The World Belongs to the Talented … and That Means YOU

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Don & Jay — No Comments ↓

Talent isn’t hierarchical. Everyone has talent and anyone, anytime, anywhere can use proven keys to unlock his or her talent and the talent of others regardless of their position. You don’t have to wait for the perfect opportunity, the perfect boss, or an ideal economy to get your engine firing and moving forward. The perfect moment is now.

Your talent is much more than your strengths. It’s your self-expression—the joyful demonstration of your unique abilities that benefit both you and the world. It is how you use both your own and others strengths and resources to realize meaningful accomplishments.

When we start to think about taking charge of our talent, we often get stuck on “Well, I guess I need to figure out what my talent is first.” This attempt to label our uniqueness immediately limits what is possible, and derails us into worrisome thoughts such as:

“Am I talented?”

“How do my talents compare with others?”

“Who’s going to win and who’s going to lose?”

As we’ve learned from neuroscience and psychology, this pathway of fear robs us of our best and most creative thinking.

While it’s useful to know your strengths, the more important questions are “What are your hopes for your talent?” and “Why are those hopes important to you?” These are the drivers of your talent and career. Or, as Pulitzer prize winning poet Tracy K. Smith commented, “Hope is an idea with an engine.” Your hopes are the engine on your locomotive that provide the direction and motivation fundamental to personal fulfillment and success.

This approach shifts the dynamic in productive ways. For example, it helped Fran, a staff member stymied by roadblocks to become a supervisor, find new possibilities, and get the job she thought was out of reach. It sparked Jesse, whose boredom had him looking for a new job, take the initiative to rejuvenate his career right where he was. Sheila, a senior manager swamped with tasks, discovered how to get her work in balance and contribute more to her organization. These people, and, thousands of others, have created new worlds for themselves. All because they took charge of their talent.

Talent Development

Tagged with: career resources, employee engagement, growth, talent, talent development, Tracy K. Smith
Posted in Overcoming Obstacles, Personal Stories, Uncategorized

Use of Talent = Employee Satisfaction

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Don & Jay — No Comments ↓

A study by Thomas W.H. Ng (University of Hong Kong) and Daniel Feldman (University of Georgia) concludes that, contrary to common beliefs, job tenure is largely unrelated to job performance. A key reason they cite is that, as job tenure increases, employees are likely to become more bored and less motivated at work.

This study seems to confirm the basic thesis of Daniel Pink’s Drive and our own Take Charge of Your Talent: that to gain long term engagement and employee satisfaction, tapping the intrinsic motivation of individuals is far superior to stick and carrot external motivators.

This observation, as important as it may be, still requires at least two critical pieces to become operational:

1. The willingness of an organization to welcome and initiate the cultural shifts necessary to encourage and celebrate intrinsic motivation as a prominent engine of productivity and innovation. This requires loosening the reins of hierarchy to encourage the personal responsibility and controlled chaos that allow for individual contributions to bubble up.

2. A structured approach or model for the fulfillment of this initiative that answers fundamental questions like:

How can I ignite my interests and passion?
How can I sustain that energy in the face of daunting obstacles?
How do my efforts pay off for me and my organization?

In Take Charge of Your Talent, we’ve created an approach that puts talent development into the hands of the talented; a process that asks you to be the hero of your own talent story: a story that begins with great hopes and aspirations, challenges you to accelerate through all manner of obstacles, and to create assets of lasting value.

Clearly our view is that an individual’s ability to fully use their talent has a strong relationship to issues of motivation. In fact our survey results show a close correlation between use of talent and employee satisfaction. We also think it’s important to recognize that this is not only about people who are bored. Even high performers have 30 to 40% of their talent untapped. Thus, there is a win-win opportunity for long-term employees and their organizations to figure out how to unlock that untapped talent.

Photo credit – Scott Crawford

Tagged with: employee engagement, talent, talent development
Posted in Talent in the Workplace, Uncategorized

Is it really time to call it quits? What’s plaguing you will probably follow you.

