“Hire character. Train skill.” – Peter Schultz

In the quest for business success, the calibre of your team not only defines your current standing but also dictates your future trajectory.

The magic ingredient? Hiring A+ talent.

This isn’t about just filling positions; it’s about creating the foundation of your ‘A-Team’. This highly motivated, skilled, and effective team, built on a bedrock of trust and mutual respect, is the engine driving your business towards innovation, excellence, and, ultimately, industry leadership.

The Quote as a Guiding Principle

“Hire character. Train skill.”

Peter Schultz’s succinct phrase should be our focal point when it comes to talent acquisition. It underscores a fundamental truth in building a high-performing team: the essence of a person – their character, integrity, and values – is the cornerstone upon which skills can be honed and greatness built. In this article, we look how this principle guides us in attracting not just employees, but those committed, effective team members who will be key to us achieving extraordinary success.

Understanding the High Stakes of Hiring

The importance of each and every hiring decision cannot be overstated. The cost of a misfit in terms of productivity drops during the ‘testing’ process, salary, severance and replacement can be as much as a staggering 4X annual salary. But it goes much further that just these financial implications; the potential costs of disruption to team dynamics, dilution of company culture, and stifling of growth can be enormous.

Conversely, the right hire can be akin to finding that missing piece in a complex puzzle – suddenly, everything clicks into place, and success becomes not just an aspiration but an inevitable outcome.

It’s clear, therefore, that it we’re to achieve the potential we have identified, we have to master the art of identifying and attracting individuals whose aspirations align with our mission, whose energy resonates with our culture, and whose potential can help drive us forward.

Blueprint for Hiring A+ Talent

Building an ‘A-Team’ is far more than just talent scouting; it’s about bringing together a team of professionals who not only excel in their roles but also embody the ethos of your organisation.

Here’s your blueprint for hiring A+ talent:

Defining Your Ideal Candidate

Start with clarity. Creating detailed job descriptions and employee avatars are foundational steps in attracting the right talent. Beyond listing skills and experience, understand the character traits, attitudes, and values that align with your company’s culture and vision. An ideal candidate profile does more than fill a role – it bridges the gap between present capabilities and future aspirations, ensuring a confident march towards your company’s goals.

Company Culture and Fit

The significance of the effect a strong company culture on talent cannot be overstated. A vibrant culture acts as a beacon for A+ talent, attracting individuals who resonate with its values and energy. But this attraction is just the beginning; ensuring that the culture nurtures and amplifies their potential is key. This alignment between an individual’s ethos and the company’s strategic direction ensures a fertile ground exists for innovation, motivation, loyalty, and overall peak performance.

Succession Planning as a Talent Magnet

Visionary leaders not only fill positions but also foresee and shape the future of their talent pool. Effective succession planning for both internal and external candidates involves identifying potential leaders, nurturing their growth, and keeping them engaged.

For internal candidates, create tailored development plans and transparent career paths. For external talents, maintain a ‘warm’ relationship through networking and regular communication, ensuring the see your company an aspirational place for them. This strategic foresight ensures resilience and adaptability in your leadership ranks.

And remember, it’s an ongoing process, and needs to be reviewed and updated regularly by all managers.

The Right Attitude and Skills Balance

The balance of attitude and skills dictates the quality of the hiring process and its outcome. While skills are essential, the right attitude – characterised by a growth mindset, resilience, and alignment with core values – is the catalyst for transformation. “Hire character. Train skill.” This phrase really emphasises the potential of character as the foundation on which skills and excellence are built. Screening for this balance requires a nuanced approach, prioritising cultural fit and the innate drive to learn, grow and contribute to the team’s success.

Interviewing: Beyond the Resume

The interview process is your window into the soul of a potential hire. Traditional resume screening gets you only so far; it’s behavioural interviewing techniques that reveal the true essence of a candidate. Past behaviour is a strong predictor of future performance, so structure questions to bring out these stories. Incorporate team interviews into the process to assess cultural fit, ensuring that candidates resonate with the team’s spirit and culture. This more comprehensive approach guarantees that you’re not just hiring for today but investing in the future dynamism and success of your ‘A-Team’.

Effective Strategies for Attracting A+ Talent

In today’s highly competitive market, attracting A+ talent is not just a matter of posting a job and waiting for resumes to flood in, but rather about creating an environment and reputation that draws the best of the best towards you like a magnet.

First and foremost, ensure your company culture is one where excellence is recognised, nurtured, and rewarded. People want to work where they are valued, in an organisation aligned with their values, and where there is a clear path to growth.

