Not-so-standard deviation

We know it matters. People go to “war” for it. Football clubs pay millions for it. Some are innately endowed with it, while others strive diligently to earn it. “It” is talent, which is evolving into a science for some HR professionals and a passion for many line managers. A multitude of programmes have been developed to attract, retain and upgrade talent. Yet it is easy to get lost in all the promises, programmes and processes and lose sight of the basics. There is even disagreement over what talent means.

At the risk of oversimplifying, let me suggest that there is actually a deceptively simple formula for talent that can help HR professionals and general managers to turn their aspirations into actions: talent = competence + commitment + contribution.