We're counting on YOU to manage our Talent

You do not have the luxury of being issued an élite group of subordinates like Delta or the 75th – Your job is to maximize the strengths of the leaders you have and make them better.

It is your first day in the Battalion and you realize that not all of your subordinates are rock stars. Welcome to reality. That is why the unit needs you. Here are three simple ways to maximize your team's performance: 1) Identify your subordinates’ strengths 2) Assign duties based on those strengths 3) Develop them to improve their weaknesses. Identifying a person’s strengths can take time. Lazy leaders discount a weaker performer and pile all the tasks on their strong swimmer. This creates dissatisfaction in both subordinates and limits the productivity within the organization. You must evaluate each subordinate and identify what they can contribute. This takes time and creativity. Talents can include: good with numbers, high emotional intelligence, detailed oriented, a super strong work ethic, a great natural team builder, a superb public briefer/speaker, etc. Everyone has talent, it is your job to find it. Use personal interaction, observation, and counseling to identify these strengths. Once you identify their strengths give them missions or tasks that match their capabilities. Your detail oriented leaders will succeed in areas that your emotionally intelligent leaders will not. Get the Square peg in the square hole. Lastly, you need to knock off the rough edges and develop your subordinates. If they can not brief or plan it is your job to teach them. Make sure your Soldiers leave the organization better than when they arrived. YOU owe this to the individual and the Soldiers they will lead in the future. By Identifying Individual Strengths, Assigning duties based on those strengths, and Developing their weaknesses you will maximize your team’s potential!