Without doubt, one of the great pleasures I get from life is the opportunity to work closely with so many talented and ambitious people. To see them wake up, stretch and start to increase their performance is amazing.
It also puts me in a good position to observe what is working, not working and also, notice how they are moving, what they are doing, to achieve their success.
Which is even more important given the last 18 months we have had!
Recently someone asked me, what will tomorrow’s top-talent look like?
Here’s what I’ve noticed, particularly over the last 6 months, and I think, will have a bearing on how well they perform in the coming years, and will distinguish them from everyone else – my seven characteristics of tomorrow’s top-talent…
Mental Agility of Tomorrow’s Top-Talent
Thought process balance rigidity and flexibility. They are conscious of how their mental landscape is influencing their thinking, and can then adapt to suit their purpose. Rather than being constrained by their values and beliefs, they are informed by them. When necessary, deliberately, they are able to adjust both values and beliefs to adapt to the changing circumstances.
In practical terms, this means they have well-tested problem-solving processes that objectively consider multiple-perspectives, recognise the impact of norms, biases and paradigms, and can then analyse objectively to arrive at options and strategies to move forward.
And they do this – fast!
Emotional Agility of Top Performers
This is a big one. For the majority, emotions run strong beneath the surface impacting every move, behaviour and decision. Today there is even more cause for strong emotions than ever, given the ambiguity, change and frustrations ambitious people need to navigate.
Being held to ransom by these emotions clouds thinking, diverts energy and obscured the facts. Aware of their emotional life, conscious of the negative (and positive) impact, top-performers of tomorrow are able to easily put aside the emotions at the right time, and bring the right emotions back into play when the decisions have been made.
Decision Agility for Success
Top-talent have always had a passion for making fast and good decisions. The right balance between information and risk, speed and positioning and sensitive to their political context. Since we all have to work with less information the risks are higher, so an intuitive sense of what is unknown raises their competence as decision-makers.
Yet agility is needed, because once a decision has been made, they need to stay alert to change. What was known at the time of the decision, what was intuited, can swiftly change and the current climate makes this far more likely.
So instead of making fast decisions and doggedly sticking to them, tomorrow’s top-talent will be open to the reality those decisions may need to change, albeit reluctantly.
That said, they will also have a…
Certainty Mindset
This means, that instead of wavering with their decisions, and flip-flopping around, they will step back and focus on the end results, and be 100% certain they will achieve the result – no matter what. How they define the result is where the artistry comes in, giving them the room to manoeuvre as time plays out.
But, come hell or high water, they will achieve their goals.
It is this level of conviction that enables them to stay on the path of their decisions long enough for that decision to lead to substantive progress, yet not getting so wedded to the path that they are unable to jump to a different route.
Definite on the ends, flexible on the means.
Tapping into Multi-Source Inputs
Supporting all of this is a superb critical thinking ability that reality embraces inputs from many different sources. Cultures, professions, narratives, conspiracies, rebels, conformists, all have their role to play in the mind of tomorrow’s top-talent and are welcomed as friends, at least for a while.
This is absolutely necessary because the answers they need to come up with cannot arise from a single source, not any more. These people recognise that what has gone before, has gone. So relishing exposure to diverse viewpoints, beliefs and the like, is a part of the day job.
Paradigm Shifters
Radicals at heart, to survive this is not enough. What the top-talent of tomorrow will also have to do, is help others to shift too. We have seen transformation being limited by the the psychological and emotional change abilities of the people, now we cannot tolerate sluggish change.
Yet you still cannot do this without people, so top performers will need to be exceptionally good at helping others to adopt alternative perspectives, change their patterns of beliefs, embrace diversity and learn how to view the world differently.
And in this regard, I think this will be the stand-out feature, being able to take others on the journey, leading the way, helping bring people on-board. While they may be able to do it themselves, it will be so much easier to perform tomorrow with a vibrant band of enthusiastic supporters.
Oomph
Last but by no means least, energy, passion and enthusiasm. Positive (because of their certainty), driven and going that extra mile. Not necessarily working themselves into burnout, but engaging with people in such a way that it is obvious to all that they are going to get there.
Realistic about the challenges, yet motivated, assertive and demanding of themselves and others, to break through and get the result.
Well, this is my list of seven. There are lots more that will also be needed, such as execution, innovation, empathy, intellect – but let me stop here with a question…
What SEVEN characteristics do you think will be most descriptive of tomorrow’s top-talent?
And even more importantly…
What are YOU going to do to make sure you’re recognised as tomorrow’s top-talent today?
Colin Gautrey
Provocative Coach/Mentor | Specialism: Impact and Influence
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