fine tuning talent - london business school bsr
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Harnessing talent requires focus on theindividual not the organisation. Bernhard Kerres
tunes into the reality of managingexceptional talent.
© Copyright 2013 London Business School
BUSINESS STRATEGY REVIEW 1
Talent and talent management have long beenconsidered important in the world of management.
But mostly talent management has been looked atfrom an organisational perspective rather than
from an individual’s point of view.
BUSINESS STRATEGY REVIEW 2
Contrast this with how talent andtalent management is perceivedin the worlds of music andentertainment. There talentmanagement addresses theindividual, not the organisation.And there are good reasons forthat approach.
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Variations on talentIn music there are three different requirements fornaming someone a real talent. First musicians
need to have technical abilities. Second, they needan incredible musicality. And third, they need a
presence on stage.
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Taking the stageSimilar to musicality, stage presenceis very different from musician tomusician. A musician needs the abilityto communicate to an audience ofseveral hundred and sometimes eventhousands of people.
Technical ability proves itself whenmusicians play the most complexmusic absolutely correctly.Musicality brings music written onwhite paper with black lines to life.It suddenly begins to movelisteners emotionally.
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Back to businessWhat has this to do withmanaging talent in a businesscontext?
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Talented managers and business leaders need to havedeveloped the necessary technical skills as a
prerequisite. In management these can be financialskills, expertise with numbers, understanding of
organisations and individuals, and many other skills.But, to be considered as a talent, these technical skills inthe individual’s field of expertise need to be perfected in
various environments and proven to hold up.
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Musicality in management translates to the applicationof technical skills to a bigger context.
This means that, apart from utilising technical skills,managers need to understand a bigger picture and thecontext in which they apply their technical skills. It
requires even more skills to then simplify the businessplan to make it generally understandable without
missing the important practical and contextual issues.
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Management talent is just as much aboutcommunication as is making music. Managementtalent includes leadership potential. And leadershipwithout communication, without the ability to inspire
others, is not possible.
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What it takesLooking at outstandingly talented musicians, the really top talent
performing as soloists or conductors, we can identify certain personaltraits in their ambition and behaviour.
Their personal value system, making great music is above the loyalty toany organisation or group. Their loyalty only comes when they realise that
the organisation supports their music making. Great musicians aretherefore very often highly-motivated individuals.
Parallels can be made with the changing world of business. Top managerslook for areas where they can apply their talent to the greatest effect andpersonal satisfaction. They are as much driven by great business ideas and
thinking as are musicians by music.
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Talent firstIt is first the talent, then the organisation. The resultsare amazing. Orchestras often have a highly regulatedway of working. Conductors and soloists need to find away to work in that constraining framework.
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Think of your organisation. Can you persuade andenable it to give up traditional patterns ofworking? Could people believe in a vision?
Preparing for a much better performance is muchmore attractive to management talent than a
strictly regulated environment.
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Two stagesI see two importantstages in talentmanagement –a teaching stage and a mentoring stage.
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When thinking of managing talent we have to developnew models of working with them rather than new ways
of integrating them into existing organisations.Similarly we need to create organisations which areattractive for top management to work with and not
necessarily being part of. We need to connect top talentto an organisation but not necessarily imbed them in an
organisation. Only then will talent truly thrive.
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This article was written by Bernard Kerres inBusiness Strategy Review, Volume 24 Issue 21 - 2013
Visit our website www.london.edu/bsr
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