Maverick Mastery®

Even good managers can find it difficult being effective team leaders, often their efforts can be thwarted by troublesome team members. These team members can have an adverse effect on how a team operates and performs and can present quite a challenge to overcome! Often you can divide troublesome team members into two camps, those that are wilfully independent, mavericks if you will, and those that are difficult because they enjoy causing trouble.

When your team is being affected by a troublesome team member it is important to decide which camp they belong to because how you manage them will be quite different. If the person is someone who enjoys causing trouble, perhaps because they have a grudge to settle or they just find it amusing to be the centre of attention, then you will find that ‘traditional’ management techniques will work well with them. Those that are willfully independent (mavericks), will need a different intervention because they are more likely to need more of your attention and are not motivated in the same way as the rest of the population.

One of the telling differences between these two groups of people is one of intention. Troublesome Talent®, wilfully independent mavericks, only want to do what their believe is right and will risk everything to deliver against that. Difficult people by their very nature, wishes to cause trouble regardless of whether they are right or not in their assumptions. These individuals are easier to manage!

Troublesome Talent® has a particular way in which they need to be managed to ensure that you get the best out of them and they improve the performance of the team rather than distracts and derails it. For best results you should:

• Be available. It is very important that you give Troublesome Talent® the attention that they need at the times that they want it. The worse thing that you can do is ignore them, this will just prompt them to be disruptive to the team and encourage them to undermine you at every opportunity.

• Recognise their expertise. All mavericks thrive on others recognising their expertise and their uniqueness. Do not fall into the trap of constantly praising them as they will not trust constant reinforcement of how good they are. It is more beneficial to look out for the moments when they do something particularly outstanding even for them – and then let them know that you were impressed.

• Be realistic in regards to the necessity of rules. Unlike other types of employees, they find it very difficult to work within rules that appear bureaucratic in nature and do not support the stated goal. Draw up guidelines that they work within rather than constraining rules.

• Give them a compelling reason to change. Let them know that their behaviour is unacceptable, at times when they have gone too far. Get this right and you will have their respect for ever. Remember, the way to do this is to influence them to change their behaviour – employing command and control tactics will make things worse.

• Let them create, even if that means they do this at odd times during the day. If they respect and believe in you, they will work tirelessly to ensure that your vision is implemented and is successful.

• Demonstrate belief in them. Trust is a great motivator and if your Troublesome Talent® senses that you don’t trust them they are likely to turn their talents elsewhere.

Troublesome Talent® is often your most productive member of your team and if managed properly can be a great influencer. Frequently they are described as charming or manipulative, often it is down to you on which behaviour they will exhibit!

As the debate surrounding economic green shots of recovery on the horizon continues, organisations are being reminded by talent management expert Judith Germain to not lose sight of nurturing their most troublesome talent® in preparation for the upturn.

Despite the fact that they often do not utilise their talents effectively, Judith Germain, MD of leadership development company Dynamic Transitions is keen to remind organisations of the importance of their mavericks in helping the business to recover from the recession and why it is so important to recognise and manage the traits of their most troublesome talent®.

“The recession means that organisations need troublesome talent® more than ever to survive, and these individuals need understanding because they are different from the rest of the talent pool. Unfortunately the huge focus on redundancies and managing ’survivor syndrome’ of recent months could mean that many managers have taken their eye off these hugely valuable but high-maintenance team members,” says Germain.

According to Germain, mavericks tend to be the top performers in companies and within business but often displaying common traits such as low boredom and impatience, meaning that they often have trouble articulating what they want or what they mean.

“A more holistic approach to talent management is more likely to enable the manager to nurture and develop their troublesome talent® who are often ignored or excluded from management development programmes due to their personalities or ability to cause disruption within a structured organisation. Whilst your maverick at work is very articulate, they may have problems communicating with others in a way that their audience can understand and accept. If you ask your troublesome talent® whether you are doing a good job, and they feel that you are not, expect to receive blunt, to the point feedback on your shortcomings,” reveals Germain.

