Inspiration: Apply people where their skills and talent can really shine

September 10, 2013 / Steve Johnson

Apply people where their skills and talent can really shine. That's what management is all about.—Tom DeMarco.

Everyone has the ability to succeed. And some of your people aren’t doing what they should.

I’ve known sales people who hate selling but that’s what they were trained to do. I’ve talked with product managers and product owners who didn’t like working with engineers and developers. I have friends who’ve been doing the same job for 20 years and can’t stand it.

Everyone has talent and many of us need help identifying that talent.

That’s what parents and teachers and managers were supposed to do.

Have career discussions with each member of your team before making organization changes. Obviously, you want the right people in the right place—where they can succeed professionally as well as personally. But it’s definitely worth asking the folks on your team what they like doing and where they want to grow. Don’t just move them around based solely on what they are currently doing.

We often look outside to find new sets of skills but there are many in your organization today who have the skills you need on your team. You just need to take the time to find them and groom them for these new roles.

I know it takes time. Talent management is one part of managing that often gets neglected when you’re doing all the other aspects of your job. When so many managers today are busy with other work, they often neglect the people management aspects of their jobs.

Being a manager of people means helping them identify their talents and their aspirations. Build professional development plans to help them achieve their goals. And you’ll be doing yourself a favor: you’ll be creating the team you need to move the organization to the next level.