They are able to build high performing organizations at the same
time as they are able to develop the next generation of top talent. What is
it they do to get high performance that the rest of us miss?
That is what we set out to discover.
After
two decades in the field of management consulting and leadership development,
here is what we have come to understand and appreciate. Great managers are
self-confident and authentic; they are creative and willing to take risks;
they are competitive but always act with integrity. These are their personal
traits. What makes them truly remarkable, however, is that they are extremely
successful at nurturing top talent along the way.
The truly great managers follow these practices when it comes to attracting,
selecting and grooming talent for high performance:
- Great managers hire only the best and the
brightest, not necessarily the most qualified. High
performers are noted for their ability to learn, adjust and create
innovative new solutions to problems. They consistently show flexibility
when things go awry and have the intelligence and discipline to
prioritize and focus on what really matters most. Great managers are
able to consistently identify employees with unusual gifts and are
willing to take a chance on putting them in positions of merit even if
they lack the more "typical" experience and credentials.
- Great managers modify the job to suit the special
gifts of high performers. Great
managers feel free to change job descriptions and roles to squarely fit
the specific talents and desires of their high performers. This goes
counter to the conventional wisdom of never changing a company "for
the people." But smart leaders and coaches know that their
"A" players will contribute far more if given an assignment
that takes advantage of their strengths than if forced to work within
the constraints of what the job is "supposed" to be. By
playing to strengths, great leaders accelerate performance and create
loyal employee advocates willing to give more discretionary
effort.
- Great managers value the quality of talent rather
than the stability of talent. Great
managers understand that high performers thrive best when working at a
fast pace with other high performers in a way that provides new
challenges in the areas that they love. They also understand that top talent
often moves on to take advantage of outside promotions and
opportunities. Great leaders don't try to impede the progress of their
protégés. Instead, similar to college sport's coaches who must recruit
new talent each year as their players graduate, great managers focus on
what is best for their people (internally or externally) while
constantly looking for fresh new talent.
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