If you want a thing done well, do it yourself: An old proverb that has its place, but that place is most certainly not in management. Managers earn their way by helping others get things done well - leveraging their competence across a number of subordinates who can accomplish far more than any individual. All too often, though, managers - especially new managers - forget their role of working through others and revert to the old individual-contributor skill set to get a thing done well. This happens because they know very well how to do it; they do not know very well how to get someone else to do it, do it right, and do it timely.

Career paths are such that the way ahead often follows this pattern: demonstrate competence and commitment as an individual contributor → get recognized has a high-performer → get promoted into management. Not uncommonly, this career advancement comes without development - sometimes without awareness - of management competencies. The default notion of how to manage seems to generally go something like this: tell people what to do, observe for any defects in the work or the approach to work, and admonish the people for the defects. Have we mentioned the high percentage of workers who hate their boss? There must be a better way.

Every organization under the sun would benefit by optimizing its capability for talent management. From attracting top talent to selecting best talent + best fit to efficiently onboarding to effectively developing potential to managing performance, the components of talent management must be in place to enable high levels of organizational performance. This process is iterative: it applies to each new hire, but also to each promotion. Our current focus on the job of management centers on the development component of talent management, both development of the new manager's competencies and the managers responsibility for developing his/her people.
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