While you may have got your business to where it is today, there’s only so much you can do without the support of a dedicated team which shares your vision for the future. Here are four tips for not only building your team but also for retaining your top talent:
1. Know what you’re looking for
‘Talent’. It’s a word that’s thrown around a lot in the business world, but the truth is that it’s actually a very complex area. That’s because talent is highly subjective. For some, the term may refer to someone with extensive knowledge of a particular sector, or with longstanding experience within the industry. For others, it may mean an ability to instill confidence, or implement change, or motivate teams. The act of hiring shouldn’t be approached from the perspective of merely recruiting ‘talent’; it should be based on the idea of bringing in who you need, and what you need, when you need it. By having a clear vision of what you’re looking for, finding the best ‘talent’ becomes much easier.
2. Promote your culture
The candidate landscape is shifting rapidly. While salary is still considered to be one of the most important factors that job seekers look for, the gap between financial reward and employee experience is closing quickly. Today, candidates look to work in roles where they can blur the boundaries between their professional passions and their personal interests, and they want to work for businesses that not only understand this, but also facilitate it. By working to build your own company culture, and promoting this culture through online content, digital ads, and other public-facing channels, it’s easier to engage with and attract people who are motivated to help you succeed and thrive.
3. Be flexible
Traditionally, recruitment means that we have an opening for a particular role, we recruit specifically for that role, and we work to develop our people within these roles. Today, however, role-based recruitment and people management is proving to be quite restrictive in terms of overall business growth and development. By taking a more flexible approach and looking at how those with certain interests or skills could be utilised in operations separate from the role they were initially hired for, it is possible to not only drive business success but also create a powerful employee experience that satisfies workers, makes them feel valued, and significantly minimises rate of turnover.
4. Take a people-centric approach
As more and more businesses transition through digital transformation, it’s becoming easier and easier to utilise technology to analyse data and take results-driven approaches. And in terms of production, this can really work. In terms of human resources, however, it can be detrimental. Results-driven approaches will ultimately fail if the people behind these approaches aren’t invested in their work. To get employees excited about their jobs, and motivated to succeed, it’s essential to take a people-centric approach; to put your team first. By prioritising the needs of your people and creating a nurturing environment and culture, you can keep top talent onboard.
