Got Talent? Great Organizations Make Sure They Do!
June 8th, 2009 by David Utts
Having the Right People on Board is Much Easier than Fixing the Wrong People You Have
A lot of ills were hidden during the last bull market including poor leadership. During challenging times like we are facing today ineffective leadership becomes blatantly obvious. This is also true at all levels in your organization. Ultimately, organizations are still far too sloppy in the hiring process and this sloppiness costs a lot through poor performance, missed opportunities for innovation and ultimately the cost of replacing a trained – although poor performing employee. Great organizations maintain rigor when challenged to hire faster in good times as well as in how they thin the ranks during challenging times.
In his best selling book, Good to Great, Jim Collins was surprised in his research that great companies found it more important to focus on “who before what.” In other words, it was far more important to fill the organization with the best from the top executive team down before they determined or reassessing what their vision and/or direction should be. Average companies seem to do this the other way around. In many cases Collins found they used a “follow the genius” strategy. Hiring a top-level senior executive and bringing in average people who would follow his direction 1
Great companies were also found to be extremely rigorous in how they deployed their hiring strategy. They had processes in place to filter those being considered for a position – so that the cream would rise to the top through the hiring process 2. So what do you need to pay attention to ensure you are being rigorous?
Profile Your Key Roles
Start with your most critical roles – usually your key senior executive positions and profile their roles. No, I don’t mean create a clear job description – that is a by-product of a role profiling process. The key to this process is to identify the responsibilities, impact, challenges, mindset, etc. that this role must have to succeed. From there you have a road map to align applicants with the developed profile. Doing this takes time and if you have not done it before there are experienced professionals out there who specialize in such a process.
Ensure You Have a Cultural and Values Fit
It does not matter how strong a person is – if they don’t align with your culture and your core values then you need to weed them our early! How do you determine a fit? There are a couple powerful things you can integrate into the interview process
Ask every potential hire this questions: “What are the most important qualities of a work environment for you?” “How do you know those qualities exist in a culture/organization?” “What have been your best work experiences and why?” “What has to happen for you to give everything you have to your work?
Customize an assessment instrument to better understand what motivates and engages an individual.
Of course you also need to assess their technical capabilities and experience. Yet, more than one executive has told me that it is easier to hire a person with the right mindset and upgrade then technically than the other way around. Bottom line, inner attitude and alignment are the foundations of great hires.
Getting the Wrong People Off The Bus
People who are mismatched for you organization can be real drags on performance. That being said, how you treat these individuals is also critical to your brand in the market place and there are times when making an effort to get someone on board can be your best bet. Here are some steps to consider:
Take some time to assess your key people
Keith McFarland, a two-time technology CEO, is the founder of McFarland Strategy Partners in Sandy, Utah offers a simple formula for assessing your people to determine if there is value to further investment in their training. He shared this insight in a recent Business Week Article:
“Try this exercise. Take a piece of paper and divide it into three columns. In the first column, write down the names of your direct reports. In the second column, list the positive qualities each person brings to the organization-the things that make him or her valuable. In the third column, list the things that each person would have to develop or master in order to be in his or her position or a higher one when your organization has twice the annual revenues it has today. Then spend some time thinking about how you can identify resources that would help each person develop those skills, insights, or perspectives. Sit down with these employees one at a time and get their thoughts on what they believe they need to keep momentum in their careers-and put together a development plan to get them there. Treat it just like any other business project: identify measures, deliverables, the whole nine yards.”
Build a Feedback Rich Culture
Far too often under performers are not given feedback until it is too late! One reason for may be that we have been overly concerned about retaining people during good times that we have not been rigorous in giving them feedback – positive or negative. This is not about blaming – it is about learning and setting expectations that your people will not stand by idly and do everything they can to make them more valuable to themselves, you and the market place.
To do this you must build feedback opportunities into the day-to-day work of your organization. For example, after every client meeting you might ask your team and/or each member of the team these questions:
-
- What worked well?
- What could we have done better?
- What do we have to do to build on what worked well and eliminate what did not work?
- What is my personal accountability in ensuring we do both?
Training, Coaching and Development with Teeth
It will always be in an organization’s best interest to make its employees better through training, coaching and other development opportunities. Yet, providing these things is not a one-way street! Before any development effort ensure that your executive or employee understands the strategic purpose of the developmental opportunity. Ensure they are speaking to their manager before and after the event. Ultimately, create a habit in your organization to not only develop action plans for improvement but also hold your people accountable to them.
If You Must Let Them Go But Do It Well!
It is important that you get the wrong people off the bus and realize that doing so is likely best for them as well as your organization. Yet, when letting them go make sure you have something in place that builds a bridge to another opportunity that will help them thrive. Yes, this takes some effort but the pay off for your brand and reputation is priceless. It shows you realize that people are not just cogs in the wheel. Even though they did not succeed in your organization does not mean he or she cannot be a superstar in another context.
Conclusion
The difficult times we find ourselves in will tend to separate your strongest players from the weakest ones. There is a golden opportunity inherent in this to strengthen your organization and/or team. Ultimately, it is one of the most strategic moves you can make in order to secure long term success – in good times and challenging ones. This is especially true in the professional services space where your people are one of the key elements that distinguish you in the market place. Ultimately it is about bringing in the best you can find and allowing them to help you steer in the most profitable direction.
Tags: Steps to Greatness, Talent
