Talent detection is an essential subject for companies. Companies need to identify their talents in order to develop a potential map that facilitates decision-making regarding replacement teams and succession plans. (...)
Once the need (and opportunity) have been identified, it is important to understand that while the combination of performance and potential allows organizations to design strategies to maximize human capital, they are distinct concepts.
Some key concepts:
• Potential is defined as "an individual's current or projected ability to operate successfully in the future in higher-level or more complex positions," explains consultant Dina Sznirer. Hence, one of the critical variables is strategic thinking, that is, the ability to articulate long-term scenarios along with the complexity of problems someone can solve. Another key factor is leadership, the credibility of a project, objectives, and goals. And emotional competencies: frustration tolerance, stress management, self-regulation, and self-confidence.
• Talent is a repetitive pattern of successful behavior. It can be present or potential and allows a person to achieve a level of performance that most people could not. It can be reflected in various areas: intellectual, relational, psychomotor, or creative*.
In a year that promises to be challenging in every way, some companies are already beginning to recognize the need to strengthen their businesses and, instead of seeking talent from outside, begin developing and identifying the potential of existing employees.
Although many companies already have a Performance Evaluation System in place, high performance is often confused with high potential (although both are powerful characteristics that can be leveraged separately or together depending on each company's HR advancements). Therefore, it's necessary to differentiate and measure them.
With Performance Evaluation, we detect what is being done NOW and what level of performance employees are achieving, measured according to a set of critical factors. We can monitor and respond to deviations, understand how teamwork is developing, and assess the manager's ability to perform their specific tasks.
The Potential Assessment system aims to leverage the organization's available talent and plan its development. This allows the company to assess the potential capacity of its workforce, identifying internal candidates to fill key positions in the future and observing weaknesses and strengths in relation to current and future structural requirements, or ultimately determining the need for external recruitment for long-term development.
Individual potential is the variable that predicts a person's success in a given position. Unlike required competencies, individual potential is a given for every person at the present time. An individual whose current potential is below the complexity of their position will not be able to perform it efficiently, regardless of their skills or the effort they put forth. Conversely, if their potential exceeds the demands of the position, they will tend to seek other opportunities where they can fully utilize their capabilities, with the threat that losing a high-potential employee poses to the company.
There are many ways to evaluate performance and analyze potential. But these are only parts of a more complex system that must MANAGE both current performance and future growth to ensure staffing levels meet the organization's needs. If not, we invite you to remember the Fable of Felix the Flying Frog.
*Taken from the IECO supplement of the Clarin newspaper. December 2008
