“Talent get you in the door,
but character keeps you in the room!” Pretty wise words by leadership expert
John Maxwell. But in the fast-paced world of the new digital economy, what wins? In my work with established
professionals and leaders, I often think out loud about what matters most to
them and their employers.
A recent whitepaper by the Business
Higher Education Forum reveals startling trends and facts about the types of
jobs that are emerging in the digital economy and the skill-sets that will be
in demand. The researchers discovered that, yes, technical Digital Building
Block skills such as managing and analyzing data, programming, and cyber
security will be in high demand. But there are two other skill areas will be
critical: Business Enabling skills such as project management, digital
design, and other business processes will be needed to operationalize digital
solutions. Leadership skills which the researchers call soft or “human”
skills focus on communication, critical thinking, collaboration, analytical
skills and creativity are also incredibly important. Trust me, there is nothing
soft about solid leadership!
The researchers went on to
point out that individuals that possess at least some baseline competencies in
all three areas even though they may excel in two enjoy higher job mobility as
well as higher earning potential. Further, such balanced individuals are
incredible competitive and much sought after for more senior, C-Suite roles. Finally,
the sheer number of job opportunities that require these three areas will be
staggering!
Both Digital Building Blocks
and Business Enabling skills focus on talent, however, Leadership skills
are solidly grounded in character. In David Brooks compelling book, The Road to Character, he contends that character
is the foundation for any success in life. Those without it eventually become
victim to their lack of virtue and self-discipline. Character, however, can be
developed and grown which is the good news. The bad news is that it takes a lot
of work.
So now that I have made the case
of for the need of both talent and character, how do we demonstrate to our teams
or even future employers that we have both?
Focus
on Self AND Others
Many leadership programs these
days involve a “Working on Self” focus through assessments, mindfulness, and
other interventions. Now you may be thinking “What’s wrong with that?” On
balance nothing as long as there IS a balance of using those tools to add value
to others! Leadership in its purest sense is OTHER directed though not always
other oriented. You can and should do the important internal work but
eventually you have to lead on, for, or toward something involving some ones!
Focus
on what’s Relevant versus What’s Recent
Far too often we do not
realize our own transferrable skills. In fact, the researchers from the report
above state that the majority of job applicants do not list the skills they
have in the three domains even though they clearly have them or used them at
one time. The biggest mistake that applicants (and many hiring managers) make
is deciding that earlier experience is not valid experience. Nothing can be
further from the truth especially in light of the fact that many of the jobs we
had earlier in our careers required us to be the “doers” of many of the
processes captured in these domains.
Focus
on the Future
You can always learn new
techniques or skills through a course or a certification program. There are
many on-the-job opportunities to learn the digital building blocks needed to thrive
in the ever-evolving economy. There are many free on-line courses and other continuing
education opportunities available that are very cost effective. While you are
spinning up the technical skills continue to build the Character Muscles as author Jim Loehr calls them. Character comes
from doing the hard things, the inconvenient things, or the unpopular things NOW
so that your reputation for the future is impeccable.
So back to the original
question, does talent trump character? You certainly need both but think about
how you would prefer the people working with or for you? What are you willing
to train someone on and how do you want them to come already “factory equipped”?
I would wager you are happy to train team members on the technical skills but
you would expect them to already have a strong moral and character center.
David
Brooks goes on to share that as human beings we are much like “crooked timber”
and it should be our primary ambition to smooth out the rough spots and wood knots.
After that, everything is gravy!
As always if I can help you and
the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I invite
you to contact me.
Yours in leadership,
Bill Faulkner
Independent Coach, Speaker,
and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
Email = bill@outloudinc.com
For more information on the
John Maxwell Team, please visit
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