Leadership and talent development: what we can learn from our children about unique employees.
This week my son turned 6. Look at him beaming in the picture! He is already becoming quite a guy. I have named my son more often in my blogs because his developmental journey is far from normal. The question is also to what extent can a child's development be referred to as ‘normal. Every child develops in his own way and goes through certain growth jumps at different times. Yet we tend to put development along a bar and measure it against the average.
We also often measure ourselves against the average with our employees. Or as a manager we set a standard that someone has to meet. If someone scores better, it is a pleasant by-product and if someone stays behind, we have a coaching session if necessary.
Every leader should know that he does not have an average employee.
Just as you take into account your child and his development, in some areas he is behind and in others he may be way ahead, we as leaders must also take into account the development of the people on the team. After all, there is no average employee.
What does help is to visualize what skills my employees have. Within the SalesCenter we use the Sales Colors test to map the qualities and development areas of commercial employees. It is not a yardstick with which to judge someone, but it helps you as a manager to form a picture of the preferred behavior of the sales professional in question.
In addition to the picture you get of someone's preferred behavior, a good scan gives you, as a manager, the opportunity to deploy your employee where they will do best. This increases productivity. Because people who perform tasks that match their skills work more efficiently. The job satisfaction of such a team member will also be higher. He feels more appreciated when there is attention for his talent and development side.
Another thing I learned from my 6-year-old son is his arc of tension. He can very faithfully throw himself into a Lego construction project, for example. But after a few days of hard work on the project his interest wanes. It is not that he does not want to see the result but his brain tells him that it is good to pick up something else, something new and challenging. Over time, he also picks up his construction work just like that.
It is the same way with an employee. We give a task that suits his skills but over time, the grind can come into it too. Variety in work keeps the mind engaged. There is another added benefit to variety in work. Variety helps employees adapt to changes or unexpected situations. In short, it allows for more flexibility. And that, in turn, can come in handy when challenging issues arise in the work field.
So just as my son is not a one size fits all, the same applies to your team members. As a leader, you must be constantly aware of their skills and how you use them in a varied way. Also be aware of their development side. Invest in their growth because by doing so, you increase engagement even more. Leadership and talent development go hand in hand.
Surely leadership is suspiciously similar to raising children. No day is the same no moment is dull. Everyone needs attention. One grows from compliments and likes to be challenged in personal development. Thus, leaders are like parents.
Do you also want to maximize the talents of your team? Read more about our Sales Colors approach and growth in leadership and talent development.
