Your Most Talented Employee May Be Someone You See Everyday

The other day as I was finishing a piano gig at a local senior center for the memory impaired, I looked up to see an old woman clutching her walker approach the piano. 

When this woman (whom I will call Hazel) sat down to play, she glowed with self-assurance. While she had been unsteady on her feet, she was confident and self-assured seated on the piano bench. She played three-note chord voicings with each hand and carefully arpeggiated chords at regular intervals. Her tone was crisp and her confidence playing made the songs she played come alive as she played from memory. \[Experts tells that the ability to play or sing music is something that with memory loss retain.\] 

My experience with Hazel resonates with my day job. As an executive coach and leadership educator, I urge the executives with whom I work to be vigilant about recognizing talent in their organizations… just as I was appreciative of the musical talent that this woman displayed. 

One executive who exemplifies this lesson is Alan Mulally, the recently retired CEO of Ford Motor Company. It was Mulally who helped turn around the fortunes of that company. When he first came to Ford in 2006 as a total outsider—from Boeing no less—word on the street was that he would torch the place and install a new team. 

As Bryce Hoffman writes in his book, American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company, the only fire Mulally lit was one of urgency. A few senior people did leave, but mostly of their own accord. Mulally used the talent he had on hand, and molded them into a capable team that worked cooperatively and collaboratively. And the members of the team, save for Alan, were all homegrown. Like Hazel, they were ready and waiting to be called upon to play. 

Often the talents of employees who could play a more valuable role to their teams are overlooked. Two chief reasons exist for this:

1. The employee may not put him or herself forward when situations arise.

2. The employee is overlooked as “not worth it” by management. 

In both instances, though, management is to blame. In the first instance, they took the employee’s perception of self-worth at face value without asking questions. In the second instance, they misjudged what the employee could do. As a result, no one wins and the company loses. 

Often, it takes an outsider to see what employees can do. They take a fresh eyes approach to talent and are unencumbered by perceptions of others. These executives are looking for people—right now—who can rise up and meet the challenges of the day. 

Most executives are not outsiders, however. But with the appropriate intention, they can adopt the “fresh eyes” approach. 

• When challenges arise, look for employees who may be bored in their current job. Yes, bored. These people may be slackers but more realistically they are merely slotted into spots where their talents are not fully employed. So they are bored.  

• Discuss the opportunity. Look at what is possible rather than what has been done in the past. Too often it’s the same thinking that leads to the same doing, which in turn, leads to stasis.  

• Be persuaded. Invite the employee to pitch his capabilities. Have a conversation about what may be possible.  

• Affirm the possibility. That is, if the employee can do the job, he will demonstrate that he is ready for bigger responsibilities. 

Talent is a company’s richest resource, but if that talent is overlooked, then the company is the biggest loser. They miss out on the potential of the very people they have overlooked.