Skip to main content
A woman sitting in an office across a desk from a man who is interviewing her

Select Top Talent

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Organization, Planning, Talent. No Comments on Select Top Talent

Selecting employees is not the same as recruiting talent. The difference between the two is profound. How do you recruit talent?

Unfortunately, many leaders do not recruit talent, they select people. To select is to sort through applicants and choose the best one.

To recruit is different.

Recruiting is the process of identifying the most appropriate people for a specific role and aggressively pursuing them.

As in most definitions, the words matter. Let’s break this down:

  • Process – This implies a pre-determined, well-conceived, repeatable, and disciplined approach to the work. A process involves steps with assigned accountability and measures of effectiveness embedded along the way. Many organizations do not have a process for recruiting talent – does yours?
  • Most Appropriate – This part of the definition suggests you know the criteria or qualifications for the role you’re trying to fill. In sports, coaches are looking for the ideal candidate. I believe businesses should do the same. In the end, you may have to compromise on some of your desires. However, you should never settle when it comes to the most critical attributes. Do you know the specific skills your ideal candidate must possess?
  • Identifying – After you know exactly what you’re looking for, process comes into play again. What are the steps to find candidates like the one you described? Where have you found them in the past? Where might you find them in the future? A Division 1 basketball coach once said he was personally scouting and recruiting middle school players – middle school! The war for talent is real in all walks of life. To recruit talent, you must first find them.
  • Aggressively Pursuing – Once you know what you’re looking for and where you might find it, how aggressive are you? How much time and energy do you invest in the pursuit? A business leader told me his number one need was finding great talent. I asked him how many hours he had personally invested the previous week in his “number one” issue. He said, “Zero.” I don’t think that qualifies as aggressively pursuing talent.

Another thought about aggressively pursuing talent: How strong is your offer? In today’s world, money isn’t the only factor when trying to get someone to join your team. I love the idea of total compensation. This includes income, benefits, and what I call “psychic income.”

Psychic income encompasses all the intangibles. You see this in professional sports from time to time. An athlete will take less money to play for a team with a better chance to win a championship or to live in a better city.

In corporate America, some will work for a company whose purpose or values resonate with their own. Others will value an organization with a reputation for helping people grow. When you put your package together, don’t undersell psychic income; people can’t take it to the bank, but often it can be the difference between winning the deal or not.

To recruit talent, you must first find them.

So, how do you recruit talent? You first decide talent can create a competitive advantage and then you create a process that supports that belief. Then you’re ready for the hard part – you have to work the process.

 

Two men sitting across from each other in a restaurant booth, working on computers and talking together. Two men sitting across from each other in a restaurant booth, working on computers and talking together.

5 Must-Haves for Team Members

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Development, Planning, Teams. No Comments on 5 Must-Haves for Team Members

One of the most important decisions you and I make as leaders is, “Who’s on our team?” The results you’ll pursue will change over time. Skills can be developed and community can be strengthened. However, if you have the wrong people around the table, your ultimate success will always be in jeopardy.

Here are a few questions that may be helpful as you select your team.

Q: Does this person want to be on a team?
I’ve worked with some very talented people during my career who were not team players. They were gifted in their area of expertise, but for whatever reason, they wanted to be an individual contributor. I’ve tried to convert some of these folks to team players – it didn’t work.

Q: Are they willing to contribute in a team setting?
Do you know people that want to be part of something without getting their hands dirty? You sometimes see this in a team setting. You may find individuals who enjoy the team vibe, but they may not want to contribute to the hard work of actually making the team work. If you can discern this before you put someone on the team – don’t put them on the team.

Q: Is this individual a learner?
The second ingredient in creating a high-performance team involves learning new skills. If the men and women on your team are too busy, arrogant, stubborn, or unable to learn, they’ll not be good team members.

Q: Do they resonate with the vision & values of the team/organization?
When building a team, you have a fundamental choice around this question. Are you looking for people who already “get it” or are you looking for people to “win over” to your point of view? I’d rather start with people who share a common passion for the cause.

Q: Do you sense that they could become great at what they do?
This is where your intuition as a leader comes into play. I don’t know how to test for this, but you’ll know it when you see it. Whenever possible, I select people for my team who I believe have greatness in their future.

