The success of an organization depends on its people. Therefore, attracting and keeping great people should be a daily commitment instead of an occasional event. In today’s business world finding those people has become as challenging as ever – maybe even more so, and for that reason business owners are faced with a mandate to become experts in people and hiring skills. Until owners and leaders adopt a new people perspective and commit to recruiting as an ongoing process, frustration and stress will continue to be the norm. If you’re an owner or leader frustrated with the constant challenge of finding and keeping great people, here are three powerful steps you can take to lead your company through it and set yourself apart as the go-to place where great people come to work:
I. Infuse your company with a sense of purpose. Some people want to work for a paycheck. Some for a company. Which do you want? If it’s the first, there’s no sense reading any further. To attract great people think about what great people want. They always want to know they can be a part of something bigger than themselves –having the freedom to do their best work and advance the cause in the process.
To convey a sense of purpose, declare war on the status-quo! Instead of thinking about what an employee can do for you, think about what you can do for them. Commit to helping people find their way to success by creating a company they love to come to work for. Simon Sinek in his book Leaders Eat Last notes that “Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first”. If your people aren’t your biggest advocates after work hours then you’ve missed the importance of this indispensable leadership principle.
What do you stand for? Sinek provides a compelling answer to that question in his short but poignant video “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”. Your employees need to hear it, know it and own it! And to qualify for employment, so do your recruits. So use it in all of your recruiting efforts as well. Great people are attracted to companies that stand for something! And with so few companies doing a good job of this, you can immediately capture the interest of employees who are working for one of those companies and are deeply dissatisfied with their current situation.