{"id":68920,"date":"2019-11-11T11:21:32","date_gmt":"2019-11-11T16:21:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/?p=68920"},"modified":"2020-09-03T05:53:18","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T09:53:18","slug":"talent-manager-potential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/management-leadership\/talent-manager-potential","title":{"rendered":"A seasoned talent manager\u2019s process for realizing anyone\u2019s potential"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After 16 years in the talent management and PR world, I\u2019ve learned that success can be achieved only when you realize the potential of the talent you manage. Experience after experience\u2014from launching the career of male supermodel Lucky Blue Smith to helping influencer Chriselle Lim<\/a> expand her business\u2014has taught me that elevating talent is an ongoing process. That is to say, there is no proverbial “end game.\u201d Rather, I have one unwavering goal in everything I do: to combine meaningful work with meaningful relationships. The realization of potential\u2014in your talent, and in yourself\u2014is key to both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How I help my talent maximize their potential<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is the three-step strategy I use to bring out the best in my talent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Identify their potential\u2014and their limitations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re scouting talent to work with, you have to be honest with yourself and that person in what I call the \u201cidentification\u201d process. It\u2019s vitally important to identify a person\u2019s potential as well as their realistic limitations. There\u2019s a famous quote<\/a> from Albert Einstein: \u201cEveryone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid.\u201d When I first heard this quote, it made me realize that everyone should be catered to differently. You cannot expect salmon to climb a tree, but you can<\/em> count on it to swim upstream. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, I know talent who are exceptional at public speaking and charming an audience. Those are the ones I pitch for editorials, interviews, and conventions, allowing their innate strengths to brilliantly shine. Some talent may be painfully shy but incredibly gifted in their art. Those are the ones I accompany to big client meetings, so that I can facilitate the conversation and allow the talent to simply speak from their soul about their art. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

2. Be transparent in your communication<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the start of a professional relationship, guidelines, expectations, and agreements should always be addressed in a verbal conversation, and then put in writing. As a manager, you must prioritize being transparent with your talent over being liked. In my career, I\u2019ve encountered difficult situations with talent that I had to maneuver delicately and transparently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once someone I managed called to say they couldn\u2019t make it to a photo shoot because they were sick in bed with the flu. I called their bluff immediately; the night before, their Instagram Stories showed them fully engaged and thriving at a nightclub, and that very morning their Stories revealed the horrible hangover they had. I could have chosen the easy path of being \u201cliked\u201d and saying I would handle it with the client and for them not to worry. Instead, I explained that I knew they weren\u2019t being honest with me and that not only was lying unacceptable, but so was the lack of respect by not showing up to set. Because I was honest and transparent, the talent ended up getting out of bed, going to the eight-hour shoot, and doing a stellar job for the client. This was a monumental lesson for my talent, and one that made them grow as a professional and as a human being. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Push them to continually evolve <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Perfection does not exist, nor should it be something any of us strive for. But we cannot, on the flip side, become complacent\u2014we all have to push ourselves to constantly evolve. When you and your talent find that steady stream of evolution, you begin to live your truth. Both you and your talent have to be resilient and understand that in order to achieve what you envision, you must be stronger than the hardest circumstances that come your way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with rejection\u2014continuous, repeated rejection\u2014is a crucial aspect of the realization stage, and how you deal with it is a key factor in your ability to evolve. For example, I\u2019ve worked with talent in the fashion industry who were \u201ckindly turned down\u201d from attending prestigious shows at Fashion Week, year after year. Where their reaction might be to take offense, I insisted that they release their ego and realize that fashion is a long-term game. I then leverage my relationships with said fashion houses to get feedback<\/a> on why my talent wasn\u2019t invited, which I can share with them to help them work toward a potential seat in the future. When they finally break through, they know that they earned it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Ray Dalio, a top American investor and author, writes in his book Principles<\/em>, \u201cNo matter what you want out of life, your ability to adapt and move quickly and efficiently through the process of personal evolution will determine your success and your happiness.\u201d At the end of the day, bringing out your<\/em> best will bring out their<\/em> best. So be kind to yourself\u2014and realize your own potential as well. <\/p>\n\n\n