Bonus Question: If you’re building a leadership team, don’t forget to ask the important question…

Q: Can this person lead?

 

I’d love to hear from you on this. What questions do you ask to get the right players on your team?

 

A man standing in the front of a room before a whiteboard with sticky notes on it, making a presentation to 3 other men seated around the room. A man standing in the front of a room before a whiteboard with sticky notes on it, making a presentation to 3 other men seated around the room.

Don’t Change That!

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Culture, Planning, Vision. No Comments on Don’t Change That!

I believe that leaders must create change. If you and I can’t create positive change, we won’t be able to lead for long.

But, there’s another facet of our role – we are also the guardians for what should NOT change.

Jim Collins wrote about this idea in Built to Last. He used the phrase “Preserve the core and stimulate progress.” He said this is the hallmark of a visionary company.

Although Jim’s statement makes perfect sense, it is often the failure of leaders to get this right that stunts the growth of their organization. Or, in extreme cases, the absence of this approach leads to the death of their organization.

Why is it so tricky to pull this off? There are numerous reasons. Here are three of them…

  1. Leaders confuse what is core and what is not. Most of our current practices are not core. We just lose sight of what is and what isn’t. This gets even harder if we’ve been successful in the past. Success is a lousy teacher and an even worse catalyst for change.
  2. Leaders become defensive in their thinking and outlook. When we’re playing to win, we tend to be more aggressive regarding change. When our mind shifts to defense, we can find ourselves playing not to lose. When this happens, we can easily cling to outdated methods and practices.
  3. Leaders get comfortable, or they get lazy. Change is hard. Doing the same old routine is easy; even if it doesn’t work as well as it once did.

What should be core? The specifics are totally dependent on the organization. Generically speaking, the list of core elements should be very short. Much of what leaders consider core isn’t (see #1 above). Typically there are three elements that are core in every organization.

  • Purpose – The “why” behind your organization is core. It rarely, if ever, changes. This provides real stability when the strategies and tactics are in a constant state of flux. It can become the cornerstone for your business. In times of change, people can draw comfort and strength from an unchanging anchor.
  • Core Values – The foundational beliefs that drive the behavior in the organization shouldn’t really change. As Jim Collins said while he was still a professor at Stanford, “If you could ever see yourself changing one of your values, it’s not [a value] – it’s a strategy.”
  • Fundamental operating principles – These are unique to an organization. They are more tangible than values. Sometimes, they are the practical manifestation of a value. They rarely change. Here’s an example from Chick-fil-A: Chick-fil-A restaurants are operated by independent business people, which is central to their success. It’s not a value, but it is something they haven’t changed since it was instituted in 1967.

In summary, here’s our leadership challenge: Be aggressive regarding the things that must change and vigilant regarding those that must not change. Work diligently not to confuse the two.

What is core in your organization?

 

A woman sitting at a desk looking frustrated, with a manager standing next to her pointing at the papers in front of her on the desk. A woman sitting at a desk looking frustrated, with a manager standing next to her pointing at the papers in front of her on the desk.

The Happy Trap

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Culture, Planning, Vision. No Comments on The Happy Trap

The best leaders don’t make everyone happy. That may sound harsh to you – it may even sound wrong. It’s not intended to be rude or mean-spirited, and it doesn’t mean that great leaders try to make people unhappy. It’s just a byproduct of leading well.

This is a lesson I learned early in my career – one I could have easily missed. Like many young leaders, I didn’t invest a lot of time reflecting on my leadership style or philosophy – I was trying to learn to lead!

One day, the president of our company came into my office. I don’t recall him ever visiting me before that day, so it must have been important. When he entered the room, I stood to greet him. Here’s how the conversation unfolded:

“Congratulations,” he said.

“Thank you, sir.” I paused. “Congratulations for what?”

“You’ve figured out something many leaders never understand, and you’ve discovered it early in your career.”

I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, so I knew I needed to probe. “What’s that, sir?”

“You’ve learned that not everyone is going to be happy with your leadership, and you’ve decided that’s okay.”