Germain is also concerned that senior management may have lost sight of their role in nurturing talent and could end up switching back to the old ways of talent management where HR carried all the responsibility for talent management initiatives.

“Historically, there has been a general lack of accountability for leadership development by senior management and many organisations had realised this was an outdated approach, just as the recession hit. Managers need to be aware that it is no longer just HR’s responsibility alone to develop talented individuals – troublesome or not – they must be nurtured by senior management. Mavericks should not be ignored and companies that do, run the risk of slipping behind global competitors who recognise their part to play in piecing the business back together as the economy improves,” says Germain.

Ends

A good training course delivers its objectives, is interesting and interactive and allows for the differing learning styles of the attendees. The success of the course will require an effective trainer who can impart their knowledge whilst retaining the attention of the learners. Understanding human behaviour is often a requisite to being able to deliver a course that can exceed the expectations put upon it.

First things first

When you are delivering training it’s important to understand not only what your required outcomes are, but also what the organisational goals are, the prevailing context and what the attendees were told about the course before they arrived. You are more likely to have a higher proportion of difficult people on your course if attendance was mandatory and not seen as necessary by them, and/or an organisational environment where major change is happening (eg redundancy).

Understanding the expectations of the attendees and whether they are likely to be hostile to your training intervention is therefore vital. If this is a possibility then it’s important to design the content of the course accordingly and deal with their potential hostility upfront and immediately that the course starts. A ‘safe’ way to do this is when you ask the attendees what their objectives are for the training course. Our experience shows that at this stage the attendees often articulate any resentment to being on the course and how they feel about the organisation. This is a fantastic opportunity to discover their objections, listen to their issues and calibrate them to the need for attending the course. This is why knowledge of the organisational context is important. It is imperative that this section on understanding their objections and you addressing them should be kept very short. The last thing that you want to do is spend significant time discussing their objections as it will have a destabilising effect of the morale of the group and your ability to deliver the course well and on time.

It is very common (and to be expected) that there will be at least one member of the course who will feel the need to demonstrate their expertise and challenge your authority or credibility in running the course. A good trainer would have used the five minute introduction phase of the course to establish they credibility and to flush out the individuals who are likely to be ‘lively’.

Delivering a lively, interesting course – mindful of the attendees behaviour

Some trainers mistakenly believe that delivering training in environments where some hostility is shown means they are entering a battle zone! The problem with this theory is that within every training environment there will be some hostility! The actions of the trainer can therefore make it substantially worse.

A good trainer does the following subconsciously:

• Analyse the attendees behaviour to discover which ones fall into the subsequent categories

• The ‘know it all’

• The ‘sceptic’

• The ‘been there done it’

• The ‘enthusiastic puppy’

• The ‘maverick’

• The ‘follower’

• The ‘academic’

• The ‘life long learner’

• The ‘demotivator’

• Adjust the course delivery and perhaps content to suit the training characteristics of the attendees

• Seek interaction and ensure that all learning styles are catered for

• Deal with each attendee according to their ‘training characteristic’ (for example the ‘maverick’ needs to be treated differently to the ‘follower’

• Are able to smoothly and flexibly shift their own style to meet the needs of the group

• Deliver a course that meets the objectives of the learner and the organisation

An example of dealing with a difficult training characteristic – the ‘maverick’

I define ‘maverick’ to mean wilful independence and it is this training characteristic which is probably the one that causes trainers the most difficulty. Mavericks have a high sense of self confidence and self esteem and believe that they are more intelligent than others. This can be a heady mix when they are faced with a trainer that has not established their credibility or is delivering a course that they consider to be boring or inappropriate for them.

