Finding good talent is tough. Effective talent sharing leadership can make this process easier and more efficient.
Keeping great talent is tougher.
Sharing exceptional talent is the toughest.
For many years now, organizational leaders have suffered from what I call “Headcount Hysteria™.” Essentially, this means leaders hoard talented employees and refuse to share them with other departments because they fear losing them. Consequently, several common symptoms arise:
- Lack of agreement, confusion, resistance and a general absence of understanding what playing as one team looks like.
Leaders often overlook negative behavior around talent sharing, but it harms the whole organization. It poisons the company culture and directly hurts talent and performance.
Watching leaders engage over talent should be a healthy dialogue and not a WWE Cage Match. The talent and the companies mission should always be front and center, while ego’s and insecurities a distant second.
As a father of two, I have seen firsthand how challenging sharing can be for siblings and other kids. Prioritize talent and the company mission, not egos. Leaders can learn from toddlers about sharing talent.
Talent Sharing Leadership: The Psychology Of Sharing
According to a NYT White Paper about the psychology of sharing, there are 6 sharing personalities:
- Altruists: These sharers value spreading good content and supporting causes they believe in. Though less self-serving, they appreciate knowing their shares are well-received.
- Careerists: Careerists build strong networks to connect people and content in meaningful ways. They also enjoy getting credit for doing so. They share to create discussion and debate and to elicit useful recommendations.
- Hipsters: They like to start a conversation, debate or controversy. Hipsters—trendsetters who love to connect with their tribe. Sharing is so important to this group that they actively seek out content simply to create more opportunities to share.
- Boomerangs: Boomerangs crave attention. They share provocative content to trigger debates and rack up likes and comments. For Boomerangs, a negative response is better than no response at all. Sharing for this group is driven, in large part, by a need for validation. Similar to Hipsters, it’s important for Boomerangs that they are the first in their networks to share new content.
- Connectors: Sharing for Connectors is about mutual experiences and staying connected. Connectors, more than any other segment, sharing is not just about distributing content, it is about including others in a shared, content-based experience. Connectors like to share to create new connections with like-minded people.
- Selective’s: They share valuable, unique information with specific people, expecting a grateful response in return.
Talent Sharing Leadership:Why We Share
There are many reasons why people like to share (anything) but this article did a fantastic job outlining the most common ones:
- We share to look good (Impression Management)
- We share to feel good (Emotion Regulation)
- We share to teach, and help (Information Acquisition)
- We share to connect (Social Bonding)
- We share to convince (Persuading Others)
Talent Sharing Leadership:What Toddlers Can Teach Leaders
Whether you are reading this as a parent or not, there is something here for everyone. The bottom line is that teaching a toddler to share (anything) can be quite tough and requires patience, commitment and love. The same could be said for adults which is why the following five reminders are critical and applicable to leaders sharing talent. Here is some sound advice I found in my research and my personal POV on how they can apply to leaders in the workplace:
#1) Start Young.
From the time your child can grasp an object, you can teach sharing by passing the object back and forth while saying “my turn, your turn.” Learning how to take turns is the first step in sharing.
- Leader lesson: Be respectful, professional and allow the other person to express themselves fully before replying. Remember to model the behavior you would want to see in others who are watching you.
#2) Make believe.
Co-operative games that don’t involve a single winner for children three years old and up. While competition isn’t bad, it isn’t appropriate for preschoolers.
- Leader lesson: Although competition can be a part of both your DNA and your companies culture, look for how you can set up the dialogue inside of a win-win context.
#3) Bring a pocket timer to playdates.
When it rings, it’s your child’s turn to give a toy to their friend, then they get it back once the timer rings again, and so on. They start learning that giving something away isn’t for always.
- Leader lesson: To ensure fairness, consider putting a time constraint on each person’s presentation or opportunity to speak about their talent (needs). After all, our brains naturally crave and are hardwired for fairness. Furthermore, this creates a structured environment where everyone feels heard and valued. Ultimately, time constraints encourage conciseness and efficiency, maximizing the value of each contribution.
#4) Do prep work before playdates.
If you’ll be the host, help your child stash their favorite toy — the one they genuinely couldn’t bear to let another kid touch — in a safe place. When you go to someone else’s house, chat beforehand about what to expect, recalling highlights from her last successful playdate.
- Leader lesson: Before entering into a conversation or meeting on talent resources and sharing, make sure you set the ground rules, objectives and potential outcome beforehand to ensure alignment amongst your attendees.
#5) Compliment kind behavior.
As important as it is for you to step in and correct bad behavior, it’s equally important that you praise the good. Make sure your little one knows they are sharing nicely and that you’re proud. That reinforcement will help her remember the acts that got them kudos and will be more likely to repeat in future playdates.
- Leader lesson: Simply put – nice begets nice. By acknowledging another for being the type of person and displaying the type of behavior you are hoping to achieve in the meeting can go a long way. Never underestimate the power of an acknowledgement.
How to Improve Emotional Intelligence as an Executive
Developing emotional intelligence is crucial for executives to effectively lead and manage teams, navigate complex situations, and build strong relationships. While there are various methods to enhance emotional intelligence, one highly effective approach is hiring an executive coach.
Executive coaches specializing in emotional intelligence can provide personalized guidance and support, helping executives identify their strengths and weaknesses in this area. Through assessments, feedback, and targeted exercises, coaches can assist executives in developing self-awareness, empathy, and effective communication skills. They can also provide strategies for managing stress, regulating emotions, and resolving conflicts constructively. By investing in an executive coach, executives can accelerate their emotional intelligence development and unlock their full leadership potential.
Talent Sharing Leadership – Final thoughts:
Many compare parenting to leadership, and with good reason. Just as parents grapple with raising their children effectively, leaders wrestle with developing their people. However, there’s much to glean from parenting that can be applied to leadership, particularly in the realm of talent sharing. For instance, the lessons we impart, the actions we model, and the words we use with children can all be adapted for the workplace.
Furthermore, just as there’s no definitive parenting manual, there’s no single, foolproof method for leaders to cultivate talent. Instead, the key for both parents and leaders lies in being patient, empathetic, present, open, and committed. Ultimately, by embracing these qualities, leaders can create an environment where talent flourishes, much like a nurturing parent fosters a child’s growth.
The floor is yours: How does the lack of sharing talent impact workplace culture?
Please leave your comment below as your insights are greatly appreciated and a learning opportunity for everyone reading this article.
With leadership,
Joshua / www.JoshHMiller.com
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