The Talent Delusion: Why Data, Not Intuition, Is the Key to Unlocking Human Potential

235 Pages·2017·1.56 MB·English

by  Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

IN PRAISE OF THE TALENT DELUSION
‘Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is a rare voice of reason in a field where most
people talk gibberish.’
Lucy Kellaway, Financial Times
‘This book shows how to find, attract, develop, motivate and retain stars. It’s full
of evidence and provocative ideas to help every talent leader.’
Dr Adam Grant, Wharton Professor, NYT bestselling author of Originals
and Give and Take
‘A must-read for leaders and HR professionals who want to apply science to
drive better business outcomes, and for individuals who want to better
understand and leverage their own talents.’
Jonas Prising, Chairman and CEO, ManpowerGroup
‘A clear-eyed, deeply researched account of what the science really tells us
about finding, attracting and retaining talented people, while staying alert to
talent’s surprising dark sides.’
Oliver Burkeman, the Guardian, author of The Antidote
‘In a world of clutter and hype, Tomas casts off HR folklore by providing a
clear, data-driven direction on the topic that drives us all: finding and nurturing
talent to pursue its potential. An enlightening book that will impact our world at
work; a journey not for the faint-hearted!’
Adam Yearsley, Global Head of Talent Management, Red Bull
‘This is the book I want to hand every manager I’ve ever worked with who
mistakenly assumes “give me 5 minutes with a candidate and I’ll tell ya if they
are a good hire”. Every chapter is filled with quotes, findings and ideas that I
want to post on Twitter and share with the world.’
Dr Todd Carlisle, VP of HR, Twitter
‘Provocative, funny and extremely useful, this incredible psychological tour de
force will help you find and unleash the talent you’ve been looking for. A
brilliant book!’
Nathalie Nahai, Web Psychologist, author of Webs of Influence
‘This book is very much like Tomas himself: insightful, frank and captivating. A
must-read to get talent management right … if you are not afraid to learn you
have been doing it wrong!’
Dr Michal Kosinski, Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford
Business School
‘Using a style of evidence-based storytelling, Tomas sharpens the focus to
deconstruct our biases around popularised HR topics, with the aim of improving
our understanding of talent.’
Lyn Goodear, CEO, Australian Human Resources Institute
‘Chamorro-Premuzic combines deep insights, practical guidance and rock-solid
science into a highly readable and entertaining book that is sure to become a
management classic!’
Marc Effron, President, The Talent Strategy Group, author of One Page
Talent Management
‘Finally! A science of talent that gives HR practical insights to make a
difference. The best single resource for anyone interested in understanding,
predicting and managing talent.’
Dr Alison R. Eyring, Founder and CEO, Organisation Solutions, author of
Pacing for Growth
‘The Talent Delusion is where theory meets practicality; where anecdotes meet
data, so that leadership development can become a reality. Powerfully real
approaches for success.’
Clarke Murphy, CEO, Russell Reynolds Associates
‘Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is one of the world’s outstanding organizational
psychologists. He has a unique capacity to inform, provoke and entertain while
educating with solid science.’
Dr Seymour Adler, Partner, Aon Hewitt Talent Solutions
‘On a topic that can be boundary-less, Tomas offers scientific insights on the
human condition and how it plays out at work. A must-read if you want to build
a talent-fueled organization.’
Kate Bravery, Global Practices Leader, Talent, Mercer
‘In an age where attracting and retaining the best talent is the ultimate, and
perhaps only, competitive advantage, the solutions Chamorro-Premuzic suggests
are all the more important.
Katie Jacobs, Editor, HR Magazine
‘No one knows the research like Tomas, and no one else can marshal it to make
such an effective, persuasive and entertaining case. Every manager should read
this insightful book.’
Sarah Green Carmichael, Senior Editor, Harvard Business Review
‘No other book has changed my perceptions on talent as much. Chamorro-
Premuzic’s insights are profound and timely, and his book is filled with
provocative and profound ideas.’
Dr Jay Conger, Professor of Leadership Studies, Claremont McKenna
College
‘Tomas has a rare talent to amuse, inform and surprise, to debunk HR’s worst
habits and beliefs.’
Matthew Gwyther, Chief Editor, Management Today
‘Modern and forward-looking, with fresh and invaluable insights for our
emerging world.’
Dr Gurnek Bains, Founder and Chairman, YSC
‘An important and necessary book for all HR professionals. Tomas distills all
pertinent studies into a fluid stream with clarity and reason, providing a solid
foundation for talent development.’
Dr Joel DiGirolamo, Director of Coaching Science, International Coach
Federation
‘This book provides some much-needed answers to key talent management
questions, not only delving into theory and evidence but equally importantly
providing clear practical guidance.’
Dr Rob Briner, Professor of Organisational Psychology, Queen Mary
University
‘There is a war on talent. Tomas is a four-star general and this is a winning
strategy to stop it.’
Dr David Burkus, Professor of Management, ORU, author of Under New
Management
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is an international authority in psychological
profiling, talent management and people analytics. He is the CEO of Hogan
Assessment Systems, Professor of Business Psychology at University College
London (UCL) and Visiting Professor at Columbia University. He has
previously taught at New York University and the London School of Economics.
He has published 8 books and over 140 scientific papers, making him one of
the most prolific social scientists of his generation. His work has received
awards from the American Psychological Association and the International
Society for the Study of Individual Differences. He is the director of UCL’s
Industrial-Organisational and Business Psychology programme, an Associate to
Harvard’s Entrepreneurial Finance Lab and has been named as one of the most
influential thought teachers in talent management by HR magazine, Workforce,
and Thinkers50.
Dr Chamorro-Premuzic has been a consultant to a range of clients in the
financial services (such as JP Morgan, HSBC and Goldman Sachs), advertising
(Google, Havas and BBH), media (Yahoo!, MTV and the BBC), fashion
(LVMH and Net-a-Porter) and government (the British Army, Royal Mail and
the NHS).
His media career comprises over 85 TV appearances, including for the BBC,
CNN and Sky, and regular features in Harvard Business Review, the Guardian,
Fast Company, Forbes and the Huffington Post. He is a keynote speaker for the
Institute of Economic Affairs and the co-founder of metaprofiling.com. He is
Argentine by birth and British by adoption, and lives mostly in Brooklyn, New
York.
Copyright
Published by Piatkus
ISBN: 978-0-349-41249-8
Copyright © 2017 Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic The moral right of the author has
been asserted.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior
permission in writing of the publisher.
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not
owned by the publisher.
Piatkus
Little, Brown Book Group
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
www.littlebrown.co.uk
www.hachette.co.uk
to Isabelle
CONTENTS

