Early in my management career, I had the opportunity to participate in a management development program that my company created for young managers with great potential. The company was headquartered in Dallas, so one of our speakers was Gil Brandt, who at the time, was VP of Player Personnel for the Dallas Cowboys. During his tenure, Dallas had come to prominence and was the envy of the NFL for its ability to select talent. His innovative methods for evaluating and selecting talent are now standard operating practice for all NFL teams.
The principles that Brandt used to bring superior talent to Dallas have application in today’s business world as well. One of the pioneering changes that Brandt made was to redefine talent. He took each position and determined the real talents that were needed the position. For instance, he recognized that kicking a football was no different than kicking a soccer ball. The skill of kicking translated from one sport to another. So instead of looking at a college football players’ kicking statistics, he began to evaluate kickers differently.
Many organizations are reluctant to hire people who do not have specific industry experience. I recognize that in some jobs, that a certain type of education or certification is required. However, many skills are transferable from one industry to another. Limiting the talent pool to those who have specific experiences with an industry may be limiting an organization’s ability to attract and retain top talent.
Another challenge to conventional wisdom that Brandt brought to evaluating talent was to understand the difference between talents that could be developed and talents that were natural. For example, a player’s speed and ability to jump were natural-born talents that could not be further developed. However, the techniques for playing certain positions such as defensive back were easier to develop. As a result, he drafted basketball players and turned them into outstanding defensive players. Cornell Green was a basketball player at Utah State. He never played college football, yet became a four-time All Pro defensive back.
In selecting talent for the business world, companies sometimes use the wrong criteria for evaluating talent. The best worker does not make the best supervisor. The best teacher does not make the best principal. The best nurse does not make the best administrator.
In his book, Jack :Straight From The Gut, Jack Welch says:
The inconsistency of my first hires was laughable… Many of the mistakes reflected my own prejudices. Academic pedigrees impressed me. Often, I found out that where they came from wouldn’t determine how good they’d be. I fell in love with resumes filled with degrees in different disciplines. Eventually I learned that I was really looking for people who were filled with passion and a desire to get things done.
The key to finding good talent is to better define the real talents needed for the job. These are often soft skills and attitudes that cannot be determined through looking at experience and education. Behavioral interviewing and assessments can do the same for business that Gil Brandt’s stop watch and measuring tape did for the Dallas Cowboys.