Responsible Recruiting
Having functioned in lead human resources and operations management roles for approximately 15 years, I have been responsible for developing, implementing, and measuring the success of talent management programs within a variety of industry. I had not realized, until I began consulting, that many companies are intimidated by the thought of developing a plan for recruiting and retention. After all, “employers only need to hire if a position is available, right?” The act of hiring requires a position to be available, yet recruiting and retention should be regarded as a process. Effective recruiting employs the idea that companies work regularly to encounter and review talent within and outside the organization. This is practical, costs less, and can eliminate reactionary hiring. When company representatives have their eyes, ears, and minds open when encountering talented individuals they become the company’s best recruiters. Generally speaking, most leaders have jobs. With this in mind, companies should continually build a network of future candidates. Getting the right people for the organization will prove much more difficult than designing a new product identity. To get on the right track, companies should develop a talent action plan. This plan in simple terms should require a detailed assessment of current talent, address training needs, and define and direct successful external recruiting.
Of course, every company needs employees who do a job as assigned and perform satisfactorily each day. Yet, a company with a mission to stay conversant of new technology and ahead of its competition must attract leaders and seek talent regularly based on established goals. It is critical to have a written plan in order to successfully accomplish these goals. While some may view this as a daunting task, putting a plan down on paper and affording appropriate follow-through is essential. Otherwise, this will just become another “flavor of the month” project.
True leaders no matter their level, can within an environment of participatory and interactive management promote a sense of purpose and direction for the entire organization. Accordingly, it is imperative that companies define appropriate methods for attracting leaders to remain competitive, forward-thinking, and fresh. I recommend that companies first assess and identify the current “leadership pool.” The easiest way to accomplish this is to assign a management team the responsibility of identifying future leaders, already employed. This is a proactive measure to identify organizational leadership needs. To succeed in moving current staff into roles of additional responsibility and accountability, the company must accept and (really agree) to allocate the training dollars and time necessary for successful completion of all training (review costs vs. benefits). Identification of leaders without a plan for transition will prove unsuccessful. Companies should concentrate efforts on identifying employees who exhibit: proficient management skills, creative thought and solutions, effective communication skills, and a capacity to quickly learn new operational or administrative work processes, technologies, or systems.
Once individuals are identified and the company has successfully transitioned several leaders into areas of greater influence, those leaders identified through on-going recruiting efforts, as future candidates, should be contacted. Recruiting, interviewing, orienting, and keeping talent motivated, requires tenacity and commitment. Companies should train those representing the organization’s recruiting efforts in compliant interviewing techniques and use Behavioral Interviewing methods (The Partner’s Page, January 2008, www.thehumanresource.us) to effectively select candidates. Correctly aligned talent management with effective advancement opportunities will dramatically improve retention rates. However, merely acquiring talented individuals capable of leading does not mean management has succeeded in improving the organization’s talent program. Without opportunity the leaders will quickly become indifferent and ache for change within year three of their employ (if not sooner).
Leaders emerge from any region, age, sex or race. True leaders often see no boundaries. They are often challenging to management because they “ask too many questions, are too aggressive, or are too outspoken.” Managers should embrace talented individuals and disseminate information at every opportunity. In fact, positioning leaders effectively can prove successful in motivating others. A leader’s enthusiasm, his or her passion for success, is contagious even in the workplace. Conversely, a deficient manager’s cynical methods can be toxic. Progressive companies should develop a centralized core among business units and departments comprised of effective leaders in order to create a synergy to produce profitable teams and foster continuous improvement.
At the very least, companies should commit to identifying short-term goals for talent requirements. Proficient talent management, among other things, affords a company the opportunity to be proactive. The value-add is that with effective talent management, turnover is reduced considerably resulting in substantial savings.