In Praise of The Talent Delusion

About the Author

Copyright

Dedication

Acknowledgements
Preface
1. The war for on talent
2. Defining talent
3. Measuring talent
4. Engaging talent
5. Developing talent
6. The dark side of talent
7. The future of talent
8. Final thoughts

References

Index
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It would be difficult to mention all the people who in one way or another
contributed to this book, but I am very grateful to all of them.
In particular, I would like to thank my two academic mentors, Adrian
Furnham and Robert Hogan, for leading me into the exciting (but chaotic) world
of talent and shaping much of my thinking in this and other areas. Someone once
said that ‘talent imitates, but genius steals’. Although I’m not a genius, I have
had enough talent to steal voraciously from these two maestros, and will
continue to do so. So, thank you – and sorry! – Adrian and RT.
I am also grateful to my media editors: the incredible Sarah Green-
Carmichael at Harvard Business Review, the bionic Rich Bellis at Fast
Company, the sardonic Kate Bassett at Management Today, and the wonderful
Adam Davidi at the Guardian. This book evolved from many articles you have
helped me create, and many ideas you agreed to pilot, curate and vet. It is
because of you that this book pretty much wrote itself.
I also thank many of my friends and colleagues who, despite their very busy
schedules (and my short notice), were kind enough to provide helpful feedback
on the first draft of this book: Mike Haffenden and Gillian Pillans at the
Corporate Research Forum; Adam Yearsley at Red Bull; Peter Steinlauf at
Edmunds; and Dave Winsborough at Hogan X. I wish all reviewers were as
prompt, constructive and knowledgeable.
I’m grateful to my agent, Giles Anderson, for co-creating the footprint for
this book and finding a nice home for it; and to the rather marvellous people at
Little, Brown, in particular Zoe and Jillian. A special thanks goes to Meri
Pentikainen, for being the smartest and most cynical book editor I ever met. I
hope we can work together again.
Finally – and I know this is unusual – I would like to thank Singapore
Airlines, where most of this book was written. Unlike most airlines, you clearly
don’t need to read this book, but I will make sure you get a copy, anyway. I
could not have hoped for a better office at 30,000 feet.