HR: the organisation's marketing dept.

Intro

Does your organisation have what it takes to be wanted by those you need?

If you’re battling to attract and retain key talent, it’s both a comfort and a worry to remember that so too is everyone else in your industry, and in every other industry for that matter. So what are these high-performers looking for, and how can you give it to them in a way that gets the best out of them?

What's the issue?

1. Employees have increasing expectations of their employers: their level of responsibility, flexible working, provision of digital infrastructure, etc.

2. They have decreasing loyalty – the average tenure is 4 years and falling.

3. AI is removing some jobs, and augmenting others. Either way, it’s creating a more dynamic environment that is putting high performing staff more in demand.

Consider this

1. If you consider your organisation as your product, your biggest source of differentiation is your culture.

2. To be competitive for talent, you have to demonstrate you’ve got what they need to be competitive for you. Examples would include the freedom to act, the resources to aim high, the opportunities to make a difference, and the encouragement to take considered risks.

3. Retaining key talent is a really good way to attract key talent. It's hard to fly like an eagle when you’re surrounded by turkeys.

4. High performers have choices, and one reason they’ll choose you is because your purpose aligns with theirs. So make it compelling, and make sure you’re living and breathing it.

5. High performers will want to know where your bus is going before they climb aboard. So you need a vision that inspires, one that makes them want to be part of a team that’s aiming to achieve something difficult.

All these points – and many more – rely on one thing more than any other: great leadership. In other words, if you want to attract and retain high performing staff, you need high performing leaders.

'No s*** Sherlock’, I hear you cry. You’re right of course, it’s obvious. But if it’s so obvious, you’ll obviously be putting the same time, effort and money into developing your leaders as you are into hiring and training good staff, yes? It’s worth double-checking, because the latter costs money e.g. recruitment fees, and has the opportunity cost of leaders taking time out. But both are dwarfed by the disruption of it all – to staff and customers alike, risking sales, damaging the brand, causing stress. All of which makes you less attractive.

Average leaders lower revenue turnover, and raise staff turnover.

Try this

Spend a little less time, money and focus on the rinse and repeat of recruit and replace, and spend it instead on developing your leaders.