How Do You Identify Talent?

From the Past President

By Thomas O. Michel, LACP

Coaches call it the “it” factor. Spotting talent often comes down to being open to seeing it. It means that you have set aside your own biases and are really focused on observing the behaviors of others to understand what motivates them to do what they do. True talent is coupled with the drive to continuously learn and improve. The two go hand-in-hand. The “it” factor of talent is shown when you encounter an individual that has exceptional listening skills, is empathetic, has open body posture and holds direct eye contact, who asks thoughtful questions, and provides insightful observations. By identifying those individuals that exhibit these qualities, you as a leader can put them in a position of influence and help to encourage their peers to model and exhibit the same behaviors. By identifying talent and empowering talent to lead, you create a lifecycle of positive leadership.

From the President

By Lawrence Holzberg, LUTCF, LACP

Look for the person who is making things happen. True talent has a drive of their own and does not get sidetracked or discouraged when obstacles arise or challenges change the original plan. Talented individuals adapt – and adapt quickly – to changing circumstances and constantly look for ways to optimize their own time, as well as the time and talent of others that they lead. I also identify talent by assessing how individuals cope in a growth environment. Top talent can handle – and typically thrives – in an environment where everything is not mapped out for them, where there is not perfect knowledge of systems and processes. Talented individuals are able to navigate the unknowns and make decisions quickly. More importantly, talented individuals are flexible and will make new decisions when new information presents itself instead of stubbornly sticking with previously made decisions out of pride. The person with a long trail of finished projects is a good indicator of talent.

From the President-Elect

By Bryon Holz, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, CASL, LACP

Another indicator of top talent is energy. The energy that an individual brings to the room is very telling. Does the individual aim to uplift everyone? Do people feel good about themselves around the individual? Identifying a leader means that the individual must not only be able to create an outstanding work product for themselves, but more importantly, influence others around them to perform at high levels. How an individual interacts with others and supports others are key indicators to me of talent. Another key to identifying talent is understanding what mix of leaders you need on a team. I think there are two skills involved in talent identification – first, the ability to identify talent, and second, the ability to blend different talented individuals into a functioning team. Identifying the various aspects of talent in individuals and then figuring out how to put them together in a way that leads to an explosion in innovation and performance is another aspect of talent identification that all leaders should consider. Talent identification of individuals, as well as talent teaming, are critical skills to build successful organizations.

CEO CORNER

Apex follows on the heels of our in-person Congressional Conference in May. At this NAIFA signature advocacy event, more than 500 industry producers went to Washington, D.C., for advocacy training, policy briefings, and in-person meetings with more than 350 congressional offices.

award winners, including the John Newton Russell Memorial Award recipient, the Terry Headley Lifetime Defender, Young Advisor Team Leader of the Year, NAIFA Diversity Champion, and Advisor Today ’s 4 Under 40. More information is on our website at belong.naifa.org/nlc.

Nothing compares to a face-to-face meeting. That’s why it was so exciting to gather with many top producers and nationally renowned speakers this August for NAIFA’s Apex sales summit at the fabulous Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. As you’ll see from photos and articles in this issue of Advisor Today, we held a fantastic event that allowed attendees to increase their professional knowledge, network with highly successful colleagues and industry leaders, and have a lot of fun.

The success of the Congressional Conference and Apex builds momentum for NAIFA’s upcoming National Leadership Conference and Belong awards celebration. This in-person event, November 13-15 in Washington, D.C., will constitute NAIFA’s annual business meeting, but it also offers so much more. The NLC provides training for NAIFA chapter and national leaders and will include remarks by NAIFA’s 2022 and 2023 leaders on the state of NAIFA and their vision for the future. The NLC is followed by Belong, a gala celebration of NAIFA’s annual

The pandemic forced all of us to modify how we connect with clients, colleagues, and our professional association. We became Zoom experts and grew accustomed to connecting exclusively online. Many of us also developed Zoom fatigue and yearned for face-to-face connections. NAIFA is your professional association, and we are committed to bringing our members together to amplify their advocacy voice, help them grow professionally, and celebrate their achievements. It’s great to be able to do so in person!