Are you having problems keeping top talent in your company? Here is what you can do about it.
We live in a time where there is still a lot of hype around what is talent, how to attract talent and how to keep it. Having the opportunity to work in different industries, and grow around 10 teams from scratch(no bragging about it) I really had the chance to see what makes talented people start and continue working for a company. Here we go.
Let’s start with finding the talent:
1-) Not defining what talent is:
It is quite simple but most of the companies do not have criteria to define what “talent” is. While for a manager talent can be someone who works hard doing what he tells him/her to do, on the other hand for a director it can be a person who finishes what he/she started.
2-) Expect untalented people to find talent:
One of the biggest mistakes. You cannot expect an untrained or ego-centric managers — directors to find the new talents. Use team builders, directors, managers who have proved themselves as being leaders, workers with team spirit to help find the next talent in your company. These people will always put the team and the company first. You can easily scare the talented people off with a phone call from a wrong manager.
3-) Get rid of one opinion and one decision:
You cannot let one person, let it be the CTO, CEO or the founder of the company to do the decision. The decisions to call a talent, a talent is the job of a team. Get genuine feedback from other people and make a conscientious decision.
Let’s now see the secrets in keeping them:
1-) Get rid of toxic, ego-centric, micro-managing bosses:
It sounds easy on paper, you can do all the powerpoint presentations but it is really hard to find leaders. Leaders who are able to put their team before themselves, who are more interested in unblocking problems than accomplishing their own agendas, who are so confident that the team they build can and will take the best decisions without him being around.
Do not forget people do quit bosses, not companies!
2-) Give them a great culture:
Culture is the one thing that will shape how talented people in your organisation will behave. Think a seed planted in a desert. The seed can be one of the carefully selected seeds with the greatest potential to grow the best crops. Unless you plant it to the correct soil with plenty of water it will never flourish.
3-) Give them freedom:
As I always mentioned. Not being a great fan of Steve Jobs, there is one quote that he pinpoints this:
“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to, We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”
You cannot keep telling talented people what to do. They get their power from being able to decide what is the best way to go. As a leader, you can mentor them but never put them in a cage and tell them what to do.
4-) Make them feel safe:
This comes as a part of a great company culture. A strict boss, back-stabbing colleagues or political battles inside the company or the teams is the best way to scare the bejesus out of your talented employees. Stop the battles when you see them, make people come together rather than building up walls between teams.
Ask yourself “How can I help resolve this?”
5-) Discover and have them do what they do best:
One of the main reasons why a director, manager exists in a company is discovering which qualities do the people around them have, make that quality stronger and have them use it in a way that the company can benefit the most. It is not “Discover the talent in you”, or it is not going into the stage like Steve Balmer (Remember Developers?) and shouting. It is about really knowing the people around you and having a genuine interest in making them better.
Discover what people around you do best. Find ways to have them do more of it!
6-) Have them work with other talents:
Having one talented person can make a tiny bit of impact on a team and a company. If you want to make sure your team and company really is able to challenge the “status quo” you will need to have a whole team of talented people working together. Find the best ways to put them all together, give them a great reason to work as one. You will be astonished to see what they are capable of.
Finding and keeping talent is hard, but not impossible work. It relies on 3 basic rules:
- Create a non-hostile, friendly and team-oriented company culture
- Create, choose and promote team-spirited, non-egoist, non-micro managing leaders with a great eye for talent
- Trust and give freedom
