Be purposeful about company brand and culture to attract and retain talent.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the country's unemployment rate stands at 3.7 percent. Given that figure, how do employers secure and retain the best and brightest? In "Leaders: Learn to Attract Top Talent," James M. Kerr and Steven Kenney offer strategies on creating an organizational identity and work environment that will draw—and retain—skilled and engaged workers.
"The best people want to be part of an enterprise that's exceptional and vividly conceived," the authors write. Showcasing how your company's teams work together, communicate, and deliver results are part of creating a vision that talent will want to belong to. Top talent also want to be part of something big, so challenge your people to think innovatively and creatively.
As part of a winning organizational environment, the authors recommend:
Open and transparent communication. Your employees want to understand not only the what and how behind organizational initiatives but also the why. You'll create greater buy-in by telling them. From providing the tools to establishing the expectations and norms, it's important to be deliberate in the communications environment you design.
Access to senior management. That open communication extends to company leaders. People will be more motivated if they feel valued and listened to. One of the best investments that senior leaders can make is "walking around time" during which they ask team members how things are going and elicit their opinions.
