Talent Development

If you look carefully at the former employers of many of the most successful entrepreneurs and executives in the world, you will start to notice a pattern. Certain companies have an uncanny ability to develop talent. This doesn't happen by chance, but because they take the time to find potential and nurture growth. GE, Proctor & Gamble, Coca-Cola, and Microsoft are known to be some of the best and they invest a great deal of money and resources to keep it that way.

In my business, the William Morris Agency mailroom was the ultimate place to start a career. Young graduates would take substantial pay cuts (and check their pride) in order to deliver mail for the talent agency and it's stable of stars. Michael Eisner, David Geffen, and Barry Diller are just a few of the media industry legends willing to work their way from the bottom-up. While there are now more agencies to choose from, the mentality is still the same. Work the long hours, accept the low pay, and learn all you can. If you don't work out, there are 100 other kids willing to take your spot. This program is a little more extreme than the talent development programs at your typical company, but there is something to be said for succeeding in an environment like this.


I started thinking about talent development while reading this article from Bloomberg Business Week about the next generation of tech companies being started and/or funded by former Google employees. The conglomerate has produced an unbelievable number of start up founders that are revolutionizing all areas of technology. Those who are not starting the companies are investing and helping in early-stage development. It should be said that the ex-Gogglers have more money than your typical young, former employee, but it's more than just the money that is creating all this success and wealth. It's about the network and experience that comes with working at Google. These entrepreneurs and investors have direct involvement in Justin.tv, mint.com, Foursquare, Twitter, Facebook, Tapulous, Y Combinator, and bit.ly to name a few. The network is kept alive through events organized for the purpose of sharing information and ideas.


So where is the lesson here? Really it is two-fold. First, do your research on the companies who will identify your talent and open doors through development for the future. Sometimes there may be a pay cut from other opportunities, but understand it as an investment in your future. The second lesson is the importance of recognizing people with whom a relationship will be mutually beneficial and fighting to keep that connection alive.