Friday, February 13, 2009

To Be THAT LEADER... Invest On Talents.

"The only irreplaceable capital an organization possesses is the
knowledge and ability of it's people. The productivity of that
capital depends on how effectively people share their
competence with those who can use it." - Andrew Carnegie

How can a leader recruit talents when s/he doesn't even know
how to spot them? How can a leader produce leaders when
s/he is "insecure"? How can a leader retain talents when s/he
doesn't even know what good investment really is?


To Be THAT LEADER...
  • One has to have the humility to accept that s/he needs help to achieve objectives;
  • S/he has to have the humility to accept that s/he needs a trustworthy hand to maintain excellence;
  • S/he has to have the humility to accept that s/he needs a creative mind to climb the next mountain;
  • S/he has to have the humility to accept that s/he needs a courageous lieutenant to weather the storms that may come, and that;
  • S/he has to have the humility to accept that one of those talents "could be" better than him/her... and that one day "could succeed" him/her... if not, should be recommended to another organization for one of the top, if not, the Top position of that company.
Does it sound "scary" now, then how could you be THAT LEADER?

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments
of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of
challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King, Jr.


HOW SHOULD YOU RECRUIT?

Consider how Jesus "recruited" His disciples...
Did He use any special techniques, tests, screening, etc. to do so?


NO.

Some would say... "It's because it's Jesus.." or "The circumstances
were different.." or "The needs were different..".. etc., etc.. Bunk!

Think about this...
Leadership IS about dealing with people, hence, if you just want
to "hire employees" ... then use the technical process.

But, if you want "REAL talent" -- then think out-of-the-box.
Don't follow the structural form but rely on your sixth sense
more than the conventional method.

See, Jesus wanted "Fishers Of Men."

But How Did He Spot Them?
If He were traditional in His thinking, He would have just gone to
the merchants to "fish." But He used creativity and intuition in
connecting "catching fishes with Fishing for Men."

So then, ask yourself...
How could one recognize a "goose that lays golden eggs"
when s/he doesn't even know what a goose is?

Now, this is the reason why "recruiters" don't really get REAL talents
(leader or creative thinker) and that is because they apply
technicalities more, instead of intuition. It's because they seek
those who fit the glass slippers, instead of patiently looking for those
who could make such or any kind of slippers. (see 11.17.08 blog)

Thus, when you hire, Hire according to the 3 "I's" (Jeffrey Fox):

INTEGRITY. First priority.
"A man who will steal for me will steal from me." - T. Roosevelt

A person who holds firmly to sovereign values outside himself grows
a wholeness of personality and moral strength of character.

I CAN DO IT attitude. Critical.
"Enthusiasm is the mainspring of the soul. Keep it wound up and
you will never be without power to get what you actually wanted."
~ Napoleon Hill

Enthusiasm knows no defeat, so it is imperative to understand the
stimuli which produces enthusiasm.

INTELLIGENCE. As a reminder, experience is simply exposure and
high learning ability could definitely offset such.

"Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Problem-solving and Innovation is about IQ while "experience"
as you now know, is just repetition. (see 10.22.08 blog)

HOW DO YOU PRODUCE LEADERS?

First, a Leader should be secure of himself/herself before s/he could
even act it out. And with courage and a futuristic mind, the rest
would follow.

The following are the Principles in Leadership Development (ACB):
  • Formulating a policy for leadership development at boardroom level.
  • Placing a priority on leadership potential in selection procedures.
  • Training leaders on properly-designed courses.
  • Planning careers so as to give appropriate experience.
  • Turning all line managers into leadership trainers "on the job."
  • Building a specialist resource in this area.
  • Evolving an organizational structure that favours the exercise of leadership.
  • Encouraging all leaders to "own" their own self-development.
  • Securing a climate or ethos which supports good leadership.
  • Obtaining a positive lead from the top.
"Every man who takes office in Washington either grows or swells,
and when I give a man office I watch him carefully to see whether
he is growing or swelling." - Woodrow Wilson

Here, note that "training programs" should also include "resilience
building and creative thinking" to be able to respond to challenges
... fuel innovation... and "get ahead" of change.

RETAINING TALENTS FOR ROI

As a Leader, you should recognize that people make things happen,
so... you can't cut people costs "unreasonably" just to save money.
People are assets that you make money on. Make sure they are
satisfied and motivated enough with where they are, so... pay
them a little more than the average industry rate. Give them a little
more of those benefits, specially that which involves their families
like vacation, schooling, etc..

And don't forget to invest on emotional currency... give trust,
autonomy, praise, and encouragement. Be a credit maker, not a
credit taker. Understand that their success is your success as well.

People are not dumb. They are not in business to lose money or
to make mistakes and enemies. All they need is a little wise
investment.

...

Thousands of people walked over the great calumet copper mine
without discovering it. Just one lone man got busy with a pick and
found it. You may be standing on a "calumet mine" right now
without knowing it. Dig down and see what is under the surface.

There is always room for a good man, otherwise, make room.

Take note...
Ideas come from fertile minds. Fertile minds from REAL talents.
Consequently, to invest on talents is to invest for your company's
survival and success. And Leaders who knows how to invest and
acts on it gets that "return on investment" as a Success Builder...
which opens up doors for more and better opportunities for his/her
own career or business.

"No man can rise to fame and fortune without carrying others along
with him. It simply can not be done." - THE LAW OF SUCCESS

Remember...
Investing On Talents is investing for the future.

1 comment:

SJohnson-Smith said...

I really enjoyed reading this article. Normally, I would have skimmed over it and moved on, but the thoughts and sentiments were so realistic, yet comforting, I had to continue reading. I look forward to more of your writing. Thank you.