Incorporate innovative recruitment strategies that go beyond the traditional job posting. Look first to your internal team members, keeping those growth path opportunities alive, while scanning for the A+ talent that has not yet joined you. Engage in social media, leverage your networks, and consider reaching out directly to individuals who exhibit the qualities you desire in your team. Remember, the best candidates are often not immediately seeking more responsibility, or actively looking for a job.

Offer competitive packages, but also highlight what makes your company unique. Whether it’s flexible working hours, opportunities for professional development, or a strong community focus, make sure potential candidates know what sets you apart.

The Critical Role of Onboarding

Once you’ve attracted this top talent, the journey is far from over. A robust onboarding process is crucial in retaining them. This phase is your chance to set the tone for their experience within your company. Make it count.

Effective onboarding goes beyond paperwork and logistics. It’s about integration into the company culture, understanding the team dynamics, and starting on the path to contributing meaningfully. Assign mentors, provide clear and comprehensive training, and set up check-ins to gauge their progress and comfort level.

Remember, the goal of onboarding is not just to introduce them to their job but to weave them into the fabric of your organisation, ensuring they feel valued and part of something greater.

I’ll be covering this crucial subject in more detail in the following article this month.

Conclusion

On the proverbial chessboard of business, your moves can only be as strong as the pieces you play with. Attracting, hiring, and retaining A+ talent is not just a part of the game – it’s a crucial strategy that can set your business apart in a VUCA world. This process begins with a strong and vibrant company culture, is executed through innovative recruitment and competitive offerings, and is solidified with a comprehensive onboarding process.

Remember, the true value of A+ talent is not just in their individual capabilities but in how they elevate those around them, driving innovation, productivity, and ultimately, profitability. By focusing on these strategies, you position your business not just to succeed but to excel. Let’s not just predict the rain; let’s build the ark, as Warren Buffett tells us, ensuring that our businesses are resilient, adaptive, and always a beacon for the best talent out there.

A final question to think about:

“In light of the evolving landscape of talent acquisition and retention, how will you adapt your strategies to not only attract A+ talent but ensure they grow with your business, turning today’s investments into tomorrow’s legends?

Share your experiences and strategies in the comments below. Together, let’s strengthen our leadership and build ‘A-Teams.’

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This is the second article in this month’s focus on Building Your ‘A’ Team, with the first being:

Building Trust: The Bedrock of a Thriving ‘A-Team’ Culture

Stay tuned for further articles to follow in this theme, or, better still, subscribe to my blog and receive the latest articles automatically, simply by clicking here.

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Working together to take your business to new heights!

With over 50 years of experience in the technology industry, spanning three continents, and three decades in CxO roles driving exceptional growth in revenue and profitability, I now work with and coach other business owners and CxOs to reach even greater heights.

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Related Posts

And, if you’d like learn more related to building resilient teams, the following articles and posts might also be of interest.

• Hire Character. Train Skill.” – Peter Schutz
• “Attitude, not Aptitude, determines Altitude.” – Zig Ziglar
• Reduce Costs by Defining Your Ideal Employee
• Establishing Your Values – “Values are like fingerprints. Nobody’s are the same, but you leave them all over everything you do.” – Elvis Presley
• The Power of Accountability in Business Success
• “Successful businesses are built on the brilliance of a team of people, not just one individual.” – Gifford Thomas
• Leading a Fearless Business: Boosting Growth and Profits
• From Good to Great: How Employee Recognition Can Transform Company Culture
• 10 Principles for a Sustainably Excellent Culture – Beginning With “We”
• Success Secrets of the World’s Best CEOs
• “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” – Steve Jobs
• What CEOs Need to Succeed in Today’s Changing World
• Top 10 Things Your Business Culture Needs to Focus On for Success
• Team Development for Sustainable Competitive Advantage
• “Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don’t have to.” – Sir Richard Branson
• “Company culture matters. How management chooses to treat its people impacts everything for better or for worse.” – Simon Sinek

Backgrounders

HBR – A Bad Reputation Costs a Company at Least 10% More Per Hire

Forbes –  The True Cost Of A Bad Hire — It’s More Than You Think

Fast Company – Infographic: How Much A Bad Hire Will Actually Cost You

Fortune – Talent is top worry for business leaders in 2024

#BusinessFitness #Accountability #Attitude #Communication #Culture #Motivation #Leadership #People #Productivity #Resilience #Success #Teams #QOTW