Talent identification and its impact on culture. In this episode Judith Germain speaks to Kristin Lytle about talent identification and its impact on organisational culture.
Key Takeaways
- Self-awareness and self-regulation are critical skills for leaders to have. Leaders who can recognise when they are discombobulated and take a moment to re-center themselves before interacting with others have a huge impact.
- Succession planning is still valuable but needs to focus more on developing talent pools rather than detailed individual plans, due to the speed of change today.
- Trust is built when employees feel they can predict what an organisation will do – keeping commitments to develop and grow employees builds trust.
- Catch people doing things right and help them see their own talents, don’t just focus on the gaps.
Topics:
Self-Awareness and Self-Regulation
Kristin shared the metaphor of the “recombobulation zone” at the Milwaukee airport – a place to regain your balance after the stress of airport security. They compared this to the need for leaders to recognises when they are discombobulated and take time to recenter before interacting with others, so as not to spread their frustration. Self-awareness and self-regulation are critical for leaders to minimise the variability of their moods and build trust.
Succession Planning
Judith questioned whether detailed long-term succession planning still makes sense given the speed of change today. Kristin suggested focusing on developing talent pools rather than detailed plans – giving the organisation options without over-committing to specifics. Some development, like training for required credentials, are “no fail” investments since those skills will be needed.
Building Trust
Kristin shared that her husband defined trust as being able to predict what someone will do. Employees trust leaders and organisations that keep their commitments to develop and grow people. When trust is low, employees take actions like having multiple jobs to self-insure.
Developing Talent
It’s important to catch people doing things right and help them see their own talents, rather than just focusing on gaps. Leaders often paint themselves positively and forget they had help along the way.
In this conversation Kristin explains that identifying talent is just the first step – leaders must support and invest in identified talent, even through mistakes, otherwise potential goes wasted. Judith agreed large companies often narrowly define roles instead of developing diverse potential.
They agree that an organisation’s culture reflects the behaviours it rewards – if problematic actions are tolerated, that sets the standard. Predictability and trust come from following through on commitments.
Kristin Lytle is the CEO of Leaders Edge. She is on a mission to help companies and individuals unlock the full potential of their talent.
Maverick leadership is all about thinking outside the box and challenging the status quo. It’s about having the courage to take risks and the confidence to lead in a way that is authentic and genuine.
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Kristin Lytle can be found on LinkedIn here. Her website is here.
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