War for Talent- Our View
If you ask any recruitment agency or services firm, they’ll tell you that the war is still raging on more than one front. In my opinion it will continue to do so, globally – forever.
I really believe that in recent times too much investment has been poorly placed by recruitments firms to create fear within companies, driving reckless recruitment activities. Far too many of my clients have been hypnotised into a belief that they can find that mythical person who will magically transform their business overnight.
I agree that in 2011, all organisations must have slick, unburdened recruitment processes and value based methodologies to get the right people for the right jobs. However – those right people are looking for jobs that align with their internal values. People want to follow great Leaders who share the hallmarks of success which include the ability to:
· Articulate a strong company Vision,
· Communicate with Transparency,
· Treat people as real people and demonstrate Empathy,
· Show Strength, make a decision.
· and show the ability to flex and show Adaptability.
Leaders are people who walk their talk; who lead from the front; who understand and work with people’s individual needs.
In essence, what I am saying is that if your culture and leadership is poor; stop recruiting now! If you are in a hole, stop digging!
Organisations need to take a deep breath, stand back and honestly assess their leadership and company culture. If it’s poor, but you’re still making money – be smart. Invest in the future – which means investing in the people you’ve already got rather than bringing in outside talent to solve internal problems. If you don’t, the War will eventually wear you down.
Most importantly – recognise this. People are not resources. They’re not commodities. They can be of incredible value to your business. However, the real secret of recruiting is that you must tap into people’s most strongly held values by providing leadership and a culture that they can be aligned with.
If you don’t have these two elements working for you, you’re wasting money by recruiting talent that can’t be retained. If you burn them once, people will not give you a second shot. So, invest in your business leaders, make the hard decisions and build an outstanding culture that everyone within your business can be involved in.
If you believe that the war for talent lies in recruitment – you’re not even on the right battleground. The war for talent is won or lost by leadership and company culture.
If you want your people to deliver outcomes – first, you must give them something to believe in and fight for.