One of the most urgent issues for organisations in 2014 will be how leaders can effectively target, nurture and advance top talent in their organisations. Note however the crucial shift in emphasis from a broad-based need for all top talent to an increasing demand for the right kind of talent.
In a recent article by Sylvia Ann Hewlett in Harvard Business Review she points out that while leaders have long recognised that an inherently diverse workforce confers a competitive edge in selling products or services to diverse end users, recent research by the global Centre for Talent Innovation (CTI) has now shown that on top of that, an inherently diverse workforce can be a potent source of innovation. Reason being that diverse individuals seem to be better attuned to the unmet needs of consumers or clients like themselves.
The question is how can leaders leverage and develop diverse talent in 2014?
Natalie Maroun, Managing Director for LRMG, a leading Performance Agency, says it is important to first qualify the meaning of talent. “Talent is what makes an organisation succeed, yet there’s often confusion about the definition of talent. ‘Talent’ is not necessarily an individual with a list of all the right qualifications. Talent refers rather to people who bring a unique configuration of 10 000 hours of experience; who subscribe and align to the company culture and who are able to make a quick conversion of their
10 000 hours to add value to the organisation”.
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