People are the critical contributors to the value of a business offering, it’s the reality of the world we live in today. Your people are the centre of organisational performance.

Every market leader knows that talent unlocks competitive advantage.

That said, with the speed of change and companies constantly evolving to be competitive, the relationship between leaders and their people is changing.

So, how do you unlock your most important investment and make people the ‘secret sauce’ in your business?

For me, these are the two ingredients that help unlock your people asset:

1. Discover the hidden talents of your people. I always get surprised when I find out that a person in the business has some special skill that is not known to me. Conduct a skills-based audit on your people, then tap into those talents. Businesses need to spend time discovering those talents. It’s also financially beneficial to leverage the internal skills in your business rather than buying skills that already exist in your own people.
2. Spend more time in the hiring process. Employ people who are willing to learn and are full of integrity. Hire people who are empathetic and are proven team players. Also, in this time of accelerated change, ensure you determine how ‘adaptable’ people are in the interview process. This will support the ongoing innovation in your evolving business.

These two actions can assist in allowing people to consistently do their very best work, repaying your confidence with increased output and innovation.

How does your company nurture the existing talents of your employees? Share your thoughts in the comments below.