Why we needHuman Talents ManagementBy

Jayadeva de Silva.M.Sc, MBIM, FIPM, FITD

(Author of the book Humantalents management)

A new concept of leadership is in the making. Successful Companies have already adopted the idea that Leadership is The Art of Managing peoples’ talents and not just getting things done.

The expression Human Resources is misleading and dangerous “People are not resources and resent being treated as such”. They are not pieces of Equipment to move around according to needs. Contrary to what some Managers claim, people are not “Human capital”!

Employee’s expectations have drastically changed over the last few years due to more knowledge-based business, social transformations and economic evolution. New psychological needs are evolving inline with the new profile of people entering the workforce. New employees want:

(1) To Know more about what is happening in the organisation. Who is doing what? New Objectives? New Priorities? New Strategies? Threats and problems?

(2) To Understand why leaders have made decisions? Why not another decision? What is behind the decision? What are the implications of the decision made?

(3) To contribute their own ideas and ability. What could be tomorrow?

(4) To Feel Important and have a meaningful role to play within the company. Who am I within the organisation? Do I count? Am I receiving the recognition and respect that I desire? Do I have a fair chance to grow and develop as a person? Effective leaders are

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looking at practical Ways to maximise the release of individual, team and company talents. The Leader is becoming a nurturer of talents, a catalyst in search of Synergy. People are not resources. They have resources. That is not quite the same thing, as the table below illustrate.

Table 1:

Human Talents Management (HTM)

vs. Human Resources Management (HRM)

Basic Assumption

Managing Human Resources

Managing People’s Talents

People are an important asset that the Company must use to the fullest.

They are resources. Human Resources Planning is Critical.

People have professional talents. They are not resources. They have resources i.e.: Knowledge, Skills. Experience. The release of individual talents is vital to both personal fulfilment and organisational success.

Role Of The Leader

Set Objectives, appraise people’s performance on a factual basis and provide the right recognition to the right people- MBO

Create the right environment so that people can perform at the highest level. The leader channels people’s energy constructively. He cares and shows it. How to understand people.

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Leadership How to recruit the right people.

How to appraise People.

How to promote effectively.

How to support/Encourage. How to manage job assignments so that people can perform and grow to their potential.

How to listen and how to be understood

Key Success Factors for Tomorrow’s Leaders Will Be

(1) Behaviour Flexibility (2) Mental Innovation(3) People Orientation

Behaviour Flexibility

Behaviour Flexibility Effective Leaders are extremely sensitive to their environment and adjust (rapidly) to its changes. Watching them at work, we can say that it is critical for the Leaders of 90s to learn how to learn.

Do what you think is right in a situation Observe the impact of your behaviour on people

(Collaborators, Bossed, Customers….)

Maintain your behaviour if you get what you want. Try something else if you don’t.

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Mental Innovation

The ability to interpret reality in original and unique ways is becoming more and more pressing for corporate Leaders. They are learning that everything is defined and too often, artificially limited by “Mental Programming”.

Nothing is fully known or fixed. Everything is perceived through a Human Mind programmed by education, experience and training. Human mind can explain and control things meaningfully; however some mental constructions are more effective than others. Different situations require different mind reactions. Mental versatility is therefore important.

Be aware of how you construct things in your mind Expand your repertoire of mental constructions. Try

out new ways to explain things. Promote a mind expansion process among your people.

Use the mental Constructions, which are most appropriate for business situations.

People Orientation

It is amazing how ineffective Leaders are at tapping individual talents within their organisations. Many employees complain bitterly not only about how their Companies have misused their Professional Skills, but also about managers who “do almost everything to make sure that employees do not perform to the fullest of their talents “! It is almost as if leaders are afraid of giving their staff a fair opportunity to perform. Many Leaders have apparently not yet learnt that their employees are frequently working far below Capacity. They do not realise that an employees success is also their own. Employees whose expectations are not met withdraw and star to invest their time, energy and skills outside the organisation. This may be healthy for the individual but not for the organisation.

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Care about your people and show them that you as a Leader, are truly interested in what they do, how they think and feel, Be honest, Manipulation may succeed in the short term, but is inevitably discovered and resented.

Know their Professional talents and give them a chance to perform at their highest level.

Expect a lot from them and provide the support they need to work well and grow on the job.

Conclusion

Managing talents is not the same as Managing Resources. People or human beings With feelings, ambitions and thought power, The effective leaders will care about people’s talents, adjust in a flexible way to various corporate as well as market demands and promote an organisational climate which tolerates or rather encourages a variety of mental styles.

*1You may obtain free life time membership of Humantalents International eLearning Group by just sending a blank email tohumantalents-subscribe@yahoogroups.com2 The book humantalents management can be now downloaded free of charge from www.slideshare.com3 Contact details of the authordjayadeva@gmail.comTel 077 72 72 295 (SriLanka)

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