High performance organizations have a tremendous focus on identifying, recruiting, hiring, training, promoting, and retaining top talent with genuine integrity. They do everything they can to attract them and make them want to stay. They know that’s the only formula for long term success.
The top tier of the profession or industry invests a tremendous amount of time, effort, and energy in recruitment, employee development, and retention. They hire slow. They have a recruitment system and personnel process designed to yield new members of the team who match their mission and culture. They fire fast when it’s a clearly not a good fit for their culture or team even if the person is gifted.
Only when the employee gets an extraordinary offer this employer cannot possibly compete with do you see a member of this team leave. When that happens, this employer congratulates this employee and expresses appreciation for all their contributions. They are elated to see their success and celebrate it. This employer views it as a compliment that a member of their team is going on to an amazing opportunity. They know it’s important to sustain that relationship within their profession and industry.
Dysfunctional organizations really don’t care when a winner leaves if they were lucky enough to ever have one. They won’t miss the employee and are glad he or she is gone. This hiring was a mistake to begin with for both the employer and employee. They did not want them there in the first place. Why? Because now that star is no longer there consistently demonstrating professional excellence and integrity. Their competence and character were seen as threats or problems not as assets and advantages. They were never a highly valued member of the team. The failing leadership here only values themselves and those like them.
People recruit, hire, promote, and seek to retain who they are not who you are. Recruitment, hiring, and retention should be based on mission, culture, and team. It must be centered upon who is needed to optimize opportunities for long term success. It cannot be related to non-performance reasons or subjective thinking. Performance and integrity are everything and nothing else should matter.
You must match the culture of the employer. If you share the same values, they will value you. If you don’t, they won’t. Have the career you want by going to work for those who truly want you.
Sources: Abrashoff, 2002; Blanchard, 2011; Collins, 2001; Drucker, 2001; Grant, 2017; Kotter, 2012; Lencioni, 2012; Maxwell, 1998; Welch, 2005.
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