Identifying the potential in corporate talent may be as easy as a simple survey.
"We are deeply steeped in competence analysis," said Mary B. Esteves, president of Nova Consulting, at her recent presentation "The Right Stuff: Identifying High-Potential Talent in Your Organization" at Business Expo 2002 in Providence.
Through its database of more than 10,000 interviews with high performers, the company was able to pinpoint what distinguishes outstanding performance, said Esteves.
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Esteves founded Nova, headquartered in Bristol, which offers its talent and teamwork assessment services, among others to clients including Gilbane Building Company, the U.S. Naval Academy, Levi Strauss and American Airlines.
The company’s talent capacity survey helps an employer know what talent is in an organization, by evaluating employees’ characteristics, which are separate from skills, Esteves said. The survey tests individuals for the seven competencies that Nova has found through its research of top performers: high standards, a willingness to be a team player, problem solving, ability to assess and read a situation, effective communication skills and a willingness to take risks.
Of the seven characteristics, Esteves mentioned communication skills and an ability to view situations and others discerningly as two of the most important.
Inability to accurately assess and read other people "can be a source of interpersonal conflicts in the workplace," Esteves said. "And if you’re going to be an outstanding contributor to an organization, you have to be a good communicator."
Also important is for an individual to be an initiator and a risk-taker.
"It’s the combination of the two that make the difference," Esteves said. "It’s not enough just to take risks, it’s the person who takes calculated risks that will make the difference."
Identifying which of the seven characteristics that are vital to a company or an individual job can help streamline the hiring process and assure the best candidates are selected.
"The typical set of questions may or may not get you the information that you need," Esteves said. "Ask them to describe for you a situation in which they felt effective. Ask them to describe a situation where they didn’t feel effective."
Esteves gave examples of several different ways Nova clients have used the surveys in their organizations.
One, a computer company taking a new product to market, needed to bring engineers from different countries together to develop a project. It was necessary for the engineers to interact with the firm’s marketing staff as well. The company used the surveys to determine which engineers would thrive in a collaborative environment.
"They had viewed this as a ‘mission impossible’ project, but it wasn’t by the time they were done," said Esteves.
A manufacturer used the survey to identify which engineers from the field could be groomed for leadership positions; the surveys helped a retail chain identify top sales candidates and combat turnover. Esteves said the retailer found that high talent hires were selling 60 percent more product than co-workers in 90 days, and that the retention of high talent hires was 80 percent higher than that of lower performers.
Knowing a company’s needs is vital to the success of the survey, Esteves said, and "if you target talent and are sure you’re selecting the right characteristics for your business, it’s going to make a difference for you."
