On Saturday, the talent of Jai McDowell was publicly acknowledged when the 24 year old won Britain’s Got Talent, the nation’s favourite talent show. His prize was £100k, a place at the Royal Variety Performance and the potential of a flourishing career in the UK’s music industry.
 

ITV’s successful television programme provides a solid structure for the UK to uncover hidden gems but not every business can call on Simon Cowell, Amadna Holden or even The Hoff to sort the wheat from the chaff. Without Michael McIntyre looking on, how can Britain’s businesses spot their most talented leaders in their own business communities?
 
Kevin Chapman, partner at Tinder-Box Business Coaching provides these five tips.
 

1. Give individuals the opportunity to perform. Providing the platform for them to perform is the first step. Talent can only be spotted if the space is created for it to be seen and people are allowed to do what it is that they are best at.
2. Make it a level playing field. Don’t assume your current favourites are the only ones with talent. Biases towards those who are assumed to be front-runners can often mean the talent of others is overshadowed. A level playing field on which all are equally viewed creates a rich ground for talent spotting.
3. Give constructive and effective feedback. Combine the Simon Cowell and Michael McIntyre styles in your feedback, make it useful and constructive to really support the growth of your talent.  Those who wish to grow will listen carefully and use it well.
4. Provide people with a compelling vision of the future.  Give potential talent an exciting and tangible vision of their personal and professional future to connect with, this will allow them to channel their energy and potential. A place in the Royal Variety Performance provided Jai with a clear goal that he wanted to achieve both personally and professionally.
5. Be open and honest about their potential. Champion potential talent from the outset in its most natural form. Don’t keep people in the dark until they are ready to perform. Celebrate their potential as they develop and create a culture of showcasing the best to encourage others to perform too.

 
Kevin Chapman adds; “There really are rich rewards to be had for an individual and an organization when talent can flourish. Allowing that to happen is not always about HR strategies, theories and concepts, it is about getting the basics right with a common sense, pragmatic approach to culture and structure that quite simply gives the best chance for people to shine.”