The following are likely indicators that you are facing a maverick:

• You are asked a number of questions that are disrupting and show that they believe they know more than you do on the subject

• You are shown disrespect by the attendee (this can be on a continuum from mild to extreme)

• They show their displeasure through body language and audio clues (eg heavy sighs and rolling of the eyes)

• You are challenged constantly and other attendees or yourself are undermined

• They refuse to participate in the course or the exercises

Interventions to use with the maverick training characteristic

• Establish credibility upfront and immediately

• Discover their objectives/objections for being on the course (and build into the course)

• Find a way to avoid making them look stupid (if you fail you are likely to make running the training course extremely difficult)

• Ensure that you do not lose control or appear uneasy

• Provide boundaries and structure (when you need to enforce your control, do it quickly and do not dwell on it – avoid trying to make the maverick lose face in front of their peers)

• Be clear on the objectives of the course, and how the course will run. What are the components of the course?

• Give them something to do – eg ensure they lead on some of the exercises

• Recognise them (whilst ensuring that they do not dominate the course) and appeal to their intellectual ability

Training courses present the trainer with an opportunity to engage with all members of team, even those who seem to be resistant to whatever you are trying to teach them. Remember that a one size fits all approach is unlikely to be successful as is approaching resistance from a defensive position! It can be easy to spend the majority of the course then fighting your corner, but by using some of the techniques mentioned above, you can be better placed to deliver a lively and interesting course which has benefit for all those in attendance.

I define Troublesome Talent® as the wilfully independent. This is the type of person who is recognised as being a maverick – hugely talented but difficult to manage. They often complete targets and objectives with ease but cause enormous problems with colleagues and peers in the process. All the while being loved by the customer. I often get involved when the business loses patience and is faced with the dilemma – ‘Do I sack or do I develop?’ Sacking can be a very expensive option, not least due to the disruption to the business.

What makes Troublesome Talent® so different from the rest of the talent pool?

I believe that talent management is the ability to nuture, develop and maintain the talent of the organisation so that they can meet the objectives of the organisation. It is a holistic approach to managing talent rather than a specific component approach that many companies undertake. For example concentrating talent management strategies on the ‘top team’ or ‘high potentials’ rather than on key talent across the organisation.

This holistic approach is more likely to enable the manager to nuture and develop their Troublesome Talent® who are often ignored or excluded from talement management programmes due to their personalities or ability to cause disruption within a structured organisation.

The common question posed by a maverick is ‘Why?’

Mavericks do not compromise their standards to fit in, and therefore cannot be managed conventionally. Despite the fact that they often do not utilise their talents effectively, mavericks tend to be the top performers in companies and within business. Common traits of low boredom and impatience means that mavericks often have trouble articulating effectively what they want or what they mean.

They are unlikely to go with the flow for an easy life which is unlike the rest of the talent pool. These individuals will not only acknowledge ‘the elephant in the room’ they will actively try to drive it out – which is the exact reverse of what is expected in most companies and will often be treated which huge amount of suspicion. Often managers feel challenged by these individuals and react to them in an aggressive way which will typically drive Troublesome Talent® to initially protest and then react by becoming destructive within the company.

How would you develop Troublesome Talent®?

When you are considering developing your Troublesome Talent® it is worth considering the three points below, which can be considered the biggest challenges that they face.

Communication with others and the need to speak the truth

Whilst your maverick at work is very articulate, they may have problems communicating to others in a way that their audience can understand and accept. If you ask your Troublesome Talent® whether you are doing a good job, and they feel that you are not; expect to receive blunt, to the point feedback on your shortcomings. They are extremely loyal to those that they trust and respect so if you are their manager and do not live up to their expectations – expect a rough ride!

For example mavericks have an overiding need to tell the truth. They feel that to do otherwise affects who they are and lessens their integrity – one of the principles that they hold dear. This is why communication can be fraught, their need to tell the truth far outweighing the need to not upset someone else. The trait not to upset someone is not usually as well developed as it is in others. This is generally because the maverick has such high self esteem, there is little that will upset him and he naturally feels that everyone else is like him. (Do not assume that your Troublesome Talent® is however unable to be hurt at work).

