented employees is to make sure that the employee is actually a good fit – for the role and your company.
Detailed and realistic job descriptions are key. So are honest reviews on websites like Glassdoor. It’s also a good idea to give your top candidates the opportunity to meet with another talented individual who is a top performer at your organization. This will help you (and the candidate) work out if they share important traits that make people successful in your organization and whether they would fit into your culture.
Are we providing the right environment for talented employees to flourish?
When you are reasonably sure that your new employee is a good fit for their role, you can help them greatly by ensuring that they are able to successfully connect with their peers, communicate with leadership, and navigate office politics.
Scheduling regular social networking opportunities, assigning a mentor, offering the chance to learn various soft skills, and giving them a mechanism for providing feedback on their manager are some of the things you can do to help talented employees reach their full potential.
When an employee is doing their best work, they’re more likely to be a positive influence on others and to remain a loyal employee.
Talent is not enough
Of course, you should hire talented employees, but it’s important to know that talent is not enough. The talent needs to be the right fit, and it needs to be nurtured in the right environment.
vi’s talent management software modules are designed to help you nurture talent. Learn more here or follow the link below for a quick demo.