Last week I attended a meeting of the top 1% of consultants globally. With this sort of talent in one room, I listened carefully. One of the speakers focuses on small to medium sized businesses in North America ($5 million to $250 million). He said that the top areas he finds “in need of focus” include strategy, the management team and resources (ERP, working capital, etc.)
Since I focus on both small-medium and large, multi-billion dollar, global companies, I wanted to see what the top 1% of consultants thought about the list for the large companies as well. Interestingly, the one item both had in common was talent / management team.
How do you prioritize talent in your organization, your department or within your team of peers? From a personal perspective, how do you prioritize what you focus on in order to create an accelerated, growing career path?
One tip to implement this week:
If talent is the only item in common on both lists, it is undoubtedly true we should think further about talent. What is one item you can do this week to move the topic of talent forward, if even by an inch? Can you take a few minutes to mentor a colleague? Can you sign up for a class/ training program? Can you request information from your manager about where the company is headed and what you should read to better understand your industry, customer and/or supplier needs? Have you thought about succession planning, career paths and/or professional development programs? Pick one and take one step forward. Don’t worry about which one. Just pick any step to get moving in the right direction.
February 16, 2016