We will know or have met people whose personalities transform when they perform or do something they love.  Sometimes it happens when they are at work, a lot of times we see this transformation when they are engaged in a hobby activity.  Why does this change happen – their eyes fill up with passion and enthusiasm, their voice changes and their energy is contagious?   It is because they are doing something a) they are really good at, b) they enjoy a lot.
We all know Michael Jordan, as one of the most talented professional basketball players in the world.  Did you know that after a few very successful seasons with the Chicago Bulls, Michael decided to try baseball?  If you did not know that, it’s ok. He never made it to the big leagues of baseball and struggled in the minor one. Why not?  Despite being a very talented athlete, Michael had a very specific set of natural talents – geared towards basketball and not baseball. Although both sports require strength, agility, coordination and speed, they also each require other talents.

Now think about talent in the business world. Not every job that is closely related requires the same set of talents either. The most common example would be the sales superstar getting promoted to sales manager. Like Michael Jordan, the sales superstar might expect the same success. They might even expect the same job satisfaction. However, it takes different talents to manage than it does to sell. Like Michael, the sales superstar will likely struggle and never make it to the top. From one job to another, or even one sport to another, the right set of talents is very unique and important. Discovering what talents are required is crucial, but how do you know? Wouldn’t it be great if the job itself could talk?

We, at Expat Factor, offer our clients a job-benchmarking process that helps them understand what talents they have, and what jobs would require those for fast and full success.

In hindsight, Michael Jordan’s career move was a bust. When baseball didn’t work out, he tried golf. That might have been fun, but it didn’t work either. Luckily, in the business world, you don’t have to let your superior performers follow in his footsteps. Instead, let an assessment-based job benchmarking process help you maximize your talent where it fits best.

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