I was speaking with a colleague at a client site yesterday when the topic of 'Talent Development' came up. My colleague said that in Poland, very few Talent Development schemes are actually effective. I said I have never been that impressed with how many organisations view 'talent' especially when they only focus on 'high potential' fast-trackers or when there is a heavy reliance on IT systems-driven profiling. My beef has always been that in most organisations, we have no idea who we actually have in our team let alone our workforce. It is hard to have quality time and conversations to really connect with the potential person/ being that is yet to emerge- the infinite energy loop of being <-> becoming. Furthermore, I find that workplaces are fundamentally preoccupied with functionality and utility- what is useful is valued. I think that this emphasis tends to push people into emphasising this aspect of their development rather than giving more space for people to simply following what is wanting to emerge. I think the lack of real developmental space has implications for creativity and innovation in the workplace.
In the last few days I have been particularly struck by the hiearchical nature of organisations in Poland. Maybe I have just been very lucky to have worked in places where the hiearchy is not particularly rigidly adhered to. But here, I do believe that where you are in the hiearchy and what job title you have are hugely important. Part of my frustration of owning a consulting firm here is that irrespective of my job title or my achievements, people will always look to John, the older man, as 'the boss'. I have found this to be irritating to downright absurd to feeling very despondent. Why? Because I fundamentally believe in the capability and potential of every person and how each person, in their own way, is capable of extraordinary things. However, for this to happen, each one of us needs to be in an environment where the conditions are supportive to us. The effect of rigid hiearchical thinking is that each person is kept in a box. This can be very efficient and it can also be very limiting. I think in such an environment, people's development become skewed towards learning to 'play the game'. This type of developmental path has it's roots in survival mode. The effect on the organisation is that people become very effective at learning how to sustain and strengthen the established patterns that already exist. This is not Talent Development.
Aside from the structure, people within an organisation also contributes greatly to each other's talent development. In fact, alongside structure, people and how they behave towards one another form the culture within which talent development takes place. Our ability to make space for differences, our willingness to let each other shine, our capacity to appreciate each other's gifts as well as our willingness to contribute to one another's developing edge. Above all, our fundamental believe that talent is not a scarce thing but something that is abundant, plentiful and diverse.
Next time you are in the countryside, look up at the nightsky. The inky sky is vibrant with a million stars. They all shine because they are all stars not because they want to outshine each other. The challenge for those of us who are responsible for creating organisations is: how do we create human systems that can allow all of us to shine more brightly?
