Would you rather be lucky… or good?

Understanding the Nature of Talent

How to improve productivity:

• Replace struggling employees with better ones

• Stack ranking

• Purging

“All hazy manifestations of performance management” – Jack Welch, former CEO of GE

Look Instead at “Talents” • Natural tendencies which exist deep within us

(why can some people decorate – others have white walls)

• These combined with skills, experience and attitude = STRENGTHS

A strength is the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance, and it’s the outcome of talent times investment. It is the positive, productive application of your

talent — talent being a natural way of thinking, feeling, or behaving. And the words

positive and productive are important, because those are the outcomes of investing

in your talent.

A strength is a focused combination of…

Talents: your naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling or behaviorYearning, Rapid learning, Satisfaction

Knowledge: the facts and lessons learnedWhat you know and have picked up along the way

Skills: the basic ability to move through steps of an activityHow-to’s of a role

Evidence that these “pre-dispositions” do not change over time

We are pretty much what we are born with

To take this to the management level

Great managers find what is unique about each person AND THEY CAPITALIZE ON IT

Great managers think differently about their people. They focus on strengths.

PurposefulPermission to be who

you are

Balconies…

& basements

What leader has had the most positive influence

on your daily life?

Now, please list three words that best describe what this person contributes

to your life.

• a.______________________

• b.______________________

• c.______________________

Followers’ four basic needs:

• Purpose• Wisdom• Humor• Humility

• Trust• Compassion

• Stability• Hope

The usual suspects

The most effective leaders:

• Are always investing in strengths• Surround themselves with the right people

and maximize their team• Understand their followers’ needs

Leaders stay true to who they are – and

then make sure they have the right people

around them.

The 12 Elements of Great ManagingTo identify the elements of worker engagement, Gallup conducted many thousands of interviews in all kinds of organizations, at all levels, in most industries, and in many countries. These 12 statements – the Gallup Q12 - emerged from Gallup’s pioneering research as those that best predict employee and workgroup performance.

1. I know what is expected of me at work.

2. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.

3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.

4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.

5. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.

6. There is someone at work who encourages my development.

7. At work, my opinions seem to count.

8. The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.

9. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.

10. I have a best friend at work.

11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.

12. This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.

The Three Types of Employees

1 ENGAGED employees work with passion and feel a profound connection their company. They drive innovation and move the organization forward.

2 NOT-ENGAGED employees are essentially “checked out.” They’re sleepwalking through their workday, putting time – but not energy or passion – into their work.

3 ACTIVELY DISENGAGED employees aren’t just unhappy at work; they’re busy acting outing their unhappiness. Every day, these workers undermine what their engaged coworkers accomplish.

Executing – these leaders know how to make things happen. These are the people who will work tirelessly to implement a solution.

Influencing – these leaders help their team reach a much broader audience. They sell the team’s ideas both inside and outside the organization.

Relationship building – the essential glue that holds the team together to create a sum greater than its parts. Makes the team more than just a group of individuals.

Strategic thinking – these are the leaders that keep us focused on what could be. They stretch our thinking and help us make better decisions.

Leaders stay true to who they are – and then make sure they have the right

people around them.

What You Need to Know About Each of Your Direct Reports

q What are his or her strengths? q What are the triggers that activate those strengths?

q What is his or her learning style?

q Ask the question: How can I help you to be more successful?

“Unique solutions often come from pairing people with

complementary skills”, says Darrell Rigby, Boston-based head of global

innovation practices for management consulting firm Bain & Company... “Brain

transplants are not as successful as simple teamwork,”

he jokes.

USA TODAY 7/13, Right brain-left brain

"Success is achieved by developing our strengths, not

by eliminating our weaknesses."

- Marilyn vos Savant

Things Leaders DoGE’s Jeff Immelt on the 10 keys to great leadership.

When GE’s CEO Jeff Immelt teaches up-and-coming leaders at the company’s famed management-development center, he runs through a checklist of what he calls “Things Leaders Do.” In an interview with Fast Company, Immelt reveals his own leadership checklist.

1. Personal Responsibility2. Simplify Constantly. 3. Understand Breadth, Depth, and Context. 4. The importance of alignment and time management. 5. Leaders learn constantly and also have to learn how to

teach. 6. Stay true to your own style. 7. Manage by setting boundaries with freedom in the

middle. 8. Stay disciplined and detailed. 9. Leave a few things unsaid. 10.Like people.

LeaderStrategize accounts

Work side by side

Strategic planning

Thinking

Training new ways

Encourage risk taking

Improve processes

Ask why

Develop people

Recognition

ManagerRead reports

Ask questions

Provide feedback

People problems

Short term planning

Manage expenses

Interviewing

Focus on people 50% 15%

Focus on strategy 25% 25%

Focus on operations 25% 60%

People Work