Commitment to Talent

Commitment to Talent

 

1. What makes a good supervisor?
2. How to extract maximum out put from colleagues and subordinates?
3. Most people quit jobs because of difference with their boss. What causes this conflict and why these conflict end up with separations?

 

Well let me begin with some simple fundas…

 

Today in highly competitive business scenarios ever rising targets need to be met and exceeded. And to meet those targets maximum output of the team is extremely necessary. Some bosses (technically speaking) try to achieve this by being task oriented; other by being people oriented. Let me present an individual perspective before I elaborate on task and people orientation.

 

There are two key drivers of individual performance:

1. Talent; &
2. Commitment.

 

Talent in simple terms is the ability of an individual to execute a task. It is more than skill sets. Relevant skill sets can be and are developed, enhanced and transformed by individuals over their careers. However the rate depends upon the depth of talent. Talent is all about Brain; it’s the sharpness or intelligence of an individual. Talent also has another dimension which is orientation. Some people are talented in delivering operational assignments while some are good at thinking jobs and one type can not replace the other. Talent is individualistic trait.

 

Commitment is an emotion. It resides in the heart. It is the willingness of an individual to support, to deliver and to stretch at the required time. Commitment is the core strength that drives people beyond perceived boundaries. Commitment is a reciprocal process and is generally towards the immediate supervisor or team members.

 

In a typical consulting 2X2 framework of Talent and Commitment:

 

Individual Orientation

 

	Commitment
Talent		High	Low
	High	Best Friends: Horses to success.	Danger: Trouble makers.
	Low	Best Support: To be ridden for success.	Mismatch to boss/profile/ organization.

 

As the matrix explains:

 

‘High on Talent and High on Commitment’ individuals are the best friends to any boss. They are capable of delivering best of the results; work beyond limits to demonstrate results in ground. They are happy sharing the credit as they know that they have bigger goals to achieve in life.

‘High on Talent and Low on Commitment’ individuals are trouble makers. They focus primarily of personal achievement and try to team members. These people need to be managed with lot of care with single objective to transform them to ‘High Commitment’ team members.

‘Low on Talent and High on Commitment’ are individuals who are best support to any boss. These individuals form good part of any team to deliver tasks as per instructions.

‘Low on Talent and Low on Commitment’ can be described as individuals who are a mismatch to their current organization, profile or boss. These usually stay quite in the system or move out to try their luck.

 

In my career life; I have come across various kinds of bosses. The theories of organizational behavior describe bosses as task or people oriented. All achieving their goals; yet some highly task oriented who focus on the depth of activities being delivered, asking for daily reports, talking only about progress to plan chart; some highly people oriented concerned about team and individuals, taking deep interest in individual learning and welfare and always available to support and extend a helping hand; and some good at none, well I cant explain these types.

 

Though it’s a difficult situation to strike a right balance between task and people orientation, something more important is to seek and build commitment in the team members.

 

I would like to look at bosses as talent oriented or commitment oriented. Bosses who respect talent only; achieve targets. They ensure good job delivery and survive the calm times. However bosses, who share targets, are able to seek and build commitment among the team members build businesses. They are able to grow faster and higher with strong foundations and inspiring confidence. This definitely is easier said than done. As commitment is a reciprocal process, employees capture hidden signals in boss communication and behavior to form their opinions. It could be how boss accepts or rejects a request. It is reflected in the communication style, general comments, and most importantly team welfare actions. It is captured in boss’s eagerness to listen, to empathize, to support and right time to pull or let go an individual. It’s an art and it differs for every individual subordinate.

 

Development of skills is extremely important to harness the talent. But again it’s more important to determine individuals’ talent orientations and any push in a wrong direction will not only lead to wastage of talent but also drive down commitment.

I know it sounds complex to be a good boss but trust me I have had some and many of the thoughts here; are their actions in my words. One of them said, “You win when team wins and team wins when you put in your best”.

It’s all about getting the commitment from talented people to deliver maximum output. And… Success is Assured!!!