No, we are not still dealing with the pandemic or the aftermath of that situation. It is “Groundhog Day” in the US.
Now for most of us (lowercase) in the US (Uppercase), Groundhog Day happens every year and we put less and less credence in the outcome of the little furry creature seeing or not seeing its shadow. So, if you have been hibernating all winter for the past few decades, the idea of Groundhog Day is that when the furry friend sees its shadow then we are in for six more weeks of winter. If it is cloudy that day, then spring is right around the corner.
It may seem trivial to even consider such an odd way to predict the winter season but as business leaders we use all kinds of non-scientific ways to evaluate the strength of our business, employees, client relationships etc. We see this most often in the hiring of new employees. Someone in the organization interviews the candidate and asks a series of questions and that someone likes the answers. They in turn pass along their perspective and along the path to hire the person the details of how the person best aligns with the role gets diminished. I have heard it hundreds of times – but they are a good person as they are unfortunately released from their role in the organization. To some degree all the process did is determine if the candidate could see or not see their shadow.
With the talent market being as complicated as it is, having best in class staff, keeping best in class staff and attracting best in class staff is of primary importance to most leaders. So, what things can business leaders do to best optimize their organization’s talent? If you do a browser search on this topic there are literally thousands of approaches and ideas. That being said, this is by no means the definitive answer to the question but here are three items – some food for thought as you approach your talent initiatives this year and moving forward.
First – understand your organization’s Purpose, Core Values, Expectation Principles, and the overall Culture the organization is built upon. Many disconnects happen because there eventually is a gap between the organization culture and the individuals view of what they want or need in contributing to the organization. Does the organization provide an opportunity for the individual to be satisfied with and how they fit in to the business.
Second – have a plan and defined processes for talent – talent acquisition, talent integration, talent development, talent refinement and yes talent redeployment. What does the life cycle of employment look like and what can your organization actually commit to providing in that time with the organization. Small organizations do not have large career growth opportunities and thus the relationship with the person may not be what either party is looking for at a given time. Be honest with both yourself and the candidate. It might be valuable for both parties to have an employment relationship for just a short cycle of time, but it is understood upfront.
Third – understand and appreciate that talent is very migratory. The years of employees becoming part of the organization and retiring from the business is almost unheard of. The grass will always look greener in the next pasture and the money and time freedom will always be better etc. As the business leader you must adopt an understanding, appreciation, and strategy to address this no differently than any business dynamic you might face. Even though today is Groundhog Day, we don’t need to be stuck in the movie “Groundhog Day” by repeating our same past talent strategies.
As you look at your talent strategies for 2023, consider engaging a Promise Guide by giving us a call – MI (313) 527-7945 FL (407) 984-7246.
Journey On!
COPYRIGHT – JKL ASSOCIATES 2023
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS – EMAIL US AT PARTNERS@JKLASSOCIATES.COM OR CALL OUR OFFICES – MI AT (313) 527-7945 FL AT (407) 984-7246
Celebrating 30 years of Delivering on “Promises”
