Module 75 - Identifying and developing potential in others. Do you really care or you are in for an easy ride?

Personal Development, Leadership, and Motivation Blog Series

Are you motivated by a paycheck or opportunity to learn and grow?

Typically, a seasoned leader or manager can quickly if not immediately tell during an interview or when leading a new team if someone is there to find a career and grow with a business, or if he or she is there for a paycheck and paycheck only.

This could be determined through asking questions that are open-ended vs. yes and no, encouraging a person to speak freely and openly. Of course, each manager knows what specifically they are looking for in someone’s answers, and if a person they are speaking with a good fit for the position, team, and their business.

Why are you wearing shorts and a t-shirt?

It is even more important to observe how a person answers each question, their tone, use of body language, and, of course, their dress code. If someone comes to the interview dressed as if they just left a gym or finished running errands and decided to stop by, how committed do you think they are to the job they are applying for? Do they really treat this opportunity as something special and important for their future growth and success, as well as success of the business, or do they simply need a job, probably second or third in the last twelve months?

Steps of talent discover and development – Why create a false reality?

So, bringing the right people on board is the first very important step. The next step is to uncover and begin building a career path with employees who are truly committed to their own success and future, not just within business walls but also outside, on their own time. Many people will tell you that they are interested in their own personal development, interested in achieving their personal goals and dreams, and are ready to immerse themselves into learning. However, next thing you know, they leave work and learning stops. Then as a leader, you are asking yourself a question – why create a false reality, why pretend to be someone you are not? It’s important to remember, that no one can or wants to make someone want to learn and grow personally and professionally, there’s n reason for a leader to waste their time if a person is not interested in taking the next step in their personal development and career path.

Success only comes to those who are ready to receive it

 If you are not ready to invest your time and energy into your own development, no one can help you or do it for you. Therefore, there’s no need to pretend to want something more in life or in your career if you are not willing or ready to put in the work, and not just for a day, week, month, or year, the lifestyle would need to change for the rest of your life. Sounds like a strong commitment? It is, in order to change where you are and get closer to where you want to be, current mindset and habits must change.

Unlocking the potential – characteristic of someone who is ready to learn and take their career to the next level

This is where great leaders come in, leaders that can uncover and develop talented and committed individuals, while helping them to find the path to follow to achieve their goals and eventually live the life they always wanted to live. These individuals that want more than what is being provided, they are willing to go an extra mile in order to not only reach, but to exceed performance expectations that they are presented with. These individuals create their own performance benchmarks and work really hard to achieve them. They are always ready for more challenging tasks and projects, because, they are excited by the challenge, and they are not afraid to ask questions for better understanding, or to ask for help when it’s needed. These individuals are always looking for opportunities to help improve the business, and pro-actively bring their ideas and solutions to the business leaders. Lastly, they are not afraid to speak up and share their thoughts and opinions when appropriate or when asked.

With these characteristics in mind, it is very easy to uncover and recognize individuals who are ready to learn regardless the size of your team or business, all you have to do is to keep your eyes and ears open, and keep an open door, open communication policy in your place of business. Once you have established trust with your employees, people who are willing to and are ready to take their development to the next level will naturally gravitate towards you.
What to do once you have discovered an individual who is ready to learn and comes to you for guidance and help?

Next and very important step is to sit down and have an open and constructive discovery conversation with an employee, to know and understand their goals and aspirations in their professional career and in life.
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Once leader understand employee’s wants, needs, and goals, he or she should develop a very detailed and challenging plan of development together with an employee. At the end of the day it’s an employee who owns their growth and development, where a leader serves as a guide and mentor, as well as someone who holds an employee accountable to their goas that they have set to accomplish. This plan should be a live document, and must be reviewed and updated regularly, checking off completed goals, and setting new. The progress never stops, neither does learning.

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