It’s important to develop their communication skills and that doesn’t mean sending them on a communications course! What they need is mentoring on the cause and effect of their behaviour tied in with a compelling reason for them to change. Without a compelling reason there will not be any change at all – they are not concerned with ‘fitting in’, so get to know them. What do they want? Promotion? Variety? Autonomy? – then tailor their learning on how they can achieve what they desire. Be realistic with them, don’t lie – if they catch you out, they will not forgive or forget!

High self esteem and self confidence

This can often be interpreted as arrogrance rather than the high self confidence that they feel. Troublesome Talent® often only express an opinion with quiet insistence when they know they are right. This can often mean they do not appear to listen to counter arguments or may appear to be inflexible once they have made their decision. It’s a problem of perception rather than just behaviour. This is a communication issue and should be addressed as such.

The need to complete objectives

Mavericks like to complete their objectives as they take pride in solving problems and finding solutions. They will often induldge in lateral thinking to solve the problem, seeing things often missed by others. They are`also likely to break rules that appear unimportant or break with protocol to ensure that an objective is met. Mavericks are often punished or penalised for taking this route which can lead them to becoming despondent and destructive.

Their development in this area depends on your ability to enable them to see the consequences of their actions. The effect of a single minded pursuit for a solution can sometimes not justify the journey to get there. Often Troublesome Talent® is rewarded by the organisation for this behaviour (bigger bonuses, recognition) whilst at the same time being punished for it by HR teams or their manager. This is counter productive and can be confusing to the employee.

Troublesome Talent should not be ignored and companies that do run the risk of slipping behind their global competitors who place developing talent as their number one priority. There is lack of accountability for leadership development by senior management they need to realise that it is not HR’s responsibility to develop individuals – it must be developed by senior management if it is to have any impact on developing and retaining talent for the future.

In this economic climate there is a lot of temptation to ‘rationalise’ the workforce by shedding difficult individuals that consume a substantial amount of management time and pose an increasing risk of litigation in the future. This becomes even more attractive when the HR Director is challenged with the request to downsize an organisation, especially if they have the mistaken belief that by reducing the number of Troublesome Talent® they reduce the number of problems within the company.

Wilfully independent people (Troublesome Talent®) tend to be the 20% of the best performers in an organisation although they can present 80% of the problems. Persevering with them however, can be rewarding as they have the ability to knock a company out of complacency and into increased performance and profitability. Managing these difficult but talented individuals is becoming increasingly more complicated within flatter organisations. This is especially true where managers and team leaders are responsible for the performance of a workforce that are not their direct reports.

Trying to impose a conformist approach on these individuals is most likely to ensure that they become dysfunctional! I define leadership as trusted influence. Leadership over management is the key to harnessing this type of talent, with success dependent on an individualistic approach. Troublesome Talent® require their leaders to be worthy of following, having little time for those that do not come up to their exacting requirements. A good leader is able to inspire and extend trust and to influence their Troublesome Talent® to become better leaders, regardless of the position that they may hold within the company. Helping to instil leadership capability, (including emotional and social intelligence) into these difficult but talented individuals is a great first step to harnessing their talent.

It is important to provide your Troublesome Talent® with as much time that their need. These individuals value their expertise and their unerring ability to be right! As such they fear looking stupid and will do whatever they can to ensure that they do not receive a knock to their self esteem. The ability to think well of themselves is all important. This is why they will want to be able to have instant access to their manager when they need to check their understanding of the brief. Restriction to this access will cause them to be resentful, frustrated and ultimately destructive. If their manager can remember that the constant questioning is not a challenge but a quest for clarity and respond appropriately, this will enable the individual to become more productive. Once they are able to fully understand what is required and the relevant boundaries of the brief they will usually hurtle off at break neck speed completing their task with accuracy, insight and efficiency.

Troublesome Talent®, sometimes referred to as Mavericks, require others to recognise their expertise and their uniqueness. Recognise this in subtle ways, as constant reinforcement of how good they are will be mistrusted. The best approach is to let them know that you are impressed when they exceed your expectations.

