A long time ago, when working for a large UK Telco, I wrote a brief essay, ‘The Low-Flying Executive’.   It was just one of a personal series of ‘Action Pointers’ that were, in effect, ‘totally uncalled for’ papers.

I’m reminded of this youthful corporate deviancy because my colleague Dr. Colin Coulson-Thomas has recently visited Stockholm to discuss with HR professionals the management challenges of exceptionally gifted individuals – in common parlance, the ‘high-fliers’.

As I recall, the motivation for my 1980’s outburst was triggered by the huge effort required to re-educate those fortunate high-flying souls recruited from business schools and routed on the fast track for senior management positions without any previous work experience.

In my paper I chose to champion (and identify with) the less-preferred subversive souls who, by dint of expert navigation and low flying, managed to operate below the corporate radar and deliver innovative ideas despite the great weight of custom and practice of a large lethargic organisation.

Thirty years on and it is clear that the management tensions around the effective deployment of talented people (whether recruited as such or emergent from within the ranks) are still exercising great minds.

Paying for talented people makes little sense for organisations that cannot harness or capture and share what they do differently, according to Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas. Speaking to members of an international network of HR high fliers in Stockholm he pointed out “opportunities are being missed to liberate and build the talents of exceptional people, and to enable others to emulate their superior approaches.”

The Professor considers talent management a misnomer: “Talent is rarely managed as it could and should be. A fortune is sometimes spent on expensive people who are not engaged, effectively used, or appropriately supported. Bringing in exceptional people can create a host of problems if they are not properly managed.”

Coulson-Thomas is not necessarily impressed when told an organisation has lots of talented people: “I never know whether to be pleased or worried if I hear an organisation is actively recruiting exceptional people. A superior talent can be expensive and difficult to manage. Exceptional people may become quickly bored.”

“Someone who is exceptional at certain tasks and in some roles may be average in others.  Talents need to be relevant to both what an organisation is seeking to do, and critical success factors for winning in the area concerned. They also need to be recognised. Too often training and development focuses on what we are not good at.”

The author of winning companies; winning people finds: “many organisations fail to reap the benefits of having access to people who excel in certain areas. These people are not being helped to become even better at what they excel at. Also what they do differently is not being captured and shared. Their impact is limited as a result.”

So, although many boards may agonize over the perceived need to import exceptionally talented people, some of the smarter companies turn their attention to helping average people do difficult jobs as a high performer would do them - and with outstanding results.

“Huge returns on investment of over 20, 30 or even 70 times have been quickly obtained, and high achievers are being helped to become even better in the areas in which they excel.”

The Professor demonstrated practical and cost effective approaches that can boost performance, cut costs, speed up responses, reduce stress and ensure compliance: “Both people and organisations benefit. Exceptional people can have a global impact. They can be helped to become even better and secure the recognition they deserve.”

Evidence shared by Coulson-Thomas suggests that “organisations are missing a massive opportunity to benefit so much more from those with exceptional talents. The reality of what can be achieved can exceed the most ambitious aspirations. Those who really understand how to work with exceptional people can make a huge contribution.”

It remains a huge and enduring challenge, particularly for large organisations, to keep innovative spirits alive and maintain competitiveness.  Organisations that are open to (and really value) innovative thinking need both talented High Fliers and skilled Low Fliers to learn from and energize each other.

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Notes for editors:

Coulson-Thomas’ research programme identifies what top-quartile high performers do differently in areas that are critical for corporate success such as winning business, building relationships, purchasing, pricing and creating and exploiting know-how. Over 2,000 companies and over 500 professional firms have participated in the latest round of studies and identified critical success factors are given in 20 research reports.

Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas has helped over 100 boards improve director, board and corporate performance, and reviewed the processes and practices for competing and winning of over 100 companies. A consultant and University of Greenwich academic, he has spoken at over 200 national and international events in 40countries. His latest books and reports can be obtained from http://www.policypublications.com and he can be contacted via http://www.coulson-thomas.com.