Surround Yourself With Talent
Dr. Paul J. Pavlik, August 12, 2020
When your staff enters the room of a convention, meeting, or another competitor’s office, does every head in the room turn to admire your team, and does every one of your competitors’ employees secretly desire to work for you? I can proudly say that is what I observe with my team. My most productive years in business, and needless to say most enjoyable, have been, and continue to be, when I surround myself, to a person, with talented employees.
While most of us would say, without a doubt, that we take hiring talented employees very seriously, how many of us can say that EVERY individual in our organization is the most gifted we can find? Do you think that the owners of professional sports franchises and Broadway production companies seek out anyone less than the best? These organizations are able to charge their clients (you and me) top dollars when we attend their “presentations” (services and products). They would not be able to do this unless they gave us the best they could offer. Their success depends on the talent of every member in their “team”. Why not use the same philosophy for your business?
In order to attract and keep new clients, mediocre services and products are no longer acceptable. How do you think services and products become exceptional? Do you honestly think you can supply a great product or service without having a talented team to build the product or offer the service? Your real advantage in today’s competitive market might be realized by using superior talent, while other business owners simply “get by” with the less than talented employees they have.
In order to attract, obtain, and retain top talent, you have to offer up more than just a nice place to work and a reasonably competitive salary. The following is a list of some things you may want to incorporate so that you can surround yourself with and keep top talent:
Talent Likes Hanging Out With Talen
If you already have talented people on board, adding someone with mediocre abilities will only serve to show your employees that you do not care enough to be the very best. Never fill a job slot with someone simply because you cannot find anyone better; it is best to leave the slot open and to wait for the right individual. You can never bring someone, who does not care enough to be the best, up to the level of those that do. But unfortunately, you can watch those with talent reduce themselves to mediocrity by hiring less than capable team players. In a world where competition is increasingly brutal, only the BEST is GOOD ENOUGH!
Most importantly, inspire them with your leadership and talent. Remember, they want to not only be surrounded by talent, but more importantly, they want to (and must be) led by talent and integrity.
Incorporate a Formal Talent Review Process
Everyone in the organization must know exactly what is going on and what is expected. Openly provide, via regularly and frequently scheduled reviews, the information needed so that everyone knows your goals – demand their best. Then, there can be no excuses for mediocre performance. Even your best people must be subjected to an “up or out” philosophy.
Train and Reward Your Talen
The average American worker receives 26.3 hours of training (i.e., continuing education) per year. Do you think a concert pianist, professional golfer, football player, or soldier could get by, let alone excel, if they were limited to that kind of training? Always remember that KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!
Top performing professional sports teams pay top dollars for the talent necessary to produce top results and therefore, top revenues. Why shouldn’t you? Recall what we always preach about your business finances, “what gets measured gets done.” Now consider that, “what gets paid well gets done more … and better.” Talented people no longer gravitate to companies that promise lifetime employment, but to companies that offer immediate compensation, both in dollars and in gratitude, for a job more than well done. Talented people go where they get respect, both personally and financially, for the talent that they bring to the table. Remember that when your employee deserves a raise. If you offer $0.25 per hour, and they think they deserve (and you know they deserve) $0.50, consider that the difference over one year is only $43.33 per month or $520 per year. Never overlook the cost of and difficulty in finding new, highly talented employees. A talented bird in hand is worth exceedingly more than two, or more, average birds in the bush! As we have said before, how people treat others is the most important asset. Reward those who have that special innate ability to treat others as they would want to be treated. Then, make them feel good about themselves by measuring and rewarding those that have been good to others.
