Sometimes it's hard to spot the people who have the most promise and potential. Identifying the most talented individuals early on gives you a chance to nurture them.
Research has found that when you put a talented performer in your team, it boosts the effectiveness of those around them by five to fifteen percent. Star performers are hard to come by, which is why it's so important to identify talent early on so you can nurture and develop it. But how do you spot truly talented individuals?
First up, you need to look at the cold, hard data. Outline a criteria against which you are going to judge an individual's performance - the targets and key performance indicators you associate with success. Compare the output of all your employees and see which are the ones who are outperforming their colleagues.
Even more important than the data is their personality. Numbers can only tell you so much. They may be beginning their careers and still learning the ropes, but statistics will improve with time. If they don't have the right personality, then they will never succeed in a leadership role. You want to look out for those who show drive, determination and a hunger to upskill.
They also need to have self-awareness, confidence and strong social skills – you want to find those who don't rub people up the wrong way, are honest in owning up to their mistakes and have no issue giving others credit and praise. They need to show leadership skills, by willingly stepping up to new challenges.
Spotting true talent is a combination of looking at the numbers and looking at people themselves. The people matter more. Numbers can be worked on, personalities can't.
Set a criteria for success
Look for those with drive and determination
Look for self-awareness and social skills
Look for those who like a challenge
