Encourage talent to choose you
gettyA leader is only ever as good as their team. It is through their people that they achieve their objectives, setting the organization on course for success. That’s why every leader should be working hard to attract and retain the best possible talent. So, how can they go about doing this? Here are four approaches to try:
1. Don’t just choose talent; make talent choose you
When it comes to talent, it’s a mistake to think that, as a leader, you hold all the cards. “Leaders need to realize that as well as choosing the best talent, they also need to be chosen by that talent, in return,” says Sophie Williams, author of The Glass Cliff: Why Women in Power Are Undermined – and How to Fight Back.
Williams argues that leaders who want to be chosen by talent need to listen to what people are really asking for in the post-pandemic world of work. That’s not just in terms of what they value most from a role, but also what they expect as a return on the investment they are making into the businesses they choose to give their time and talents to.
Research by Deloitte shows that the large majority of Gen Z and millennial employees believe that having a sense of purpose is important to their overall job satisfaction. These generations of employees also prioritize work/life balance and want their employers to stay focused on mental health.
2. Give your team psychological ownership of their role
“Leaders can attract new talent by showing them that they will have psychological ownership over a new role,” says Sara Daw, group CEO of The CFO Centre and management services provider The Liberti Group. Daw is also author of Strategy and Leadership as Service – How the Access Economy Meets the C-Suite.
According to Daw, there are three ways to embed psychological ownership into culture. The first is to ensure that new talent is able to connect with their new team and control their function. The second is to nurture meaningful relationships: the more that new talent and the team know about each other, the greater the depth of their relationship and the more they will all be able to take psychological ownership of their roles. Finally, it is important to foster personal commitment in the shape of time, skills or ideas.
“Psychological ownership is critical to attracting, energizing and retaining the best talent,” says Daw. “It creates a sense of ownership over work, which helps build engagement and improve relationships between leaders and new talent.”
3. Challenge and be challenged
“Top talent wants to work with leaders who inspire and leaders whom they can trust,” says Sarah Miller, chief executive of ethics advisory firm Principia. As a result, leaders need two core skills: an ability to motivate their team, and openness to challenge.
According to Miller, motivational leaders are able to explain both what needs to be done as well as the “why” behind daily working plans, priorities and job expectations. “All leaders give direction on the what,” she says, “but those who can give deeper meaning are the ones who can inspire. Top talent usually wants to be part of something bigger than themselves.”
Openness to challenge is important because people trust leaders whom they can challenge without fear of damaging their career. Miller says that a leader who is open to challenge can be trusted to hear hard messages, engage with mistakes, acknowledge concerns and issues, listen to different ideas and points of view and have constructive debate.
4. Show you’re working toward making the world a better, fairer place
“In today’s jobs market, many candidates prioritize purpose and the idea of ‘doing good’ for society in their career decisions,” says Ildiko Almasi Simsic, a social development specialist, founder of AI-powered ESG research tool myESRA and author of What is a Social Impact?
Simsic believes that leaders who demonstrate knowledge, commitment and action to tackling this kind of social sustainability can present a strong mission-driven vision to candidates that will be more likely to attract the star players. “By articulating the organization’s mission and inspiring vision, leaders can attract individuals with a sense of purpose and those who want to contribute to meaningful goals,” she says.
Leaders can also help build a better world by proactively improving their own workplace environment. “Great leaders strive for a collaborative, transparent office culture where feedback – positive or negative – is taken into consideration,” Simsic says. “Workplaces where employees feel valued, respected and supported do much better at attracting high achievers.”
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