Posted on June 29, 2013 by Don & Jay — 1 Comment ↓

Many people consider quitting a job because they haven’t figured out how to deal with the situations they face. They feel stymied by a lack of opportunities, frustrations with their bosses, or other problems. While there’s likely some truth in their points of view, often employees haven’t taken charge of their talent. They’ve left assumptions about what can and can’t happen unchecked.

The result? They go to another job and the same problems stick with them because they haven’t figured out how to handle them.

“What can you do?” Find someone to ask you a few key questions.

Examine what your hopes are for your career, why they are important to you, and what obstacles you face. In a structured conversation that you can complete in 45 minutes to an hour in what we call a Talent Catalyst Conversation, you also explore how you’ve successfully dealt with similar situations in the past and what resources and actions you can take to make the current situation better and fulfill your hopes.

Are you running from something or running toward something?

People who are running from something often find that it continues to chase them even in a new job.

Posted in Overcoming Obstacles, Talent in the Workplace, Uncategorized

I Don’t Know! or I Don’t Know?

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Don & Jay — No Comments ↓

The Talent Catalyst Conversation is powered by a series of open-ended questions; questions like “What are your hopes?” “How will you need to grow?“ and “What would be a healthy stretch?” An initial and understandable response to many of the questions is the phrase “I don’t know.”

What interests us is that, even though the words are the same, there’s a world of difference between “I don’t know!” and “I don’t know?”

“I don’t know!” is the response of a fixed mindset. It implies that, not only don’t I know now, it’s something I’ll never know; a question not worth considering. Follow up questions to “I don’t know!” tend to find resistance. “I’ve told you ‘I don’t know,’ now stop bothering me.” It is the end of a conversation rather than a beginning.

On the other hand, “I don’t know?” is the beginning of a conversation. It comes from a growth mindset and implies, “Thank you for asking. Let’s explore some possible answers.” In this context “I don’t know,” is the birthplace of possibility.

For most of us, formal schooling was all about having the right answers. “I don’t know” was a black mark; something to be avoided at all costs. As adults there are still areas where we are expected to “know” the answers to certain questions that are related to our jobs and our roles in society.

It is a critical distinction for us to recognize both the power of knowing some things (certain deadlines, figures related to our job accountabilities, the speed limit) and the power of not knowing when what’s needed are fresh possibilities.

So, we invite you to raise your awareness around the phrase “I don’t know.” It could be a key for you to recognize whether you are keeping yourself in a box or opening up to important discoveries.

Posted in Overcoming Obstacles, Uncategorized

5 Reasons Traditional Talent Development Programs Fall Short

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Don & Jay — No Comments ↓

1. They apply an outmoded, mechanistic view of people and organizations.

The organization-employee relationship has undergone, and continues to undergo, a profound evolutionary and generational shift. Thinking of organizations as machines and people as filling slots in them doesn’t fit with today’s fast-paced innovation economy. Employees at all levels need to take personal initiative and be nimble and creative. Younger generations are accustomed to being more independent and are able and eager to find needed information and create applications.

2. They try to “drive” results from the top down.

The idea of driving behavior as if people were cattle isn’t effective and promotes a culture of dependence. Such strategies focus on what management or the organization is doing to fire up its employees. The reality is that employees have the talent. Workers need a culture that encourages them to discover it and the self-motivation to apply it.

3. They focus on “high-potential” candidates and ignore others.

When talent development comes from the top down, management’s available time and resources limit its scope. As a result, resources focus on “high potentials.” Picking a few winners among a large
workforce creates an “us-them” dynamic, which undermines engagement and diminishes critically-needed contributions from everyone else.

4. They create transactional relationships, which prompt employees to withhold rather than offer their best.

The cash for tasks approach to encouraging employees to apply their talents triggers fearful behavior. In that kind of environment, people are loathe to take risks and often keep knowledge and inventive practices to themselves in order to keep a competitive edge. Everything is a negotiation that no worker wants to lose.

