Hire and Retain Top Talent

Juggling balls

I often use this metaphor: “Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them—work, family, health, friends, and spirit—and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls—family, health, friends, and spirit—are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.”
Source: The Georgia Tech Whistle. “Volume 17, Number 27—September 30, 1991.” Page 3.

Be open and transparent

Top talent needs to know what is happening in their organisation in order to be really part of it. One of the key factors that set us apart as a company is our open and transparent approach toward our colleagues. We foster an environment of trust and open communication, where our team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas, suggestions, and concerns. This has helped to create a strong sense of community within our company, and our colleagues feel a sense of ownership and are part of the success.

Truly value talent

If you value talent, reward them based on their impact. We offer competitive compensation, career growth, and most importantly invest in the personal development of people. We understand that in order to retain top talent, we need to provide opportunities for our team members to learn, grow, and advance in their careers.

This is why we have invested in training and development programs, which not only help to build a more skilled and capable workforce but prove our commitment to their growth and success (regardless if it means that they will eventually leave our organisation to progress their career).

Use top talent to attract top talent

Top talent wants to work with other talented people and therefore can, if intrinsically motivated, attract new talented people. The more talented people you have in your organisation the easier it becomes to find talent. This only works if people believe that there is always room for new talent. If not, they might not want to potentially harm their own career development by bringing in competition.

Building partnerships and collaborations with other organisations, educational institutions, and local communities has been another effective way for us to create new opportunities for talent acquisition and retention. Think about guest lectures and “real” internships proving that you are ready to invest in talent. This has helped to create a positive image of our company and the community, which in turn has helped to attract top talent.

Conclusion

As a result of these actions, we have successfully created a high talent density within our workforce and continue to attract and retain top talent. Our workforce is now composed of a diverse group of highly skilled, motivated, and engaged colleagues who are committed to achieving our company’s goals.

Talent will drive organisational performance and this performance will drive (personal) growth. Growth unlocks new opportunities and retains talent. I truly believe that there is no quota for a high talent density, the more the better.