Talents are sought out by businesses far and wide and there’s a good reason for that. These people can make businesses bloom when given a free hack at creativity and resources.
Funnily enough, no one can explain how to define talent.
Different people have different definitions, so let’s try to clarify this a bit.
Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman have a good pattern; in their book “First, Break All the Rules,” they classify models thusly: skills, knowledge and talents.
“Skills” refer to the how-to of the role, while “knowledge” equals qualifications, and “talents” imply “recurring patterns of thought, feeling and behavior.”
Basically, talents are graced with a set of soft skills not everyone possesses or can learn. In a way, “talent” is synonymous with “soft skills”… but only in a way.
Some of the must-have skills a talent possesses include innovation, decision-making, adaptability, conflict resolution, the ability to manage others, stellar communication skills, and execution, to name a few.
Innovation is the first skill to look for in a candidate as this creative treat can’t be learned by people with fixed mindsets no matter what couches and the like may tell you to the contrary.
Obviously, talents are rather particular individuals and it is only to be expected that they wouldn’t easily accept just any role; they need to be motivated indeed.
Let’s see how to that and a bit beyond: just attracting talents won’t get a business very far if it doesn’t know how to keep them!
The first tip is: look for people with expertise in startups.
As a rule, startups employ specific types of employees, and “employee” isn’t the right term either. As many businesses have managed to realize, start-ups basically function as families composed of individuals with a similar vision. These individuals have their own ideas on how to go about things and they complement each other in creative ways.
Hence look for people with this kind of mindset. And once you find them, it’s crucial to development a talent management system to keep them. But, let’s explore more!
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Be Flexible With Your Business Model
Next on, you’ll need to ensure a business environment where talents can thrive. The first step is to offer a flexible work model, optimally more models to choose from.
Think in terms of adventurers in Nigeria or people working abroad in South Korea, and you’ll get the idea.
These are the usual six hybrid work models to choose from:
- Partially remote work, with flexible office space – no permanent offices; rented flex space used for periodic collaboration (but not connectivity)
- Almost entirely on premises – limited remote work, large office space the majority of managers and workers
- Partially remote work, multiple hubs – multiple offices with the workforce dispersed among them
- Partially remote work, large office space – the majority of managers and workers spend most, but not all, of their time at the office
- Almost entirely off premises – mostly remote work with no office space
- Multiple microhubs – management and employees are dispersed across small microhubs located in different cities (or countries, depending on the scope of your business operations)
Finally, don’t forget to offer flexible contracts and payment options, too, as talents are resourceful as they go and likely run a business on their own terms already.
Help Your Team Success With Regular Upskilling
Here’s an innovative tip: invest in a corporate university!
A corporate university is an educational institution within a corporation. It focuses on development and learning, in line with a business’ particular aims. Common topics include the delivery of company-specific management training and leadership development with the focus being on dealing with ever-changing markets.
Corporate universities may take two forms: physical and online.
Offer Tech That Makes Everyday Tasks Easier
Provide new tech… how many times have you heard this already?
Too many, we should venture but that’s because this tip can hardly be bypassed. Team management tools, project management apps, online communication… you know the mantra.
However, since there are too many tools available, the obvious choices often get overlooked.
Have you thought of straightforward time-tracking software? Apps of this type are crucial for businesses offering hybrid work models, so look them up!
Last but not least, keep an eye on trends and no, we’re not referring to Skype, Asana, and similar apps. What we mean is —actual deployment and best practices.
To illustrate, the current trends recommend:
- IoT for asset management
- Cloud-based software for remote work
- Artificial intelligence for business automation
- Inventory management software for supply chains
This list is by no means definite and you should brainstorm ideas and look for the types of tools specific to your trade.
Have a Top-Tier Management Team
Proper management practices are crucial for long-term success. Every business knows this but what they usually miss is that new times call for new approaches.
There’s no way remote teams can be managed in the same way office workers can, right?
Hence, don’t disregard important trends in operations management.
Some ideas include:
- Automating repetitive and time-consuming processes
- Connecting your frontline workforce
- Streamlining communication tools and technology
- Improving shift scheduling
- Investing in automation and AI, where applicable
- Streamlining workflows
- Sharing knowledge across teams
Is there more?
To be sure. Talents are a mysterious category and come in many guises. That, however, doesn’t change the fact that improving work conditions and communication will go to waste even if you fail to enroll a talent or two initially.