5. High levels of disengagement and unused talent remain.

If traditional approaches were working, we’d see better results. Instead, levels of disengagement remain persistently high. Based upon a Gallup survey of U.S. workers in 2011, 95 million employees are not engaged or actively disengaged. What’s more, even high performers in excellent organizations tell us that 30 to 40 percent of their talent remains untapped. Since people don’t join organizations with the intention of being unhappy or unfulfilled, it’s time for a change.

Posted in Talent in the Workplace, Uncategorized

Solutions for Disengaged Employees

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Don & Jay — 1 Comment ↓

Are you eager to get your employees more engaged in their work?

The Signs of Disengagement

Do you see signs of disengagement in your workplace? If talk around the coffee machine is more about a late-night TV show or latest sports event than about the business, that’s a clue. Another sign is if employees look to the supervisor or manager for direction rather than taking the initiative themselves. Yet other signs are illness and absenteeism. Now, you may say, “But, that’s just typical for most businesses.” True, but as we note on page 7 of “Take Charge of Your Talent,” that’s why the latest Gallup survey results (2011) report 71% of U.S. workers are not engaged in their work or are actively disengaged. Disengagement is truly an epidemic in today’s businesses.

The Causes

What are the causes of disengagement? If people start off eager and enthusiastic, what happens? Disengagement frequently arises from traditional top-down management approaches. The more managers try to “drive” results, the less engaged people feel. Today’s workforce, especially up and coming generations, want to be in charge of their work.

The Solutions

What can employers do? First, recognize that it’s the employees who have the talent. Their self-motivation is critical for engagement and success. While managers can try to rally the troops, the inspiration and commitment needs to come from deep within the employees themselves. How do you unlock such talent and commitment? The first key is to engage employees in talking about their hopes and aspirations for their work and why those are important to them. The second key is to have tools to accelerate through obstacles in achieving their results. This isn’t about the manager taking responsibility for making everything easy for them and giving them the answers. That breeds dependency, which actually worsens disengagement. Rather, it’s helping employees think about the resources and opportunities that they can access to find the answers themselves. Finally, the third key entails employees focusing upon how to turn what they learn and do into concrete career assets for themselves and their organization. When people write up what they learn or create something that they can share with others, they boost their personal brand and provide value to the organization. This stimulates a spirit of shared responsibility, shared opportunity, and shared results. In short, the employees build a take charge talent culture in which everyone can win and engagement thrives.

Posted in Overcoming Obstacles, Talent in the Workplace, Uncategorized

Are you ready for your “second act”?

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Don & Jay — 5 Comments ↓

Pursuing a second career in a different field can be either an opportunity for excitement and fulfillment or a nightmare. Here are three critical actions to succeed. They track the three keys we describe with many examples in the book.

1. Think it through–not just on your own but with someone else.

Left on our own, it’s easy for any of us to get caught up in wishful thinking or debilitating fears — or to vacillate unproductively between the two. Find a friend, coworker, or family member who is willing to listen to you and support your hopes without being judgmental or directive. It’s your talent, and you need to be the one taking charge of it. The latest insights from neuroscience and psychology and decades of experience have shown us that, carefully pursued, this conversation can explore the person’s hopes, identify opportunities, and initiate productive actions. We call it a Talent Catalyst Conversation because in about an hour it stimulates fresh thinking and accelerates action. (See Key #1: Power Up Your Talent Story.)

2. Plan how you will tap the resources and opportunities to pursue your aspirations.

Starting a second career in a different field is like a business making a huge shift into a new market. It takes thoughtful planning and diligent efforts to tap the resources you have and reach out to
others in creative and productive ways. You need what we call a Resource Power Up that expands your resources, makes more complete use of them, and, like fast track software development, creates ”mash ups” to connect them for faster results. When you are ready, take 15 or 20 minutes to prepare your action plan.