Had he not pointed that out to me, I guess I could have missed it. My goal had always been to try to do the right thing. If I felt I had done so, I wasn’t too worried about those who disagreed.

Let me be clear and say again, I don’t believe leaders TRY to make people unhappy; it’s just part of the role.

Why is that the case? Here are five reasons – I’m sure there are more.

  1. Leaders create change. Leaders understand that progress is always preceded by change. There will always be people who don’t like change, and they’ll not be happy with us for instigating change.
  2. Leaders make hard decisions that affect people’s lives. Sometimes we have to terminate an employee, close a business unit, stop funding for a project, or set a strategy that is not popular. These are activities leaders are paid to do that make people unhappy.
  3. Leaders hold people accountable. To most leaders, this doesn’t seem like a bad thing. Unfortunately, many people see it as a huge negative. I prefer to think of accountability as a gift we give to those we lead, a gift that enables them to be successful.
  4. Leaders stretch people and organizations. Leaders know that if we do what we’ve always done, we’ll get what we’ve always gotten. Therefore, we often ask people to do things faster, cheaper, better, differently. But stretching creates discomfort, and many people aren’t happy to be stretched.
  5. Leaders are unreasonable people. Leaders are compelled by a vision and fueled by the desire to see that vision become a reality. Leaders live much of our lives thinking about what could be, an orientation that often creates an “unreasonable” view of the world.

So, what are the implications for us as leaders? My advice: Don’t be surprised if there are always some people who are unhappy with you. And if no one’s unhappy with you as a leader, perhaps you should be unhappy with yourself.

 

The torso of a man wearing a blue button-down shirt, stacking coins on a table in front of him. The torso of a man wearing a blue button-down shirt, stacking coins on a table in front of him.

Investing in People

Written by Mark Miller on . Posted in Culture, Organization, Planning. No Comments on Investing in People

In challenging economic times, one of the easiest items to cut from the budget is learning and development. The rationale is understandable. Rarely will any organization see immediate negative consequences when training is discontinued. It looks like found money in the budgeting process.

Unfortunately, this logic is flawed. Learning and development is like time-released medication: the benefits are derived over time.

Imagine someone who believes they don’t need to save for retirement. This month, even this year, they see no ill effects from their decision. However, if you play the movie forward, many of these same people live their final years in poverty. The decision not to save was painless in the moment, but the pain arrives later.

I frequently get asked: “Why should we invest in learning and development for our staff?” There are many reasons. Here are some of mine…

  • Improve performance – Learning and development may not have immediate impact on the Profit and Loss statement, but it better have long-term impact. We help people grow so we can help the business grow.
  • Ensure an adequate supply of prepared leadership for the future – We’re trying to build a leadership pipeline. This will not happen without thoughtful design and construction. Pipelines don’t build themselves.
  • Increase individual and organizational capacity – Growth should generate capacity. Every organization I know of is asking their people to do more with less. Without new thinking and methods, this mandate is a prescription for disaster.
  • Establish common language and models – When people align their thinking, it’s much easier to align their actions. My favorite example of this is around the topic of leadership. Does your organization have a common definition of leadership? If not, you’ll always struggle to create a leadership culture.
  • Build cultural cohesiveness – Shared learning experiences create common bonds and help teams grow. Doing life together, including learning, fosters a unified culture.
  • Help staff increase their level of contribution – If you’ve created a healthy organization, people want to contribute at a higher level. People want to add more value. Learning and development facilitates this.
  • Introduce new best practices – Left on their own, organizations can easily become insulated from the outside world. They settle into patterns of behavior that often do not represent global best practices. Investments in learning and development can mitigate this tendency.
  • Combat complacency and stagnation – Living things grow. Growth creates energy and movement. Investments in learning and development are like water on a plant. Without it, growth is stunted and death is not far behind.
  • Maintain people as a competitive advantage – Are your people a competitive advantage for your organization? If so, an on-going investment will be required to maintain that edge. If they’re not, you’ll never enjoy that advantage without investing in them.

For me, there’s one more reason to invest in learning and development. I don’t see our people as an asset… I see them as a gift. I want to steward that gift well.

Why do you invest in your people?