Talent management is not an easy thing to do, mostly when talent is so subjective and sometimes difficult to direct. However, it is essential for business growth and also as part of managerial skills. Talent is not always understood by managers due to its lack of definition for the organization and the department interested in it. But how can anybody not be interested in recruiting talented people? This makes no sense. Surprisingly, there are cases in which managers say they are looking for talented candidates and when it is right in front of them, they just reject it or simply don’t know how to manage talent once they are in. Why does this happen? What can be done by management to improve hiring talent?

Here are 9 tips that will boost your talent management:

1.Define talent according to the organizational values, culture, mission and vision. Yes, this might seem very obvious or maybe quite trite, but it is often forgotten or poorly addressed when recruiting.  First and foremost, specify what talent is for you as a manager and then what the organization considers talent. Do they match at all? How is that talent going to be useful for that role? What are your expectations from a talented candidate or future employee?

2.Avoid using popular and trendy desirable skills to sound up-to-date in your job specs. For example, many believe that the skill “leadership” is what they want for every position in the organization. Leadership is a strong skill and very valuable, but only if you are willing to manage it. Leaders want to cause an impact, are innovative and need some degree of authority. So don’t fall for “trendy skills”.

3.Think about career development and career planning. How does the organization develop talent? How does it plan to retain it? For example, is career development possible within the organization? Do you take into account your staff future career progression? Take this things into consideration when looking for that next candidate, you might find someone who is perfect for the job and ambitious as well. Be prepared.

4.Focus on results instead of processes. Everybody has their own particular way of doing things. Micromanagement is the best way to kill rapport, engagement, trust and even motivation. Even more, it is likely that you reduce your chances of delegating someday if you keep micromanaging your staff. They are grownups who were hired due to their abilities, managers are not parents.

5.Consider Talent vs. Perseverance. Talent is not everything. Even more, it won’t be apparent all the time. Be cautious when expecting talent to show up right away. Regarding perseverance, this is a very valuable quality that can defeat talent. The candidate might be the most skilful, but if they lack perseverance, then they’ll have nothing to show for it. So never neglect your team or ignore their training needs.

6.Do not accept talented bullies. No matter how talented a person is, if this is a bully and makes people feel uncomfortable or insecure about themselves, you must do something about it. Talk to them in private right away after an inappropriate event; let them know how their behaviour is affecting the rest of the team (take care of confidentiality!). If they don’t commit to change, you will have to say good bye to them. Likewise, this will teach them a lesson. Also, many times bullies are not aware of how they are really behaving.

7.Appreciate introverts more. Yes, introverts tend to be ignored because they are not that outgoing. However, as a manager you should bear in mind that introverts have their particular qualities as well as extroverts and even tend to be great leaders if given the chance. Do not force them to be someone they are not and don’t promote an aggressive environment to try to motivate openness.

8.Don’t feel threatened by talent. This is not optional. As a manager you shouldn’t feel threatened by talented staff or employees. See them as the best way of improving your time management because you will be able to delegate tasks. Instead, train them and use this to develop your coaching skills.

9.Finally, bear in mind that to make the most of talent, a healthy work environment is key to promote high performance at work. This way, talent will be engaged, developed and stay dedicated to you and the business.

So be clear on what you as a manager and the organisation want. That way you can convey the right message to each and every one of your employees and head in the direction that is best for the business, together.