Demonstrate regularly and consistently that you believe in them. When a maverick mistrusts you – all is lost and it will be impossible to garner their cooperation in any initiative that you are involved in.

Try not to overly constrain them with unnecessary rules – they will break them anyway! Consider guidelines that allow them room to manoeuvre instead. This is the best way to get the most out of them.

When your talented employee ‘misbehaves’ you need to give them a compelling reason (for them) to change. Let them know that their behaviour is unacceptable, at times when they have gone too far. Get this right and you will have their respect for ever. Remember, the way to do this is to influence them to change their behaviour – employing command and control tactics will make things worse.

Remember, if your difficult but talented individual respects and believe in you, they will work tirelessly to ensure that your vision is implemented and is successful. For them to be effective, you need to let them be creative when and where they need to be.

UK companies run the risk of slipping behind global companies if they continue to focus on things that can work counter towards improving the business through leveraging their talent.

Many businesses understand the need to develop and nurture their top talent but according to the CIPD Global Leadership Forecast 2008-2009 accountability for this lies mostly with the HR team and junior managers within the business. Only 19% of UK senior managers being held accountable, in global companies this rises to 36%.

Most business leaders are aware of the old adage ‘you get what you measure’ and this can explain why there appears to be failure in companies ability to ensure that effective leadership development takes place. Senior management abrogating accountability can be an effective way to ensure the success or otherwise of this vital development is hidden in a HR metric, potentially not even aligned to the business.

The CIPD found that 64% of UK companies felt that improving or leveraging top talent was a number one pirority for their business. To achieve this then overall accountability must move from HR (who should continue to support managers in this area) and junior managers to senior managers. This is the most effective way to ensure that talent management is taken seriously by the company and enables our business priorities like improving customer service and maintaining growth in increasingly competitive markets take place.

Senior management can be held accountable in a number of ways the most effective include:

• Align accountability for talent management to salary and bonus schemes

• When senior managers resort to the Board on their functional responsibilities like growth targets,talent management has an equal amount of ‘airspace’

• Ensure that senior management are not promoted unless there is a successor readily available

• Ensure that talent management is addressed as a senior management team not just an individual managers responsibilty

• Enable the HR team to hold senior management accountable to effect talent management as well as the Board.

The measures above are designed to ensure that senior management remains focused on developing and nuturing top talent as a key importance to the business. These managers are most able to define key talent’s career opportunities, morale and ability to perform well for the company via their direct control or patronage. If this ability is used well then the company is more likely to achieve its strategic objectives.

Brand reputation is rapidly becoming the ultimate decision maker, but many small businesses are putting their earning capacity at peril by treating social networks as just ‘places to hang out with friends’, according to reputation specialist Judith Germain.

In an internet-led world where consistency is essential and everything that is recorded there is of a permanent nature, Germain claims that many business owners are simply forgetting that social networking sites are places where reputation and credibility is established, maintained and developed, and are not just a place to ‘hang out with friends’.

“Many business owners take a relaxed and whimsical approach to how they network on places like Facebook, which can be quite detrimental to them. Others join business networks and then remain ‘invisible’ to the membership, ignoring the opportunity to enhance their reputation and find advocates for their service,” says Germain, MD of Dynamic Transitions and Vice President of the BlackStar Life Members Community on Ecademy.

In her recent article ‘How to have the right reputation for your business’, which is currently the most liked article on Ecademy, (and originally published in Better Business), Germain reveals that brand perception and delivery is becoming all important for the survival of the business. Although small business owners often have a habit of believing that this isn’t an issue for them, not realising that it can determine whether their business stands out from the crowd and whether they will secure business from the competition. She explains that when businesses have chosen to pursue a pull marketing strategy (especially on a social network) they need to ‘pass through’ a number of stages to ensure that they are building the right reputation to gain advocacy.

