“I live in confidence and trust in my higher self” – Daily Word
We live in a time where confidence is sometimes an odd word. People might outwardly display strength of character, but it may not be actual confidence. Others may appear to be less in the bravado area but internally they are far more confident in their abilities and back it up by what and how they contribute.
In our hype active technology driven world the ability to hide behind the veil of email, social media and many other window dressings provides the space to not develop real self-confidence and self-worth. These two ingredients are key to a person’s ability to weather hardship and navigate the turmoil of daily life.
In the business world we are experiencing a talent drought. In some cases, it is the sheer lack of numbers of people. In other situations, it is the absence of people with the set of needed skills and competencies to be contributing members of the team. As we scour the landscape to attract and acquire talent into our business, we can sometimes take behavioral presentations and mistake it for confidence of the person or candidate in or for a role in the business.
I was recently speaking with an individual who had been a professor at a university with over 10 years of experience. They had left their employment to support a non-profit effort which at the time they believed to be a more ideal fit for their talents. Unfortunately, due to some less than ideal business management efforts by their superiors, the business has declined and is now facing very difficult times. This person who has a wealth of skills and competencies was lacking confidence to go back into the world to seek their next place of contribution.
They were being internally held up because they did not see their resume stacking up against what they perceived to be available in the marketplace. Having previously come out of academia, their view was much different than a more capital-intensive business setting. Although they had a wonderful set of capabilities, they were out of alignment with the confidence in those skills in the business world.
This confidence challenge had nothing to actually do with their great skills. They were well defined and have a long history to back up their powerful demonstration of the capacities. It was their own self-doubt in their skills which was the barrier to their next level of growth and success.
As leaders we need to be aware that as we look at the talent in our businesses, we are not inadvertently overlooking hidden talent and mature capabilities. There is a real possibility that people right in your own organization possess skills you need, want, and just have not presented them to you because they are currently in need to be mentored into showing their value.
Equally as you bring in new talent simply don’t just fill the current need or hole in the organization. Seek to upgrade the capabilities and seek out demonstratable confidence in those you are acquiring. Identify the contributing behaviors, driving forces and competencies which align with the needs of the role and company. Don’t settle for something less than what is needed to contribute with the hopes of suddenly changing them into some more than they can be. If they possess the confidence and foundational skills to develop then by all means, bring them into your organization. If on the other hand, they are simply plugging a hole then you are going to need to provide additional time and resources to assist them in their abilities to contribute. At JKL Associates, as part of our efforts to assist leaders in building and growing the relationship and business systems for success, we offer tools to bring insights into the talent composition of both existing team members and future hires. If you are not currently using tools as part of your team development and talent acquisition practices, then you are still in a guessing game of best talent for your business. Reach out to a Promise Guide this week and have a conversation about how our tools can provide critical insights to ask pertinent questions to undercover the best talent for your business. Give us a call at MI (313) 527-7945) or FL (407) 984-7246.
Journey On!
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