I just read this: 76% of all companies in the survey were found to have some kind of succession plan in place, yet 40% of companies lacked any process or capability to identify future talent. (via)
I thought, you know, there’s a reason companies like IBM and GE radically changed the way they did business. They changed their entire business model in order to survive. Companies like Google have entire teams dedicated to searching and finding the right talent to help them grow. I hear more and more companies saying, “We are always searching for the right person. If we find someone amazing, we’ll create a position just to hire them.”
It makes me think, who are these companies that aren’t focused on their talent? In this new age we live in, the “intellectual capital” of a company can be just as valuable as the commodity they produce. For those companies/industries that don’t produce a tangible product but a service…the talent is the thing.
I see a lot of executives reading “Good to Great” so I know a lot are probably thinking about finding and getting the right people “on the bus.” Malcolm Gladwell recently discussed the mismatch problem companies are having when hiring and said,“Life has become more complex…We want profoundly different things from workers today than we have in the past…but the way we hire has largely remained simplistic.”
The CMO of Bazaarvoice recently blogged about this “hiring gap” and came up with his 5 Stars of a “Rockstar” Employee. It’s got some great tips in identifying good talent. I love the term “Strategic Agility” because I didn’t have to read his definition…I have to live it with what we are doing in my role today. (via)
The natural evolution of business requires every industry to shift, make changes and be nimble. Reacting and getting out in front of a change in how we recruit and hire is just as important as forecasting market growth and revenue goals.
In my work, I tell people that the change in our industry makes it like drinking from a firehose every day it all comes at you so fast. I know I’m not alone, because the change in so many industries is the very same way…whether we choose to acknowledge it or not is a different story.
Charlie,
Great article and points! Thanks for the pingback.
Jason
Awesome blog………………. the things you have mentioned about the present scenario is very much right. Now a days the competition is more critical to get a good dedicated staff for the company, who can prove his dedication for the organization.
[...] was ruined by the human factor and not a product/service malfunction. As I wrote about earlier, Talent is number 1, and if you are not willing to address talent or lack thereof in your organization you will [...]