The Rare Find

The Rare FindHow Great talent stands out

George Anders

There’s a huge difference between elite performers and everyone else, in terms of productivity, there’s a five to one gap. No one can afford to settle for mediocrity.

In 2010, only 18 % of the HRM managers surveyed thought they were winning the war for talent.

How does the US army recruit the best soldiers without the soldier firing a single bullet.

Key talent ask themselves if they can become spectacular as opposed to staying average.

In silicon valley, they say : ‘we don’t care about what you know today, what we really want to know is what you can learn tomorrow”

People get really good at something because they practice hard and have excellent mentors and reinforcing peer groups.

Top talent handles pressure better than others, that’s why they go to the top. Many people derail because of their inability to handle pressure.

One of the most overlooked strengths is RESILIENCE. Top talent has a lot of resilience. This differentiates between people who do well and those who don’t.Resilience is invisible on most resumes.

When great headhunters evaluate candidates, they look for minor habits that can reveal a lot about character.

Top talent has the ability to deal confidently with the unknown.

Special forces training in the army is about physical toughness. However tough that is, special forces always look for mental agility, that’s essential.

High profile talent mistakes invariably involve heroically aiming for the wrong runway.

When organizations are hazy about what they want from high talent jobs, then different penalties arise : short term, inconsistent, and expensive hires.

When hiring people, compromise on experience, never compromise on character.

What matter most is character attributes like : work ethic, basic intelligence and dedication to fulfilling commitments.

The basic questions to look for in top talent are similar:who tries hard? Who recovers quickly and calmly from a setback? Who works well with others? Who can see turbulence and come up with a plan? On the wrong side : Who is cutting corners? Who is clueless about group dynamics? Who doesn’t care?

Available in top talent

• Initiative, perseverance, Compatibility with colleagues

• Discipline, trainability and Judgment

• Loyalty, leadership and maturity

Michael Jordan became a great star. When the first coach picked Jordan, what impressed the coach was Jordan’s constant ability to ask for feedback. Getting feedback makes us humble and better at the same time.

Being a total team player is underrated and this is what hurts organizations. They must put being a team player ahead of all else.

Talent wants to be challenged, not coddled.

When Harvard was picking for a top job, they came up with four things which became universally relevant:1.High intellectual curiosity2.Leadership3.Devotion to Excellence4.Capacity to guide a complex institution.

Executive headhunter John Issacson looks for three things in top talent : Hunger, Speed and Weight. Hunger is the ability to master new challenges, speed is the ability to do so and be responsive. Weight refers to the judicious use of power within each job.All three speak to the question – why should anyone follow you?

Leaders succeed by inspiring people and being honest and committed. Some bad leaders win by trading favors and playing games.

CEOs who are persistent and proactive get things done. They listen, they build a team, but they act at the right time.