One Side Order of Talent Please!
Posted: April 27, 2012 Filed under: Coaching, Leadership | Tags: Executive Business Coach, executive coaching, Listen to Your Mother, Recruiting, Strategic Talent Acquisition Leave a comment »
While the conversation in the Talent community has definitely shifted from the notion of “Transactional Recruiting” to “Strategic Talent Acquisition,” many companies still don’t know what that means or how to shift beyond the title change.
Gone are the days of “Personnel” departments, but how do we behave in a way that makes us true strategic partners? It goes beyond shifting the notion of being strategic and shifting the competencies of our talent teams and subsequently, the perception of our hiring partners.
Several years ago when I was leading a Talent Acquisition Team at Starbucks, the Corporate Leadership Council presented us with a great study on which steps in the recruiting process most impacted Quality of Hire. While recruiters claimed the interviewing step, the study showed that these two steps had the greatest impact:
1. The strategic discussion at the very beginning of the process when you’re assessing the hiring need, and
2. The time between offer and start
If you truly want to impact your Quality of Hire, your talent team needs to possess competencies beyond interview skills.
I break it down into three key areas with a foundational golden thread of Communication:
Consider your team today. How would they rank when it comes to these competencies? How will you develop them to get to the level you need to meet your strategic growth goals? Who needs to move over to the ticket counter?
More next on communicating effectively. Until then, enjoy this last beautiful weekend in April. I’ll let you know how the Listen to Your Mother show goes!
All Companies Want Some of that Great Talent “Strategery”!
Posted: April 13, 2012 Filed under: Coaching, Leadership, Uncategorized | Tags: Executive Business Coach, executive coach, Listen to Your Mother, Strategic Talent Acquisition, Talent Management Leave a comment »
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to design and deliver a two-day workshop on Strategic Talent Acquisition to several global Talent Acquisition experts. We started with the customer in mind and then went straight to the heart of it… what does it mean to be strategic anyway? Particularly when it comes to “Strategic Talent Acquisition.” Sounds fancy, but what does it mean or is it just a made up term to makes us feel better about our work? The trending buzz phrase?
Let’s ponder this… for your last hire, how long did you spend discussing the needs of your new hire? Did you go beyond the job description and discuss core behavioral competencies needed to drive your latest initiative? Discuss the current culture and organizational climate? Discuss what the next career step would be? OR Did you simply hand the job description over and ask to have it posted and filled?
I continue to be amazed at the time spent on things that are a cost to a business versus the time spent on a critical investment such as Human Capital. In fact, I just found a 51-page RFP online for OFFICE FURNITURE… office furniture?!?!
Now more than ever, all companies need to get the very best and highest productivity out of each and every hire. Human Capital is the greatest investment you make in your company, both in direct monetary output and the dependency on your human capital to deliver against your strategic goals and mission.
If that’s the case, why would any leader spend more time and discussion on buying the new desk than hiring the next great employee?
When you think about yourself or your talent acquisition team, which side of the fence do you rest and which is best for your company to achieve your goals?
Take this quick assessment to find out where you land. When it comes to hiring talent we…
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Fulfill an order
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OR |
Collaborate between recruiters and business partners on comprehensive hiring needs |
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Simply post and pray
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OR |
Develop a strategic sourcing plan where everyone in our company is responsible for finding great talent |
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Treat our candidates like numbers |
OR |
Treat our candidates like customers of our business |
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Assess whether the candidate meets the minimum qualifications
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OR |
Assess beyond the requirements andassess for our culture, values, and behavioral competencies |
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Think only about our need
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OR |
Think about our needs and what’s in it for the new employee to come work with us |
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Measure ourselves by how FAST we hire |
OR |
Measure by the QUALITY of the hire |
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End the recruitment process with the Offer Letter
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OR |
End the process with a smooth transition to a thorough on boarding process ensuring early engagement and time to productivity |
Did you circle more to the left or to the right?
At the end of the day, the question really is… Do you to want to just get someone hired OR Do you want to succeed in business? Join me next week for a discussion on the competencies for a behaving “strategically” as a Talent Acquisition partner.
Oh, and while you’re waiting…
Go ahead and purchase your tickets to Listen to Your Mother here in Austin on Sunday, April 29th, supporting Any Baby Can. I’m an honored member of the cast this year and would love to see you there!
