Raina Writes: Is there too much emphasis on 'talent'?

Is there too much emphasis on 'talent'?

It's an odd take for someone who works in the recruitment industry, I grant you. But it's a topic we've been talking about in the office.

Over the years I've been no stranger to requests to find a client "grade A talent", "top, top talent" or "the very best the market has to offer".

All completely understandable. It's their business. They want the best people in it. Nothing wrong with that.

But hiring the best of the best is no silver bullet. It can't solve every issue a company has. Nor catapult it to new levels of greatness overnight.

It's also bloody difficult to do. There are only so many super-intelligent, brilliant, experienced, loyal, passionate, curious, courageous and supportive people out there. And they all have plenty of options.

Frustration

More often than not, their expectations around salary, annual leave, pension, parental leave and so on blow most companies out of the water. Yet most companies still go to market looking for them. Which leads to a lot of frustration.

Even when they do land such a candidate, there's no guarantee of it working out. I've seen many a big hitter fall short in the wrong company. And many others look for a move after a short period of time.

So is the pursuit of brilliance in the interest of all businesses? Or is it more about finding good people with the right values – even if they're not someone's subjective view of 'Grade A'?

What could they achieve when given the right levels of guidance, training, support and freedom? How much longer would they stay and continue to make a meaningful contribution?

Most companies have the potential to be great. And the same goes for most people in the market. When they come together under the right circumstances, great things await.

Raina