The truth of the matter is that you waste time, money and talent when you "invest" in developing what people simply aren't great at.
No matter how much time and money you invest in a technical specialist who likes to work alone and prefers to interact with data and a screen, chances are they'll never be a natural people leader. Stop expecting them to be what they're not.
Let's think about it using sport as a proxy…
First up - rugby.
Let's consider the front-row forwards and the five-eighth. You won't confuse these guys.
The forwards are BIG guys, their job is essentially two-fold: 1. to be the offensive line, drive their team forward and bulldoze the opposing defensive line; and 2. be the first line of defence and stop their opponents from breaking into their territory. You see these guys coming. They're physically imposing, they're 'heavy', they are brick walls. They're typically not particularly fast - they don't need to be, that's not what they're there for.
The five-eighth on the other hand is everything the forwards are not. Lean, agile, nimble, fast, looking for opportunities and plays. You may not see him coming and that's the point. That's why he's in the team.
These guys have different natural talents, and different strengths. They are physically built differently. Their training and development programs are different, their nutrition is different, their recovery is different. Their coach would never ask them to play a position they're not suited to. Being a team player does not mean you play every position.
The analogy works just as well for individual sports.
Let's think about Cathy Freeman. Legendary, iconic Australian sprinter. 400m specialist. One of the fastest women, humans, on the planet. Cathy was all about speed, not stamina. Cathy's training was focused on whatever would make her even faster than she already was. And yet, while Cathy is a runner, she's not a marathon runner. She's not even a 1500m runner. The legend that she is, Cathy was not part of the distance running team.
Like the rugby example, Cathy has unique talents and unique strengths. Her training and development program, her nutrition program, her recovery program was tailored to Cathy and centred around her strengths. Everything was about helping Cathy do more of what Cathy was already awesome at.
In both of these examples there are some additional truths:
Cathy and the rugby players (regardless of position) will never apologise for being something they're not. They know what their strengths are and they actively play to their strengths
Their coaches, their managers, their crew will never ask them to compete in an event or play in a position that is not suited to their strengths
Their coaches will never invest in developing these stars into all-rounders.
Let that sink in.
Their coaches will never invest in developing these stars into all-rounders.
Why? Because they won't be stars anymore. They (and the team) won't perform like they have before. Their success will fade (at best... more than likely they'll crash and burn).
So WHY do we insist on developing "all-rounders" at work?
Why do we ask our people to sub into roles and teams that are not aligned to their strengths?
Why do we persist in "developing" "weakness" (I hate that word btw)?
Why do we invest so much time, energy and money on deficiency?
It makes ZERO sense.
The bubble has burst - you do not need to be a “well-rounded individual”, you need a "well-rounded team". Right b*ms on right seats. Seriously.
Now is the time to change the record.
Do you want an "All-star team"? How about a reputation for innovation, collaboration, performance and impact?
Then you need to change your approach to people and you need to do it now.
Your focus needs to be on the strengths of your people and your team.
You need to be crystal clear on what success looks like and the functions you require. What seats are important and what buns are going to fill them?
Your learning and development plans need to be focussed on developing what your people are naturally great at.
Think about it, if you have 10hrs to invest in development, the return on investment is far greater when you develop something you're great at, than trying to develop something you're not interested in or aren't good at.
You cannot be serious about business, impact and performance and then ask everyone to be the same. It doesn't work and it's not sustainable.
To stay ahead of your competition, to stay at the front of your industry, to maintain your market share, you have to play to your strengths and support your people to play to theirs.
I've seen it time and again in the work that I do.
When we understand our strengths and those of the people with whom we work, everything improves. A shared understanding and knowledge means better thinking, better decisions, better communication, better relationships, better performance, amplified impact and outcomes.
When people are able to do what they do best every day, they thrive. Engagement skyrockets. People shift from working for themselves to working for each other and for the team.
When people feel great about the work they do, when they can see how they add value and that they 'allowed' to create value, they take ownership and accountability. Setbacks are temporary and energy is refocused into finding solutions.
If you are not investing in developing the strengths of your people then you are throwing away money, time, talent - and business.
Can you afford that?