In answering a few key questions — what you want to accomplish, why, how, with whom, when, and with what resources and reports to others, you will have an outline that you can share with others and follow to get rolling. (See Key #2: Accelerate Through Obstacles.)

3. Create and test your new “brand” to see how it sells.

Will people perceive and support your new direction? It’s like Tony, an example in the book, who wanted to shift out of a management role in a specialized field where he’d been for decades into a broader general manager role. He had a personal “brand” problem. He needed to rebrand himself from a specialty line manager into a general manager. Tony used the following formula to shift
others’ perceptions and get the job he wanted. Personal brand + proof points = opportunities. We worked this equation backwards with Tony. He wanted general manager opportunities. So, what brand would he need to project in order to support that objective? Instead of Tony the specialty line manager, others would need to see him as Tony the problem solver with abilities that can cover a range of issues. He needed not only to express that brand but also to provide concrete proof points that would support it.

As an example, Tony wrote up a case study of one of the critical problems he led his department to solve. He highlighted how the problem solving approach worked and how others could apply it in different areas. This began to boost Tony’s credibility as a general manager and converted what was in his head into a valuable problem solving asset he brought to his new general manager job. (This is one of the tools in Key #3: Multiply the Payoffs for Yourself and Others.)

Tagged with: career resources, talent, talent development
Posted in Overcoming Obstacles, Personal Stories, Uncategorized

You say you want a resolution

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Don & Jay — No Comments ↓

Broken New Year’s resolutions and failed goals litter the career landscape. Understanding why and using proven keys to unlock talent and opportunities can turn this frustrating situation around.

So, what are the problems with typical resolutions and goals? First, many goals stir fear rather than hope for people. “Will I be successful or will this be another failure?” Neuroscience research shows that a fearful frame of mind shuts down the creative and constructive thinking we need to develop new approaches and sustain our commitments. Second, consciously or unconsciously, people often adopt other people’s expectations of them as their goals rather than pursuing their own aspirations. “My boss really wants me to take that new job.” “My partner thinks I should do more with my talent.” In short, people try to live someone else’s talent story rather than be the hero of their own. As a result, their resolutions and goals lack the sustaining self-motivation for real staying power. Third, obstacles get in the way and people don’t find ways to get around them. “I could have accomplished my resolution or goal, but [I didn't get the resources I needed, my boss didn't support me, or any of a myriad of other impediments].”

Should people give up on setting resolutions and goals? No, they can be successful when they start from a different place with a positive frame of mind and the necessary support to create a solid foundation. How? First, they need to realize that their situations are stories, and they can write the next chapters in them. While the past is set, the future is theirs to design, and they, and only they, can become the heroes of their talent stories. Second, they need to articulate their own hopes and why those are important to them to become clear about what truly motivates them–not someone’s expectations for them. Third, they need people to be catalysts to stimulate fresh thinking and creative solutions. Setting goals is not done best as a solo sport. A colleague, co-worker, friend, or family member can be an effective catalyst. Such a catalyst needs to ask key, open-ended questions (such as “What are your hopes?”), reflect back what the person says, and support the person as he or she takes the initiative to identify desirable actions. Following a carefully-designed conversational script, participants can develop a clear direction and set of desired actions in about an hour.

Achieving real results is about more than setting goals, however. It also includes identifying the inner qualities, resources, and healthy stretches that the person needs to engage for true success and personal fulfillment. Translating personal growth into concrete career assets to share with others builds a take-charge talent culture that multiplies the payoffs for everyone involved.

May 2013 be your best year yet.

Tagged with: personal accomplishment, resistance training, talent, talent development
Posted in Overcoming Obstacles, Resolutions, Talent Exercises, Uncategorized

7 New Year’s Resolutions for Career Success in 2013

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Don & Jay — No Comments ↓

Follow these resolutions to enjoy a fulfilling 2013.

