Talent spotting — how good are we?

Abstract

It has commonly been assumed that most managers are good at finding their successors. Indeed many managers would also claim that they are good not only at finding their own successors, but also at tracing the number of people who will provide the future top management of the business in which they are involved. Talent spotting is regarded as a management skill which, if not inherent in managers, is soon acquired and known by all successful ones. Like the ability to perform all the basic functions of management, it is accepted as a preprequisite of the definition of any successful manager. Indeed many managers would feel themselves to be rebuffed if it were to be suggested that there were some ways in which they were lacking in the adequacy to fulfil the task of successful potential assessment; and others will only reluctantly seek assistance in finding the answer to this particular problem, even when they are much more open‐minded about using and developing other managerial skills.