Fear of the ‘New’
I am taking my son to the pool today.
He is 2 years old. We have been a few times but not enough for him to love it and immediately jump in. It is still new to him. You see, he loves the water until he is actually about to get in. What happens? He gets so excited about the idea of being in the water but when he actually gets to the pool he becomes unsure. The closer he gets, the more insecure he becomes. He gets scared at first.
The Fear of the ‘Unfamiliar’
My guess is that his initial fear exist as a result of not regularly and routinely being in the pool, wading around in waste-deep water. Sure he gets in the tub and he loves his bath, but he is familiar with that place.
Support
In the pool, since he is not completely comfortable, he reaches out in tears for me. I support him. I slowly take my time to guide him in the water. The magic is that once I get him in, after a short while he is comfortable. He knows when he is ready, and all of a sudden plays as if nothing were wrong.
Trying and Doing Something New
The same can be said for a new activity, us learning a new skill or taking a different approach. It is at first outside the realm of what we know. It is not what we are use to. That small wave of fear comes to us. But if we are one of the few lucky enough to have support (as well as be that support to others who face the same situation) then that fear can subside.
A manager asks us to deal with a difficult employee review, recruiting for a difficult role, a new piece of legislation that no one has ever implemented in the work place, or we start a new role with a new team and a new culture. This, at first, is always scary and unfamiliar. But if we have support from our team, after we gain our footing, get our ground and become level in our own minds – the confidence we did not think was there begins to build. The fear, it dissolves. Until the next fear of the unfamiliar appears…
It’s just like math
I tell a story to students and program participants I have helped learn in the past.
This is as simple as math. When in high school, not all of us were good at math. We started out with the basics and were unfamiliar. Unsure of the right answers to the problems. But once we learned the basics, the answers came to us. After we became familiar it was easier. And then comes algebra… and geometry… and statistics… We get scared again and start over. The thing is – it gets easier if we work at it.
If you are lucky enough to have support, can get past the initial fear and thought of your inability to do that thing you will repeatedly do in the future, that fear slowly dissolves… until the next unfamiliar moment comes.
You could say you’re scared. My son is scared… he is 2 years old. He’s still scared of sand at the beach.
I guess no matter what age we reach, the fear is still the same.
How many of you get fearful when you are asked to change? When asked to do something you are unfamiliar with? Please leave a comment with your story. I would love to hear it!
When I hear the term Talent Management, I often hear it talked about in the context of recruiting and sourcing. Now I may be completely off, but to me, Talent Management is much more than just finding people for the role. It’s much more than finding the RIGHT people for a company to fill a job. Talent management is more than just recruiting. It is about how you interact, engage and build the people you have, to retain and develop them and even if they leave you, they will want to come back!
Talent Management = Sourcing: All you are doing is finding ways to differentiate you from the competition. Just like a candidate, you are defining and setting up how you will identify, search and contact talent. At the same time, maybe subconsciously you are projecting that beautiful and trendy word called a ‘brand’ that will attract the best, the brightest and help you somehow keep them! At the beginning of hiring, it is a sourcing strategy. You outline responsibilities; define the steps, & plans for contingencies. You also define what success looks like. Your methods become a toolkit that will set your approach and allow you to be flexible. However, this doesn’t mean you should just network or source to fill orders, meet deadlines or be “on to the next one.”
Talent Management = Talent Development: If you get the best and the brightest and ignore their need for development after they arrive, you lose the potential you once had. Talent development happens within performance management and consulting. It works when you help an individual identify and assess their needs in order for them to be prepared in performing their responsibilities to the company. By identifying where they are, where they need to be and the gaps that exist; you will keep them from or allow them to succeed. By identifying the appropriate tools and experiences for that individual, you better position the current talent to reach their full potential and contribute to the value and bottom line. This makes everyone’s job much easier ~ at least in theory.
Talent Management = Succession Planning: This simply means that an organization identifies key roles that need to be filled and the people that need to fill them when the time is right. It is preparing people and positions, getting them ready for a transition and change; not just with the possible change of a person in a position but also within the organization.
Talent Management = Saying what you mean, mean what you say: If you boast a great brand. Preach an awesome culture and praise what the organization will do for current and potential employees… and then don’t deliver… you not only hurt the company but also your own reputation. Now is a time where people want and appreciate honesty. Just as you are trying to make a well informed decision from the talent pool you have at your disposal, the candidates are also selecting you based on the promises you keep and the lies you tell.