1. I will connect with my deepest hopes. Fears block your best thinking. Your hopes encourage creative, constructive outcomes. Surround yourself with people and objects that remind you of your hopes. Choose your hopes over your fears.

2. I will get my “but” out of my own way. Every time you express your hopes and add a “but” about why you can’t realize them, you drain your own energy and squash possibilities. Every obstacle you encounter is an opportunity to use your talent, not to negate it.

3. I will craft an inspirational story with myself in the lead. When you tell the story of where you are and where you want to be at the end of this year, what character are you playing? Are you a victim, a bystander, or are you the hero. We live by the stories we tell, so tell a good one.

4. I will grab opportunities to grow. Chances are that in order to realize your hopes for the new year you are going to need to learn and grow. Be willing to let go of some things to become more.

5. I will complete the 100 Resource Challenge. All of your accomplishments come through productive use of your resources: the people, places, and things that surround you. Start a master list of the resources you see; add to it daily until you reach 100. No matter limited you may feel, there are many resources you can tap.

6. I will use my resources to the fullest. Make sure you get the most from each of your resources. Learn what your technology can do for you. Tap into the skills you enjoy using. Make big requests of others. People love to contribute. Give them lots of opportunities.

7. I will challenge myself to stretch. Think of what you are comfortable doing and then go a little further. Find that place where excited meets nervous. Stretching increases your vitality and your sense of what’s possible.

Tagged with: growth, personal accomplishment, resolutions, talent, talent development
Posted in Overcoming Obstacles, Resolutions, Talent Exercises, Uncategorized

Take Charge Resource Rules- Resources Rule #2

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Don & Jay — 2 Comments ↓

#2: The resources we don’t have can keep us from seeing the ones we do have.

Bob had been having financial challenges for years. He got into trouble for unpaid taxes and, although he was able to keep an agreement for repayment by borrowing money from friends, things seemed be going from bad to worse. This financial predicament and the fears it created cast a cloud over Bob’s life and work.

A Talent Catalyst Conversation guided Bob to step out of his fears – not ignore them, but rather to see what he really wanted for himself and others. In response to the question, “What are your hopes?” Bob expressed a deep desire to create a powerful mentor/coach program for young people who were having a difficult time moving from childhood to adulthood without getting into trouble.

Fueled by something he could work towards, Bob gave his all to the project. By the end of his third year, he achieved some major results: he could afford an office outside his home and had helped more than a hundred young people and their families. Parents were bringing their kids to see him from hundreds of miles away. He had even started a training program for other youth coaches.

The last time we spoke Bob acknowledged that finances were still a struggle. He found himself in a cycle where there would be one or two good months followed by one or two lean months. He was proud of the work he was doing, but wasn’t sure what he could do to end the cycle of “being on the edge.”

As I often do when I work with people who find themselves stuck, I asked about his resources. He could think of many resources, but in each instance he stated that he couldn’t afford to do anything with them; there just wasn’t the money.

One of the things we spoke about was engaging a public relations firm to help him get newspaper and magazine articles, blog pieces written, TV and radio interviews. He realized that he was ready for that kind of media exposure, and that indeed, it could make all the difference, BUT there just wasn’t the money.

“Are you going to let the resources you don’t have, blind you to the resources you do have?” I asked. “Who do you know that could at least help you have a conversation with a PR person; just to see if they thought they could help you?”

“Now that I think of it, my friend Alice is helping people at a couple of PR firms.”

Amazing! Bob spoke with Alice that same day. She thought it was a great idea and set up an appointment immediately. She even thought it was possible that the PR firm would want to take on the project pro bono because it was such a worthwhile cause.

Alice, as a resource, had been there the entire time, just hidden behind money: the resource that he didn’t have.

Question: What amazing resources do you have that are hiding behind the resources you are sure you don’t have.

Tagged with: employee engagement, resources, talent development
Posted in Overcoming Obstacles, Personal Stories, Support, Uncategorized

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