10 Reasons Potential Leaders Waste Their Talent And Opportunity

I was recently speaking with a leader of an organization who had to end the employment of a very talented, potential leader due to poor performance.  What makes this story unique was it never should have happened.  All the reasons the employment ended could have been prevented.

The company diligently created a quality job description and profile of type of person they were looking for.  They then screened the candidate who was high-energy, had great emotional intelligence, reputable references, and a track record of proven success.  This employee had all the natural talent in the world and seemed like the perfect fit.  All the boxes were checked.  Six months later they were no longer part of the organization.  Why?

The following are 10 Reasons Potential Leaders Waste Their Talent And Opportunity:

1. Hubris – The employee had a VERY high opinion of their skills.  They were undeniably talented.  However, the employee’s confidence reached an unhealthy level.  This led to….
2. A Lack Of Perspective – The employee could not understand they were being evaluated on production, not the ability to tell a good story about themselves.  This led to…
3. A Lack Of Coachability – You cannot teach someone something they think they already know.  Because this person felt they were a high-performing employee, they resisted the organization’s effort to help them improve.  Now let’s talk about the lack of production.
4. Distractions – Because this individual had outside interests, it took away focus from their production-based position.
5. Poor Time Management – The employee, who was virtual, was discovered to have spent an inordinate amount of time of the outside interests.
6. No Urgency – The employee never felt the sense of urgency which should come from continually missing goals and objectives.
7. Poor Teammate – The employee did not make their teammates better.
8. Lack Of Value – All employees go through slumps.  What you must do during lean times is find some way to add value to your teammates and organization.
9. A Lack Of Self-Awareness – When the poor performance was addressed again, the employee wanted a raise because of their talent and resume.
10. Disrespect – When the request for a financial increase was denied, the employee became disrespectful to their supervisor and organization as a whole.

If you are a talented leader who is not getting ahead in your organization, see if any of the 10 reasons above apply to you.  You still have time to improve performance and see your talent realized.

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