Good talent is hard to come by in today's market. It is not enough to have a degree or two. It is not enough to have relevant experience. You have to be the right fit for a company. Leadership must have the ability to assess good talent and know where they will excel. I call this "putting your aces in their places."
The right fit involves a few things; understanding the culture of the organization, knowing the temperaments of leadership and being able to work with them and being honest about your role in the mission and vision of the company. Employees who are able to focus on these three will be most successful.
Culture is very hard to change in any organization. Culture involves the "how we do things" attitude and "knowing your place" attitude. Both of these are inhibitors of good talent, but every organization has a culture and unless you are able to fit in that culture your tenure in that organization will be short-lived. You have to know how to adapt.
There are personalities and temperaments for all people in senior leadership. You must be honest about the style that complements your temperament or there will be clashes. It is also important to understand how leaders are wired, how they make decisions and how they flow in their daily routine. You will be frustrated often if you are unable to follow leadership.
The mission and vision of an organization are the driving force behind success. Core values are part of vision and successful employees share the core values. If you do not believe in what the company stands for, find another place of employment. You should be able to see yourself in the future of the company and have a passion for helping it grow.
Management must also be able to determine who is best suited for positions within the company. The old paradigm was to look for a person to fill a void on a team, even if that person was not the best suited or equipped to do the job. That style of management was only successful in one way - filling the void. The task was accomplished with mediocrity and the employees often underachievers. Today, the task needs to involve an assessment of skills, talent and ability to perform. We don't solely look for experience and core competencies, but the mental and emotional ability to complete an assignment with efficiency. Although the skill set remains the premium identifier of qualification, we must take an honest look at the tasks to be delegated, the history of employees in completing such tasks and their overall desire to remain in such a position for an extended period of time with contentment.
Leadership who take this approach to hiring will reduce turnover, employee stagnation and department inefficiency. Employees will be able to see their worth and value to an organization and be inclined to go the extra mile to help that organization achieve its corporate goals and objectives.
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