A wise person once said, “If you go through the motions, you will end up going nowhere.”
It seems like we are doing a lot of wheel-spinning these days, waiting and hoping for better days to arrive. But since hope has never been a very good business strategy, we need action, a few heroes and new approaches to move us forward.
The best place to start is with your organization’s top performers. These risk takers who believe, know and love what they are doing have historically driven results and are sustaining business in 2009.
Great organizations do more than persevere in challenging times. They prosper because they have a good product and/or service, are well-structured and have the right people in the right jobs. They understand that the key to organizational success is hiring and keeping very good people.
It’s the same concept we expect of our local sports teams — and so often complain about on sports-talk radio —but sometimes forget to implement in our own companies. Sure, our workers don’t perform in front of thousands of fans, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn't hold our organizations to the same high standards.
Here are a few thoughts for improving the odds of having the right people on your team:
Take a position. If your organization does not have an established policy on the type of employees to hire and keep, this is the time to establish one. Great workplaces often have a policy focused on acquiring and retaining top performers. This policy should be written, communicated to employees and embraced. It comes alive through HR policies, programs, employee benefits, community service and other critical workplace initiatives.
Find the superstars. Finding top people can sometimes be a challenge. Rarely do you find superstar employees through classified advertisements, but technology has provided new opportunities to source candidates through social media and company Web sites. Having an online career center is a must today, regardless of company size or industry. In addition to technology, companies need to become more aggressive in networking and researching top people. Even though it is perceived to be an employer’s market, companies must still apply the same diligence, hard work and creativity in identifying and attracting great people for open positions.
Make it a science. If your organization hires people based on personality (e.g., “they seem nice”) consider adding muscle to your program by establishing success profiles for each of your organization’s jobs. These profiles, often developed in concert with a trained management psychologist, become excellent predictors of future performance and considerably aid in the selection process of job candidates. In addition, take a hard look at all of your selection tools to ensure that your team is identifying best-fit candidates strategically.
Shred the red tape. Top performers disdain bureaucracy and archaic workplace policies. When you look at many HR policies today, you realize they were written long ago for employees who do not perform at high levels or aren’t team players. Think of the superstars in your organization :Do they really need rules? Do they really need a progressive disciplinary procedure? Do you think they appreciate a probationary period? When you bring on and keep top people, you realize that the old rules just don’t apply. It is time to change the game. As you add more top people, you’ll realize the days of traditional management techniques are just about over.
Press the copy button. If you believe above-average performers drive your business success, then increasing their numbers in your organization is key to producing dramatic results. Ensure that all of your employees know the bar has been raised and the expectation is to perform at high, sustained levels. This gives quick notice to nonperformers that it’s time to get on or off the bus. The market conditions are extraordinarily favorable now, ripe with outstanding talent. Seize the opportunity to multiply your company’s top people.
Deliver more. Top people expect more in compensation, benefits, professional development and your workplace. And they should. Work to develop and maintain a great workplace for them. If you need some help getting started, read the research and stories at
northcoast99.org. Believe it or not, great workplaces are actually easier to maintain than traditional organizations, because top performers are lower maintenance than average or poor performers.
Who wouldn’t want their organization filled with top performers? (Well, besides poor performers, obviously.) Top people create, innovate, provide exceptional customer service and consistently deliver more than expected and promised. In times of adversity, you want top performers on your team. In good times, you want them sounding the pipe organ with a chant of “char-r-r-rge.”