Tired of Talent?

Over the past decade consultants have been convincing companies that there is a “war for talent”. In this war, we have been told that talent needs to be given what it wants and that companies need to go to extraordinary lengths to provide talent with all the flexibility and freedom it desires. This article argues that talent is crucial for business success, but that the current focus and direction being taken is detrimental to businesses and society. A paradigm shifts is required. I argue that the key to building a “Talented Company” is the belief that having the right systems, procedures, values and supportive culture makes people smart, and not the other way around. Talent management needs to focus on making the star system before it can make star players. A number of companies are getting this right. These talented companies create a culture where people’s passions and energies can be engaged, optimized and directed in the right direction. Talented companies do not stand and fall on the back of a few talented individuals but rather benefit from the collective sum of tribes of talent imbedded within the culture of their business. Talent cannot reach it’s fullest potential if it doesn’t operate in a talented environment.

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