The people you attract and retain determine the level of success of your organization.  No other element can replace or compensate for having a true team of talented individuals of integrity deeply committed to the mission.  How can your company, government agency, or nonprofit entity prevail in the fierce competition for the right employees to ensure long-term success?

Employers need to learn who they need to ensure optimal performance and results for their customers.  Continuous research involving a diverse set of data points to identify and truly understand who they must have on their teams is key.  Who will best fit your culture and team?   What knowledge and skills do our customers need?  Who believes in our mission?  What are the specific predictors of excellent employees over time in our organization?   What am I missing from the current team in terms of expertise, experience, and other specific strengths?

Organizations need to study their relevant talent market and their organization.  They must understand what they need to offer to those they want to welcome and keep on their teams.  What type of leadership, culture, team, careers, salary, benefits, professional development, etc. do the desired candidates seek?  Employers need to change when their talent market does.  For example, if the employees they want seek a specific employment benefit, employers must consider providing it.

The employers who understand these principles and strategies will be more likely to win in constant and strong competition for the right talent.  The employers who reject them will have real problems getting and keeping who they actually need.

The number one reason individuals do not join or choose to leave an employer is the difference between promises and performance or well-founded expectations and the reality of working there.  As Maxwell notes, you have to be the employer you say you are.  Employers must ensure that their candidates and employees truly experience the organization they hold themselves out to be.

Sources:  Abrashoff, 2002; Blanchard, 2011; Collins, 2001; Drucker, 2001; Grant, 2017; Kotter, 2012; Lencioni, 2012; Maxwell, 1998; Welch, 2005

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