It’s Always going to be about the People

My thoughts on the Talent Economy and Why it really matters

I will start out by saying that I tend to jump around a bit, and this little story/rant is no different…but the point remains the same. I hope you enjoy it.

The Company with the best people wins!

What about the best product? Nope! What about marketing and sales? Nope! What about all the new and revolutionary business models? You guessed it, not a chance! They don’t drive business models. People Do!

Think about it, without People, Sales, Marketing, and/or Product don’t even exist.

The mark of a successful company is to have as much top talent under one roof that no one in their right mind would even think of wanting to go to work with anyone else.

One of the top Strategy Consulting Firms, the venerable McKinsey & Company found that talented management generated tremendous value for their companies. According to their research a top performer in an organization, a superstar if you will, are 50 to 100% more productive that what would be considered an average or even below average employee. McKinsey came to the conclusion that even if you had to pay 40% more to hire or keep the superstar the investment in top talent would yield a 300% one year ROI. That is a good deal no matter how you spin it.

John Doerr, one of the most recognized names in Venture Capital has gone on record and said that he spends “120%” of his time recruiting the leadership for the companies he is involved with and funds. Most if not all Venture Capitalists have gone beyond just being the guys with the bankrolls and now look at themselves as being “guys that build companies.” Vinod Khosla another top VC in the Valley, some would argue THE TOP, has said “The right leadership and ‘gene pool’ is the most important thing to a company’s success.” he goes on to say “ The CEO’s thirst for talent and his salesmanship in recruiting talent and building teams are key to determining the future of the company.” Organizations will run into one problem after another it is inevitable. That is business. Nothing is ever smooth.

The answer to any problem is always going to be-People.

If companies want to truly thrive, hiring managers at all levels have to get out of the mindset of just filling jobs. Talent has to go onto the P&L statement as the most valuable asset the company has. Companies have to make a commitment to find and hire the absolute best people they can for every role in the organization. You may have to keep calling potential recruits, you may have to step out of your comfort zone and romance them a bit, you may have to pull out all the stops and persuade them that their best future is with you and your company. There is no way around it, it simply HAS to be done.

Everyone in a company has to act like a CTO (Chief Talent Officer). The only way that you are going to get the best talent to your company is to have an idea that is so new, so exciting, so edgy, that the stars who are looking for a challenge or an opportunity to make a difference can’t resist engaging in a conversation. Then you have to sell your butt off with passion and conviction.

If you don’t know what your company is doing that is new and exciting, what are you waiting for? Go and find out! Engage the marketing and product teams. Find out what all the buzz is about. Get an audience with Sr. Management to gain an idea of what their vision of the future is like. Do Something! You can’t keep telling the same old story and expect talented people to listen.

Truly talented people don’t have to and don’t want to just listen…they want more, they want to be INSPIRED. So go after them, Enchant them, Excite Them, Inspire them. When you find the person, the right person, don’t you dare back off. Get creative. Focus. Make another call. Meet with them again. Find the common ground and meet each other there. They are worth it. We have proved that already-well McKinsey has (remember 300% first year ROI). A company’s number one goal is to get as much talent on their side as possible. If you do that the rest is cake. Why? Because talented people succeed!

You need to know what talent is, and maybe even more importantly in some cases what it is not. Talent does not just fill a role or hold a job. A truly talented person is not easily replaced. Your goal should never be to just have a body in a role. That is a recipe for failure. Talent is more than just skill. All skilled people are not talented, but all truly talented people are skilled. Finding talent is not about finding the perfect person. Success comes from having a “wish list” that is very realistic. If you attract and can land Michael Jordan in his prime that would be awesome, but you can’t set out with the sole expectation of landing MJ. It’s just not reasonable.

Talent is someone moving up the food chain. The challenge is finding these people early and snapping them up. If you don’t you can bet your competition will. The truly talented move at lightning speeds. So if you have a shot you had better take it, and you better make it count. A talented person is someone that you genuinely like and want to be around. I always like to say that you want to hire the people you want to do shots of whisky with after work. These are the people who make you feel good and with them in your corner you feel like you can take on anyone. They are the people you want around you when things are not going quite the way you want them to. They will prop you up, help you in any way that they can, and stick with you until you get your mojo back.

Talented people have a swagger about them. They ooze self confidence. They are not cocky, but they believe with every ounce of their being that they can’t be stopped. Talented people like to compete but more importantly they like to win. A mentor of mine has told me that he “Hates to lose more than he likes to win.”

Talented people are not patient. They are driven and can’t sit still. Waiting around is not in their DNA. They get right to the point; to the heart of the matter, but they think things through and are prepared when they get there.

Talented people speak their minds. They tell the truth, and they are not afraid to ask Why.

Talented people have a vision and they can express it. They can galvanize others to a common goal and then get after it.

Talented people attract other talented people. Talented people want to work with the best. They realize that being around other talent is only going to bring out the best in them. It will make them better. Iron sharpening iron. They are not threatened. They embrace the challenge.

Be prepared however because just when you think you have seen it all, someone truly talented will completely and utterly blow your mind! Make no mistake about it. Talent is the great equalizer. Talent is in fact the secret sauce. The one thing that separates the good companies from the great ones.

So now that you know how important talent is to your organization and what to look for, my question is what are you going to do about it? My sincere hope is that you will take a hard look inside your organization and really figure out if you really believe that It’s Always About The People.

I hope that you enjoyed reading this “rant of mine”. Please don’t be afraid to contact me. I would absolutely love to hear from you. For me it has always been and always will be About the People. That is why I recruit Leaders-Only.