Stephen Blakesley

What would be the value of finding future superior performers, earlier in their careers?

Many top performing organizations, 47 % of those survey by Aberdeen Group recently, believe it has great value. Our own research leads us to believe that superior performers are seven times more productive than average.

Interestingly enough, we have found many future stars lurking among the average. The have the talent to be a top performer but for some reason or in some way they have gotten derailed, become discouraged and disengaged. I know, it is a sad story. But, there is hope.

I have found that most people with talent want to use it, and if given the chance, they will.  Here is a strategy that is working while you are reading this article, and if you are still with me, the real value is yet to come. Our findings are: if you gather a group of average performers and give them real hope that you are going to give them tools to leverage their talent and become all they can, about 20 percent will make significant moves toward higher performance to make that effort worth the time and money.

Many talented people, simply do not know how to apply their talent, and given an opportunity to do so, many will race toward the opportunity. Here is a simple, but effective plan to help talented people get better, faster.

• Help them discover their talent and/or strengths
• Define Superior Performance, for them.
• Show them how they can leverage their talent to perform in a superior way
• Touch them regularly with focused encouragement and accountability
• Measure their results and share with them.

Help Them Discover Their Talents

Most organizations now utilize some form of assessment to help them hire good people. Some of those assessments are good and some are not. As an owner/manager it really is your job to know the talents of those you hire and make sure they know them as well. Do your homework and pick a good psychometric assessment to evaluate potential before you hire.

Define Superior Performance

Superior performance means different things to different people. Make sure your people understand what superior performance means in your organization or department.

Show Them How To Leverage Their Talents

Knowing how to apply their talent in a way that maximizes impact is a powerful tool for anyone who wants to be a superior performer. Many times talented people know they are good but are not certain other people do. Break the ice, let them know you know their strengths and show them how to leverage their strengths in this particular job.

Touch Them To Offer Encouragement

Everybody needs encouragement now and then. You be the encourager. Meet with them regularly i.e. monthly or as often as they need encouragement.

Measure Results

Everyone wants to know how they are doing. Measure results and tell them, but don’t stop there. Show them how they can improve.

“Everyone Wants to be a Star”

HELP THEM!

Self-Awareness is one of the four pillars of Emotional Intelligence. The other three are Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Social Management. In my view, you cannot be emotionally intelligent unless you are Self-Aware.

Although Self-Awareness encompasses many things, being aware of your own emotions and feelings is the first and most important step to becoming Emotionally Intelligent.

We often talk about how we feel and through any day, we experience many different feelings and emotions. These two words are sometimes used interchangeably, but there are differences. If we understand the differences, it can help us be more self-aware.

Emotions are the external expressions of an internal stimulus. Core emotions are Fear, Sadness, Happiness, Anger, Surprise, Disgust, Trust and Anticipation. Each of these emotions have different levels of intensity. For instance, a lower level of intensity for the emotion of Trust is acceptance and a higher level might be adoration.

Feelings are internal and lower levels of emotions like the example above, you might be feeling accepted because of a display of the emotion of Trust exhibited by your boss. Or, you be felling pensive because of the emotion of sadness, due to a friends death.

On the other hand, emotions, because they are often externally expressed by running, for instance, if your are afraid of snakes and you just saw one, or slamming you fist into your desk because you are so angry are easier to recognize

So lets begin building self-awareness with a three step process:

1. Begin the day with a commitment to identify emotions you experience.
2. Write down, in a journal, what emotions your experience throughout the day.
3. Identify the “Triggers” that release the emotions.

About “Triggers,” these are events the release emotions. For example, you are “cut-off” in traffic and have to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident and you get angry. The trigger is: an unexpected and seemingly total disregard for safety. Knowing what triggers your emotions is a hefty piece of self-awareness.

Once you have successfully identified several triggers, use these strategies to mitigate negative emotions initiated by them. Let’s take anger, for instance. Someone says something that angers you. What should you do?

1. Recognize the emotion for what it is
2. Pause, take a deep breath or two
3. Consider, the intent of the other person
4. Respond with in a gracious and understanding way by asking for clarification.

Recognize, Pause, Consider, and Respond works, try it. Of course, it is not the right response to all emotions, For instance, if you see a two-ton boulder racing toward you and you experience the emotion of Fear, you should eliminate steps 2 and 3. Go to step for and run, as fast as you can.

A recent study performed by Organizational Vital Signs determined that nearly 60 percent (57.7%) of all organizational results are determined by culture or organization climate. Or, put another way, most people coming to work are influenced by the climate of the organization.

If it is the leadership of an organization that determines its climate or culture, there may be no greater responsibility of that leader than culture building. If, as Dan Goleman, author of Emotio0nal Intelligence, says, “emotional intelligence is responsible for 92 percent of success on the job” and leaders are followed because of their vision, honesty, ability to inspire and competency. Emotional intelligence among leaders is of paramount importance. You see, emotional intelligence is directly connected to at least 3 of the 4 leadership essentials.

You can be technically competent without being emotionally intelligent but you can’t be honest, inspirational or visionary without emotional intelligence. Here are 7 steps leaders can take to create an emotionally intelligent organization:

Hire “A Players”, never hire to fill the position. If you can’t find A Players, wait until you can.

Don’t be cheap! Compensate people fairly plus 10 percent.

Beware to the necessary work/live balance and stay within the guidelines.

Teach people the value and necessity of setting personal and business goals.

Develop world class managers-there is nothing that will stifle growth faster than poor management.

Treat everyone with respect-everyone wants to be a winner, help them be one.

Be a High Touch leader and be mindful of the right thing to do even if it costs more. Always do it right!

You may want to check our your EQ. Should you wish to do so quickly, go to www.gmstalent.com and click on the star.

Business success is powerfully impacted by the people you hire. Time spent preparing to hire the best people that fit the needs of the job is never time wasted. The Target-The Book lays out  5 simple steps that identify, develop and encourage talented people.

1. Clearly understand the needs of the job
2. Identify people with skills and competencies that match the needs of the job
3. Grow emotionally aware employees
4. Give them a track to run on
5. Build the environment that encourages growth and superior performance

What is your organization doing to grow talented people?

Most of us are followers. Some are better followers than others and sometimes our world cries out for leadership when you’re not the boss. The boss may be good or bad but that should not be a deterrent to you step up to a leadership role within your group. I am not advocating a Coup, just a few tips on how to lead when your not the leader.

1. Be a visionary.
2. Be the best at Show and Tell
3. Have integrity
4. Demonstrate Initiative
5. Be Accountable

Possibly the list does not stop there but if you or anyone consistently demonstrates those five attributes your will be a leader among any group, in any role, in which you participate.
So let’s take a brief look at each of these attributes:

Visionary-Being visionary is one of the essentials in being a leader and even leaders sometime struggle with this one. Having an inspirational goal and a plan to get there is no small task. Oh sure, the goal is easy enough but the plan to get there is another.
A goal without a plan to achieve it is worthless. So, make sure you have a plan, even if it is the wrong plan you are ahead of the game.
Show and Tell-goes along with being visionary. Having a goal and being able to communicate it to others and tell them how to reach it is masterful and something that few have. Develop great communication skills.
Integrity-Integrity, like visionary is one of the leadership essential. But few people are willing to walk the talk. You be one of them!
Initiative-Simply put, work in the white spaces of your job description.
Accountability-The last on the list but certainly not the least important. We are all accountable to someone. You be the poster boy!
There you have it. Five simple but not easy steps to being a leader when you are not the boss! For more information go to www.gmstalent.com