“People increasingly buy from those that they know, like and trust, especially where the purchase is service rather than product related. Being credible and having a good reputational (personal) brand is essential, enabling the buyer’s decision-making process to choose you over another business each and every time. Your business strategy needs to incorporate your personal brand, and how you intend to leverage it. Remembering that with pull marketing, people will buy from those that they trust, it is therefore important to create a brand that is trustworthy, and consistent no matter where it is encountered,” says Germain.

Whilst the current economic climate shows no signs of improving in the short term, Germain believes that the increased competition for reduced customer spend has meant that establishing and promoting your competitive advantage has never been so crucial.

“A good, strong and credible reputation is the one thing which can provide you with the superior and sustainable leverage you need to survive the credit crunch, whilst others around you fall by the wayside, and it will not cost you a penny,” says Germain.

Judith Germain is managing director and principal mentor of Dynamic Transitions.; a leadership company specialising in working with Troublesome Talent ® and improving business performance within organisations. You can download their free article ‘How to have the right reputation for your business’ at www.developing-leadership.com/whitepapers.html For more information visit www.developing-leadership.com or email jude@dynamic-transitions.co.uk

ENDS

For press enquiries please contact Rebecca King on 01603 283506 or Rebecca@mediajems.co.uk.

I believe that talent management is the ability to nurture, develop and maintain talent, so the objectives of the organisation can be met. It is an holistic approach to managing talent rather than a specific component approach that many companies undertake. For example, concentrating talent management strategies on the top team or high fliers, rather than on key talent across the organisation.

This holistic approach is more likely to enable the manager to nurture and develop their troublesome talent®, who are often ignored or excluded from management development programmes due to their personalities or ability to cause disruption within a structured organisation.

The common question posed by a maverick is ‘why?’

Mavericks do not compromise their standards to fit in, and therefore cannot be managed conventionally. Despite the fact that they often do not utilise their talents effectively, mavericks tend to be the top performers in companies and within business. Common traits of low boredom and impatience mean they often have trouble articulating what they want or what they mean.

They are unlikely to go with the flow for an easy life, which is unlike the rest of the talent pool. These individuals will not only acknowledge ‘the elephant in the room’ they will actively try to drive it out – which is the exact reverse of what is expected in most companies and will often be treated which huge amount of suspicion. Managers may feel challenged by these individuals and react to them in an aggressive way, which will typically drive the troublesome to protest and then react by becoming destructive within the company.

How can you develop troublesome talent?

When you are considering developing your troublesome talent these are the three biggest challenges that they – and you – face.

Communication with others and the need to speak the truth

Whilst your maverick at work is very articulate, they may have problems communicating with others in a way that their audience can understand and accept. If you ask your troublesome talent whether you are doing a good job, and they feel that you are not, expect to receive blunt, to the point feedback on your shortcomings. They are extremely loyal to those that they trust and respect so if you are their manager and do not live up to their expectations – expect a rough ride!

For example, mavericks have an overiding need to tell the truth. They feel that to do otherwise affects who they are and lessens their integrity – one of the principles that they hold dear. This is why communication can be fraught, their need to tell the truth far outweighing the need to not upset someone else. The trait not to upset someone is not usually as well developed as it is in others. This is generally because they have such high self esteem, there is little that will upset them and they naturally feel that everyone else is like them. (Do not assume, however, that they are unable to be hurt at work).

It’s important to develop their communication skills and that doesn’t mean sending them on a communications course. What they need is mentoring on the cause and effect of their behaviour, tied in with a compelling reason for them to change. Without a compelling reason there will not be any change at all – they are not concerned with ‘fitting in’, so get to know them. What do they want? Promotion? Variety? Autonomy? Then tailor their learning on how they can achieve what they desire. Be realistic with them, don’t lie – if they catch you out, they will not forgive or forget.

