By definition, talented individuals have few peers.

You hope to surround yourself with these sorts of people, but in reality very few organisations will be packed to the rafters with all-stars who are able to bounce off each other. There may be a handful of genuinely high-achievers in each functional department, but the likelihood is that they will have very different job responsibilities and therefore their working relationships with the other all-stars will be limited.

Talent (sadly) often stands alone to plough their astounding furrow.

You might suggest that a marketing department (for example) only needs a couple of visionaries in the upper echelons of the team to carry them forward, but for a leader it is also critical how this talent is integrated into the wider collective. You might want to give them the freedom to make their ideas a reality, but when this is impacting on the work of countless others, it is sometimes the case that brilliance can be a curse.

Talent can be turbulent.

When that turbulence disrupts the work of others, it can have a negative impact.

Imagine putting a modern day Einstein into a room of rocket scientists. Many of them would consider themselves pretty well-equipped to make the required decisions, but I would suggest that his proposals would be so brilliant and “out-there” that normal rocket scientists simply wouldn’t be able to keep up with him, let alone implement his ideas.

When you have a turbulent talent in the team, they still need careful management.

One of the most important attitudes to instil in an all-star is a sense of shared responsibility. It might be their brilliant ideas that move the company forward, but without the actions of the wider team, it is likely that nothing will happen exactly as planned. If they cause ripples within the team for various reasons, it will have an impact on all. They are a role model and should be the locomotive pulling the train rather than a lone sniper.

When people work closely with talented individuals, they learn. It is important that this collective element doesn’t stifle the brilliance of an individual, but at the same time “a rising tide lifts all boats.” When talent is tuned in (and not turbulent), everyone benefits.

There is often a challenge when a leader is not quite as talented as the talent that they are seeking to guide, but if they take an attitude of facilitation rather than prescription, talented people will appreciate being allowed room to manoeuvre. All-stars rarely got to where they are without an appreciation of their impact on others, so sometimes it just requires a gentle reminder from on high when things start to get out of hand.

The truth about turbulent talent is that it is only turbulent because it is allowed to be turbulent. Even the most intelligent individuals need a little management now and again.