According to experts in the field of hiring and training development, there is a great potential within our own companies for talented individuals.

Why are we not recognizing those already in our midst? An explanation is: when people are working at lower levels than their management abilities, we can't see what they can really do.

And in this day and age, we have a lot of people laid off from downsized companies who have to take lower level positions for survival.

We just don't recognize who's working for us or with us. We limit our people by their current titles, functions and departments.

Yet getting to know our people is not hard to do - we just need to talk to them! It's up to management to initiate such talks.

Some companies have implemented "Talent Development Programs". What we really need are "Talent Recognition Programs". Management needs to take the time to recognize whom we have amongst those employees currently working as "latent talent".

There are scores of qualified, skilled individuals who have had to take on jobs many levels below their business capabilities and experiences because of economic downturn or simply because nobody has recognized their abilities and given them a chance to prove themselves.

Dig up your employees' resumes again, from the interviewer's forgotten files, and get familiar with them. Let's not leave these highly personal information papers to die in the aftermath of the initial interview. Then let's talk to our people and ask the right questions.

Test with projects that the individual can work on for short periods of time - say a week, a month or three months and find out what they can do. All this should happen with proper delegating, empowerment and regular meetings.

Finally, let's assess ourselves and REGOGNIZE the assets that we have in our people.

/end of article.

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Diane M. Hoffmann(c)2002.