John Eades* says with the job market firmly in the hands of talented professionals, organisations that continue to act as if employees are disposable are heading for disaster.
You can’t lead without people. Unfortunately, many bad leaders forget this simple truth.
Instead of investing in and developing solid relationships with those they get the opportunity to lead, they complain, blame, and act as if people are disposable.
While no great organisation would advocate this as a sustainable approach, it wasn’t the worst talent strategy for decades.
Countless professionals were looking for employment, and those employed were scared about keeping their job.
This put the power squarely in the hands of the organisations.
However, the current environment has shifted dramatically. The power of employment is now in the hands of talented professionals — the best organisations recognise this.
Research suggests that between 55 and 70 per cent of professionals are actively looking to change jobs.
Most professionals who have left or are thinking about going aren’t walking away for a small pay raise.
They are walking towards leaders and organisations who care about them and add value to their lives beyond remuneration.
While no organisation or leader is perfect, there is a long list of employers going above and beyond to positively change the lives of their team members.
Creating a culture that changes the lives of team members for the better sounds obvious; putting it into action is a different challenge.
Employee turnover costs organisations, especially if the departing employee has been there for three or more years.
The cost of turnover is expensive, and retention is essential.
Most leaders and organisations grasp this, but instead of implementing formal retention efforts, they go with the “next employee up mentality.”
This is a powerful mantra that many of the best sports teams live by when a player gets hurt or can’t play for another reason.
Not only is it a good one, it’s true. Every single person is replaceable, and no one is trying to change that.
However, in a talent market like our current one, retaining high performers and great team players deserves a dedicated strategy to be implemented by each manager.
One of the most significant mistakes leaders make is that they believe they have to retain a team member that hurts their culture because the talent pool is limited.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Team members who aren’t willing to sacrifice their interests for the team might seem to help in the short term, but they hurt in the long run.
Contrary to popular belief, people can change, especially when it comes to grasping the consequences of one’s actions.
If a team member is struggling to meet or exceed the standard required to be a part of a team, make them aware.
Then coach them and give them a chance to make adjustments before deciding to move on.
A recent study found that by 2030, there will be a global human talent shortage of more than 85 million people.
This means the talent shortfall is here to stay, and the employment market will continue to be hyper-aggressive.
What’s required to thrive in a hyper-aggressive talent market is proactivity seeking and developing people.
Author and business person, Lawrence Bossidy said it well:
“Nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day, you bet on people, not on strategies.”
Not only is he right, but it’s also never been more critical than it is today.
A relentless approach to seeking talent and an equally persistent effort to develop people inside the organisation are required to succeed.
The ‘how-to’ strategies to improve retention, good turnover, and successful recruiting are endless.
If you want to know if your organisation is doing a good job, look for the following as proof.
Do you have leadership development programs; best in class technology tools; core values highlighted in the hiring and promotion process; a culture of coaching and mentoring?
I hope that instead of blaming, complaining, and acting as if people are disposable, you will do your part to make a difference to people right where you are.
Use the opportunities in front of you to ‘bloom where you are planted’ because that’s exactly what the best leaders do.
*John Eades is the Chief Executive of LearnLoft a leadership development company. He is also the host of the Follow My Lead podcast. He can be contacted at johneades.com.
This article first appeared on John’s LearnLoft blog.
