There seems to be a growing fear among some employers that somehow talented employees will over-throw them if they engage them in their business. I have seen this attitude first-hand in recent years – and have been on the receiving end of this attitude also. How narrow and small minded !
Astute business owners don’t fear talented employee prospects – they embrace them. Such employers understand the powerful positive difference that talented employees can make to their business, and typically will define a well-considered career path for them to try and keep them engaged in the business for as long as possible.
Once you have embraced a talented employee joining your ranks, allow them sufficient breathing space to bring new ideas to the surface: new ways of approaching processes, proposed adjustments to systems, a proposal to utilize new software, etc. The quickest way to quash the enthusiasm of a talented person is to deny them the opportunity to apply their talents. Conversely, the quickest way to bring the best out of a talented person is to empower them to work as autonomously as possible in their assigned role – and invite their contribution to (for example) the strategic thinking process with open arms.
Where change acceptance/ resistance is concerned, I am aware that international meetings involving school Principals from a wide range of countries are concluding that the greatest skill that a student can develop going forward is actually the ability and willingness to adapt to change – to be able to transfer and apply their knowledge and skill set to varied organizations; for it is predicted that the era of “stay in the same career forever” is now over, and a person can expect to have multiple careers across a number of organizations during their lifetime.