Three Rules that Fill the Talent Gap

Talent is where business success starts, and failure ends. It is that piece that seeps into the smallest nooks and crannies of just about every facet of corporate health. From entry level to executive positions, talent acquisition of a company separates winners from losers. Successful management of the talent gap rests on three broad rules of discovery, practice, and application.

A talent gap occurs when there is a lag between employee potential and performance needed for corporate advancement. Talent is the culmination of potential ability to take on new tasks and work assignments that lead to higher revenue. Employees who have not realized their greatest potential are not full contributors to society and their skills go untapped or lost.

There are many reasons why employees can't reach their full potential. Some of it relates to how they raised and perceived themselves while another is based on a lack of knowledge of their potential.  As people become more aware of themselves and their abilities their talent flourishes.

Companies have some responsibility in developing employee capabilities in a fiscally responsible way. From an economic standpoint, it is beneficial for society as national capacity increases. It is also a moral and ethical imperative that encourages people to live to their fullest potential. The three rules are as follows:

Rule 1: Discover Latent Skills: Discovering new talents helps employees reach their full potential. It is the manager's responsibility to uncovering hidden talents and brings them to the forefront for greater performance. Work assignments should encourage exploration of passive skills that are needed to overcome new tasks.

Rule 2: Kung-fu the Talent: Practice makes perfect. The original meaning of the word kung-fu is the learning of excellence through hard work. Practicing skills through the completion of one's tasks leads to excellence that can be applied to other workplace challenges. Consistence practice bring greater awareness of one's abilities and their appropriate application.

Rule 3: Completing a Quest: The best performance occurs when someone believes in the use of their skills to achieve a primary cause. Inspiring employees to overcome a major quest or challenge will help them perform at their highest levels. Once employees mastered a major quest, problem, or project the skill will create confidence and expectation.