There are two truisms about change: it’s inevitable and it’s unavoidable.
The current pace and scope of this change facing UK businesses is faster than at any time since the industrial revolution; the digital revolution has impacted everything, from retail and media to professional services and manufacturing, and far from slowing down, it is speeding up.
For the 5.1 million small and medium enterprises that are the engine of growth of the UK economy this need not be a bad thing. Disruptive though it is, the UK economy has a better track record than most industrialised nations of embracing change.
Over the course of history, the UK has led the world in the shift from agriculture to manufacturing to service and knowledge based economies. Reinvention is something the UK does well for this to continue we need to identify our Game Changers and allow them to flourish.
To be successful over the coming decades UK businesses are going to have to embrace this game-changing characteristic, and reshape talent management as we know it, in order to thrive and survive. Its these rare, game-changing individuals who, with their obsessive imagination, will disrupt the status quo and create a new, more successful, way of doing things.
While this true game-changing talent is rare, the reality is that there are many Game Changers who are sitting dormant within the army of 15 million people employed by SMEs in this country. They are unable to fulfill their game-changing potential because the culture does not allow them to. Business leaders need to learn how to work differently to free up these catalysts of change.
Research has shown time and time again that the greatest catalysts for realising business change are people with a certain set of personal and professional characteristics. These individuals are the people who have the ability to completely upend the way a particular team, organisation, market or industry operates.
Continue reading on page two to learn how to identify a Game Changer…
For small businesses, learning to recognise and nurture these people is particularly important they can have a disproportionately positive impact if managed properly.
They are the Game Changers.
How do you identify a Game Changer
The question I am most often asked is, “How do you identify these Game Changers “
Our study, The DNA of a Game Changer, identifies their key traits. The Game Changers are the people who are constantly submitting ideas, who are driven and focused to the point of obsession, willing to take risks and put in effort outside of and above their pay grade and they will be difficult to manage if not engaged or listened to.
The irony is that, when asked, most business leaders will be able to identify the people within their business who would objectively be considered Game Changers, they are most often known for negative reasons; such as being challenging to manage, not respecting chains of command and questions processes.
The thought processes of Game Changers dont often sit well within traditional corporate hierarchies and they can be confounding for less game-changing management to deal with. But it’s vital businesses learn to change to accommodate these individuals or risk losing them and the long-term potential they bring to the companys bottom line.
In a world where todays employee can be tomorrows competitor identifying and embracing these Game Changers is critical to long-term business performance. Weve developed The GC Index, in partnership with Adrian Furnham, Management Expert and Professor of Psychology, which enables organisations to identify their Game Changers, allowing these individuals to thrive and deliver outstanding results.
Todays employee can be tomorrows competitor so identifying and embracing these game changers is critical to long-term business performance.
John Mervyn-Smith is chief psychologist and Nathan Ott is CEO of eg.1 and author of The DNA of a Game Changer.
