Happy New Year… Now What?
It’s an abrupt heading to this post, I know. New Year’s can be like that right, you are focused on year end business goals, enjoying time with your family and friends, and then out of nowhere, New Year’s is on your doorstep… Welcome to 2023. If you are like me, this past weekend has been a time to refocus, reprioritize, and strategize for 2023. This time last year, I was in a job that I dreaded every day. I was weighing the options of finding a new corporate HR job or taking the deep dive into HR Consulting. I’ve learned a lot in 2022, and I am looking forward to new challenges in 2023. My goal for 2023 is to help more leaders and businesses, the challenges we face right now are significant, but I believe the key to meeting your business objectives is to focus on your people. There are so many workplace terms right now that have been used try and define this age… the Great Resignation, the Great Reshuffle, Quiet Quitting, and I’m sure someone is trying to craft a new term as I write this. I’m not going to attempt to define and solve these problems, but they all come back to the War for Talent that we have been dealing with quite a long time.
So, what is the War for Talent? Every organization wants to attract their best, hire their best, retain their best, and engage their best. Every Leader know that it takes the right talent to maximize and reach their business strategy. I hate to break it to you, but there is no magic formula to winning this war, and that is for a very good reason. Each person has differing priorities, different motivators, different goals, and so does each organization The magic formula is finding the talent that aligns to your organization’s mission, vision, and values. Easy, right? If only that were the case… this is the hardest and most critical aspect of attaining your business objectives so that your business and your people don’t survive 2023, but thrive in 2023.
Here are some tips to consider as you build your strategy to win the War for Talent this year…
- What’s you mission?
Employees want to know the ‘why’ behind their work. Said another way… they want to be part of something bigger. Money and benefits are expected, but no longer enough to attract key talent.
- Employee experience matters
If you only attempt to impact experience on a surface level, your efforts will backfire! You need to really understand your employee’s experience to know what’s working in your organization, and what’s holding you back from executing your strategy. Do your employees feel heard? Is there any easy outlet for them to provide feedback? Is the feedback publicly celebrated and acted upon?
- Clear career path
People need to know where they are heading in their career. Having a clear career path is vital to driving engagement with your team. Just like roles and responsibilities, success metrics for advancement need to be spelled out. Does each role have a path to the next role? Are there clear expectations for success and advancement?
- Team alignment
People are complex, and teams are complex. Leaders can be overwhelmed with hybrid work, resignation, labor shortages and skills gaps. Consider exploring tools to help understand the dynamics of your team. Ensure these tools can map your team to the work you need to deliver. Is the team clear on the work they need to deliver? Are there gaps in capability or capacity on the team?
- Leadership
Employees need to trust leadership. They are looking for authenticity and transparency. Any breach in ethics or trust can crush engagement. Investing in your leaders’ self-awareness is vital. Leaders need to know their strengths and shortcomings. They also need to know the people they lead, and the dynamics at play on their teams. Are leaders of critical teams aware of their gaps? Are there teams that are struggling, but it’s unclear why? Do you find yourself wondering why a team can’t deliver?
In the war for talent, missteps are costly. These times are unprecedented when we consider retention concerns, employee engagement, and hybrid and remote work. Leaders are stressed, which stresses employees. Engagement and productivity are at risk… disruption stretches the cultural fabric of organizations, creating turmoil and frustration.
It doesn’t have to be this way!
The stakes are high. Losing good people is costly and can suck the energy out of your organization. Leaders have the opportunity to win the war for talent. Learn how to engage top-notch talent and create an environment in which people grow and thrive.
If you want help creating a strategy to win the war for talent, contact me to explore the benefits of talent optimization. Let’s make 2023 the year we attract bright talent, hire all-stars, and retain our best team to make this year’s goals a reality.
2023… the year to win the talent war!
