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When managers speak on the record, they often reiterate how important it is for them to attract great talent to their teams. However, when off the record some of them admit that overachievers are not that easy to manage due to their towering ambitions and skills. In practice, it takes a lot of effort and a leap of faith for supervisors to make the most of exceptional employees and all too often they fail in this task. Sadly, it results not just in lowering the potential of an organization, which could do much better if every single contributor did all in his or her power, but also in losing excellent workforce. No one who is aware of their value in business is likely to tolerate mismanagement of their talent for long so, sooner rather than later, they make the decision to leave and seek better fortune elsewhere. The question is what can managers do to retain and capitalize on talented team members?
What has to come first is a change of attitude. Despite claiming otherwise, a lot of managers are afraid of talent and see it as a potential threat as much as an opportunity. Psychologically, it can be easily explained by lack of self-confidence and the fear that an employee with a lower position in the company can undermine their authority or undercut their competence. It is the wrong way of view it because it highlights danger and feeds on negative emotions, effectively negating everything positive about exceptional performance. So, instead of countering talent, managers have to learn to live with it and treat it as a resource they can take advantage of in their strategy.
Another mental problem to overcome has to do with the fact that talent often stretches well-known boundaries, forcing people out of their comfort zones. Again, not every manager can cope with this by nature, as it involves plenty of imagination and creativity to keep up with great performers' ideas, but anyone can acquire it, either through practice or some sort of dedicated leadership training. In other words, managing a talented workforce is something of a challenge to your own managerial capabilities and you might be required to push your own boundaries to accommodate it. See it as a source of progress.
Talent has to be provided with fertile ground to bring itself out and you might want to take it in your hands to create such favorable conditions. In practice, it means putting forward opportunities for great employees to test their skills, rather than cutting them down to fit the general vision. Why not allow one employee a graphics tablet, even if the company standard for pointing devices is different? Why not invite top performers to some elite projects where their abilities may be exhibited more prominently?
Finally, if your company especially benefits from the extraordinary capabilities of one employee, there is no reason not to appreciate that. This should translate to financial rewards or promotion, but also giving clear recognition for his or her ideas so that they feel appreciated as team members.
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