High self-esteem and self confidence

This can often be interpreted as arrogrance rather than the high self confidence that they feel. Often, they only express an opinion with quiet insistence when they know they are right. This can mean they do not appear to listen to counter arguments or may appear to be inflexible once they have made their decision. It’s a problem of perception rather than just behaviour. This is a communication issue and should be addressed as such.

The need to complete objectives

Mavericks like to complete their objectives as they take pride in solving problems and finding solutions. They will often induldge in lateral thinking to solve the problem, seeing things missed by others. They are also likely to break rules that appear unimportant, or break with protocol to ensure that an objective is met. They are often punished or penalised for taking this route, which can lead them to becoming despondent and destructive.

Their development in this area depends on your ability to enable them to see the consequences of their actions. The effect of a single-minded pursuit for a solution can sometimes not justify the journey to get there. Often, troublesome talent is rewarded by the organisation for this behaviour (bigger bonuses, recognition) whilst at the same time being punished for it by HR teams or their manager. This is counter productive and can be confusing to the employee.

There seems to be a general lack of accountability for leadership development by senior management. But it is not HR’s responsibility alone to develop talented individuals – troublesome or not – they must be nurtured by senior management. Mavericks should not be ignored and companies that do, run the risk of slipping behind global competitors who recognise their potential.

Recession-stricken employees across the country are set to see more innovative and dynamic initiatives from organisations as they battle to motivate and retain their workforce during the recession, says talent management specialist Judith Germain.

With Tesco leading the way in employee engagement with their new monthly talent competition designed to increase footfall into stores and in turn boost employee morale, Dynamic Transitions MD Judith Germain says that companies have realised that their old methods simply aren’t effective in the current climate and now need to be more innovative in how they motivate and retain their most talented employees.

Germain says “with morale falling and companies predicted to be unable to pay bonuses or increase pay there is an increased risk of employee flight amongst the top performing employees. Tesco may have got the balance right with their latest talent show initiative as this could have the double effect of both increasing customer sales and employee’s sense of partnership with the company”.

However, alongside implementing new employee engagement programmes, Germain, who specialises in dealing with Troublesome Talent®, believes that there is perhaps an even more critical need for companies to ensure that their management teams have the right skills to lead the company during this difficult time and in particular their most talented employees.

“Only 20% of most workforces contain the top talent, yet it is these unconventional thinkers that drive companies forward and can provide real competitor advantage and first mover status. Often customers and clients love their flexibility and their unique ability to sense what is needed and what enables them to get close to the customer’s need in a way that their competitors struggle to”, says Germain.

“The problem is that many managers, particularly Generation X-ers, have not had enough relevant experience to manage in these changeable times and it is this lack of ability that is having a disastrous effect on morale and productivity. In our experience poor management is more prevalent at these times, and is often the main cause of such company disharmony that even with the best employee engagement programmes, companies could find it hard to recover”, adds Germain.

Judith Germain is founder of Dynamic Transitions, a leadership company specialising in dealing with Mavericks in the workplace and Troublesome Talent®. For more information visit www.developing-leadership.com

Realising creativity, harnessing talent

Troublesome Talent® can be an enigma for companies who are unsure whether they should be keeping their talent that is causing 80% of their problems but producing 20% of their profit. They are the type of people who are recognised as being a maverick – hugely talented but difficult to manage. They often complete targets and objectives with ease but cause enormous problems with colleagues and peers in the process. All the while being loved by the customer. Whilst the Maverick CEO may recognise himself in this description or others in his company like this, this recognition may hamper the company’s ability to harness this talent.

We often get involved when the business loses patience with their Troublesome Talent® and is faced with the dilemma – ‘Do I sack or do I develop?’ Sacking can be a very expensive option, not least due to the disruption to the business.

We enable the trouble to be taken out of the talent so that their maverick becomes less disruptive and more productive (Judith’s Managing Mavericks 4 minute video by clicking here).

Read more about Troublesome Talent® – the maverick in your business by clicking here.

Maverick Mastery® is essential for the restless mind realising the genius. See here.

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