Is your talent in the right place?
- 3 min reading time
Since the age of six, I’ve been involved in football. That’s the name of the game in Brabant. After my first two training sessions, I became a goalkeeper. For me, that was my obvious role straight away. But honestly, who wants to stand around in a goal? Surely they have a screw loose somewhere? Well I wanted to, because I had a talent for it. Fortunately, there were others who fared better as defenders, midfielders or strikers. The right talent in the right place. In football, some seasons went better than others. The trainers who understood leadership and also paved the way for connections and a sense of balance went a long way. The trainers who were talent-driven made even greater strides. Years later, when I turned 22, I started teaching year 6 students. A job where I could devote all my energy to giving children some added value in their last year of primary school. And it was clear again – you can make a difference if you manage to create a connection in the group. Especially if you recognise the talent in children and know how to translate that into advice for their further education. A fantastic challenge that gives children a solid foundation for a successful future.
Here, it was also true that children would have more talent in one subject than in another. So it was quite a challenge to keep everyone motivated. My first class was full of doers, with plenty of recommendations for a pathway in vocational education. That was a super year. After primary school, these children spread out in different directions that were often more suited to their needs and talents.
A lot of children from this group got proper vocational training and are reaping the benefits, especially in these days where technicians and craftspeople are hard to find. This is proof that not everyone needs to graduate in ICT or management at the college or university level to find their place in society. This class was a textbook example of that. Leadership with an eye for talent Now, getting back to leadership and guiding these kids to the right place. I believe that leaders who understand the art of connection, of balance, of a shared vision and a focused concrete plan hold the keys to the future. But as a leader, you first need to know what you have and what you want. That is why, with VLMaatwerk, we help organisations identify and develop the potential of new and existing employees. Here, we look at the drives, talents and competences of the candidates and staff members. In this process, we identify whether people are a sustainable match with the competences required for the positions. We also visualise developability. We do the same for teams through team analyses and team training. Here, we offer objective advice along the lines of ‘tough on business, but always soft on people’. And with objective answers to key questions such as: 1. How do we select new employees who bring in talents that complement the team? 2. How can we better showcase the talents of current employees? 3. How can we make our own teams work even better? 4. How do we deal with employees whose talents are no longer a good match? You will find that it all starts with personal leadership. Along with insight into your own needs and talents. Willem van Lieshout Advisor and Owner of VLMaatwerk