The Unsustainable War For Talent

How to avoid entering the battlefield

Companies have long been entangled in a war that shows no signs of slowing down: the battle for talent. 

Successfully pinpointing and securing talent is something of a rarity. Nearly 73% of companies have difficulties finding qualified individuals to join their team, which is partly due to rigid org charts that appear to be based on a set criteria of technical skills.  As the war for talent intensifies, it’s critical that companies cut through the noise of hiring, and, instead, build the right team from within. 

After all, the best way to win the war for talent is to avoid the war altogether. Rather than sacrificing time, money, and manpower looking for talent, place a premium on developing talent from within to cultivate the exact company you’ve envisioned.

Hiring managers must shift their mindsets to understand that a set of skill sets and credentials won’t push your organization forward. Instead, developing your employees with mindsets built for the future will effectively eliminate the need to spend resources sourcing talent.

With AI and automation advancing at a rapid speed, organizations can no longer look for prized candidates that check the box of the skillsets an open position calls for. That’s not to say that employee qualifications can be completely overlooked, but, rather, that an equally important, if not even greater, focus should be placed on the individual’s mindset instead of the number of years in a specific role.

The key to filling a vacant role is to look within your organization and find someone who can embrace the failure that comes with a new role, who is ready to step up and take ownership of everything that the role entails, who can have powerful conversations with team members in this role, who can inspire and lead a team to greatness. Ninety-four percent of executives argue that a unique and inviting workplace culture plays a major role in overall business success. So why not create an entire workforce that embodies a culture that continually unlocks new opportunities and challenges with a mindset of success. This type of culture will drive employees to find purpose and value in their roles with the notion that they can do anything they put their minds to. Frankly, driving success has more to do with your workforce’s mindset than it does their backgrounds or qualifications. 

With only 12% of executives confident their company is developing a positive culture, it’s clear that fostering a positive culture is rare. Placing a premium on your business’ personality and mindset will not only benefit your company’s success, but it will also ensure you have the right employees in-house without having to look elsewhere for new hires. Do your part to show your employees how valued they are by investing in their development and focusing on building winning mindsets, and it will pay off.

Once you’ve invested in the culture of your company that puts mindsets above skill sets, give your employees the space to flourish by putting them in positions to succeed. Every employee in your company has strengths - unlock that potential and allow them to show that potential off. Every employee has a voice - allow them to be heard. 

In order to avoid employee turnover, it’s important to put your employees in positions for success. Ultimately, employees will develop a sense of dedication to your organization when you consistently invest in them and allow them to flourish. Additionally, this will improve employee satisfaction, and result in more engaged employees. 

Developing your employees to feel equipped and confident to voice their opinions, make suggestions, and drive business development will encourage them to use their unique strengths to accomplish a common goal.

Eighty-six percent of employees at companies with strong cultures feel their senior leadership values their opinions. Do all you can to encourage your team employees to develop their skills and speak up so you too can create a strong culture. Should an employee choose to find employment elsewhere, you will be able to replace them from within, as you likely have an employee with the skills to replace the vacancy left. 

Take the time to get to know your team, stay connected, and invest in their growth and you will have loyal employees that keep your company humming. 

The best way to avoid the battle for talent is to place a premium on fostering an attractive company culture that focuses on developing talent internally to get to the right mindsets. Offer your employees something different - something that they can’t get elsewhere. Invest in the person, not the resume. A talented culture begets talented individuals.