Ratings2
Average rating3
All organisations have problems, and they nearly always concern people: how to manage them; whom to hire, fire or promote; and how to motivate, develop and retain high performers. Psychology, the main science for understanding people, should be a pivotal tool for solving these problems - yet most companies play it by ear, and billions of dollars are wasted on futile interventions to attract and retain the right people for key roles. Bridging the gap between the psychological science of talent and common real-world talent practices, The Talent Delusion aims to educate HR and talent practitioners and leaders on critical talent issues. It will help readers understand the current problems pertaining employee selection, development and engagement; how to define and evaluate talent; how to detect and inhibit toxic employee behaviours; and how to motivate employees to perform to their best.
Reviews with the most likes.
It took me two tries to get through this one.
The best I can some up with is “thought provoking,” as it's making me think about a number of assumptions currently held as gospel in both corporate HR and the talent industry.
While the book seemed to start from a science-based point of view, by the end I'm having to classify it as a polemic (because the author has a PhD, otherwise I'd call it a bit of rant). I did not find much immediately actionable material which will help me tune my current hiring pipeline.
However, the author exposes so many absurdities in current thinking that I'm inclined to a future reread.