Yes, You Are Competing For Your Current Talent.

It's time for a perspective change.

Recently I attended the Association for Talent Development (ATD) International Conference and Expo in San Diego (HIGHLY recommended) and one of the themes that was discussed was the "war for talent" - talking about ways companies are seeking top talent via unique work, development opportunities, flexible work arrangements, lucrative rewards packages and more - which makes sense.

But that got me thinking - what are we doing to retain our talent? After some thought I'd encourage us to have the mindset that - even though they are working for us now - we are an active competitor for our current talent. The phrase "iron sharpens iron" comes to mind and if we are striving to be the best this will help us avoid complacency and keep us constantly trying to create an elevated and employee-centric perspective. A few thoughts on ways to stay out in front..

✅ Focus On Your Front Line - it's been said that people join because of job descriptions and leave because of bosses. There will always be a job that pays more or has a sexier title or more vacation pay or this and that - but if your talent feels they have a high quality of life, adequately compensated and enjoys their day to day, the odds of them departing prematurely drop significantly. And I won't ask you specifically - but I'm sure all readers have had a job where they were in a tough spot with a boss and would be willing to take a pay or title cut to find a better situation. Focusing on your frontline can help your company stand out as a competitor - and minimize regrettable losses.

✅ The Little Things Matter - hypothetical, but let's say a company has a 2-day per week hybrid option and they recently switched VPNs. If you assume is that these two items are not connected you wouldn't be blamed in the least! - but they could be unexpectedly. VPNs often slow internet connection which can hinder remote work by reducing connection speeds. And what if that the new VPN slowed internet connection so dramatically they opted (or needed) to come to a nearly empty building on a typical "remote" day because their tasks required it. This seemingly small change - the VPN change - could potentially nullify the perceived and stated benefit of working remote for those people. 

This could also actually make that "benefit" into a source of potential resentment as some employees - those whose jobs require a lot of bandwidth - don't have as much flexibility while others do. And if there is another company that offers them true flexibility - suddenly the current employer is at a disadvantage. Knowing the day to day impact of small things on your team can make a big difference.

✅ Know What Your People Really Want - another story (sorry!) From 2007-2012 I worked full time at sea and we had an Employee of the Month program where a prize was to have dinner with the Captain in the Dining Room. It sounds like an honor - but when it came to the mechanics it required winners to wear (and sometimes simply find) nice clothes they might not have, eat food that might not match their dietary needs/culture, spend time with people they don't have many connections with, conflicting work/sleep schedules if they were on the night shift and more.

Towards the end the switch was made to a menu of 7 options where winners could select two (including the dinner option!) which was much better received since people could actually get what they want. Are you offering what your talent wants - truly? Investing the time to find that out can pay huge dividends.

So in conclusion - yes, you are competing for your talent. What is your mindset and how are you winning? Share a comment or thought - I'm all ears! -Kevin