Every now and then a book comes along that challenges the status quo. A book that has the capacity to help us look at what we are doing today and see that we can do better. The Five Talents that Really Matter is such a book. Barry Conchie and Sarah Dalton, through scientific research, have identified the talents that really matter. They cut through all the noise surrounding what leaders do and how the absolute best achieve success.
Talents are different from what we see in the market today—they are not a product of competency models or building lists of experiences or capabilities—they are not the output of 360 assessments from leaders or peers that can often suggest room for improvement. “Talents cannot be learned or taught. They are the natural characteristics we are all born with.”
Talents are a part of who we are and how we think (innate), consistent over time and resistant to change (enduring), and present in our daily work and in our lives (pervasive).
So, what are the Talents that really matter?
Setting Direction
Harnessing Energy
Exerting Pressure
Increasing Connectivity
Controlling Traffic
In this first podcast in the 5 Talents that Really Matter Series, we meet Barry and Sarah, learn about how they arrived at the five talents, and receive an overview of how the current way we evaluate and hire talent is flawed, and what can be done moving forward to select and develop talent with a high probability of success.
At a time when several studies have shown between 50-70% of new CEOs fail within the first 18 months (CEB), and 50% of externally hired executives and 35% of internally promoted leaders fall short of performance expectations (DDI), isn’t it time for a new approach?