Talent Shortage? How to Win With Who You’ve Got

by Vince Thompson

Summary: If you’re starting to feel the pinch of the so-called “talent shortage,” you’re not alone. Consider that:

• Forty percent of employers worldwide are having difficulty filling positions due to the lack of suitable talent available in their markets.
• According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the shortage of skilled workers will exceed 10 million by 2010.
• At any given time, 75 percent of American employees are looking for a new job, says the Society of Human Resource Management.
• Forty-five percent of workers say they want to change jobs every three to five years.

Smart managers realize they need to retain people on staff to keep the company running. So, although, under better circumstances, they might move along those “less spectacular” performers, they know that in a tight talent market, the key is to work effectively with who you have.

You can take steps to help the people on your team do better and perform to expectations. After all, hiring someone is costly (both in time and money), and any turnover has a potentially negative impact on the company. Following is a process that will help you work with your current staff and gain the competitive advantage in doing so.

Step One: Look at yourself
Examine how you’re evaluating your team. Many managers who work under or who have been influenced by command and control hierarchies live with the belief that you should rank your employees and cut those at the bottom. Ranking may be valuable when people do identical jobs in an identical environment (such as in call centers or sales organizations with territories that have no uniqueness), but most people work in organizations where teams tackle diverse challenges with diverse solutions. Therefore, when managers rank people, their perception of each individual is often blurred by a lack of clear criteria or the potential to play favorites.

Getting great performance from your team is about working with individuals. Look at each individual on staff and ask yourself: “Is this person doing what I expect of him or her?” Then clarify your expectations. If your expectations aren’t being met, how are you communicating them? Often, managers communicate a lot with their best players but communicate less often with marginal performers and in a less meaningful way.

It’s been said that we
hire people for what they are and fire them for
who they are

It’s been said that we hire people for what they are and fire them for who they are. That is, we hire someone because he or she is a Harvard graduate who worked at the top advertising agency in New York City, but we fire a person because he or she was a dishonest jerk who didn’t respect people. When we deal with the “who” side of the equation, we often find that the dissatisfaction stems from a general lack of communication of expectations from the manager, not the employee. In other words, we’ve set the job specs but failed to talk about how we expect our people to treat each other and our clients.

Step Two: Look at them
Are the people on your team committed or compliant? Here’s the difference: You give Person A and Person B each a package to deliver to a key prospect. Person A takes the package to the prospect’s office, leaves it with the receptionist, and then heads back to work. Person B takes the package to the prospect’s office, waits in the lobby to meet the prospect personally, and spends time talking with the prospect to answer any additional questions. Person A is compliant—did as told (delivered the package to the prospect’s office) and nothing more. Person B is committed—did as told and then went a step further to win big for the company.

The key is being honest, communicating openly,
and building trust to make
it all work

If someone on your team is committed and still not performing to your expectations, then you need to talk with the person and learn where his or her commitment is. Is it to the team? To you? To the company? To personal success? Maybe the person is committed to the team but not to the company. If so, you need to show how that affects the team. Understand what each employee is committed to and communicate your expectations in relation to that individual commitment.

If someone on your team is merely compliant, then you need to uncover why. Is the mindset temporary due to some challenges at home? Is it a lack of passion for the work? Are his or her motivations misaligned?

Anyone whom you cannot move toward commitment is the first person you have to consider firing. Realize, though, that firing can be mutually beneficial—and needs to be in a tight talent market. It can take several months to find a replacement. Therefore, it’s better to tell that person, “You’re not enjoying your job, and it’s obvious this isn’t a good fit. So let’s agree that we’re on a path here for me to find someone to replace you and for you to find employment elsewhere. As long as you commit to doing your daily work during this time, I’m committed to figuring this out with you.” Managers who take this approach find that it works out well. The employee who isn’t a fit appreciates the honesty and the time to find new work. The company appreciates having the coverage it needs to meet deadlines and goals. The key is being honest, communicating openly, and building trust to make it all work.

Step Three: Develop a new plan
Finally, create a plan for each employee that will help that person move forward to the level of performance desired. Your plan needs to include:

• Communication: Communication is the pathway to trust. Therefore, you need to find ways to communicate more frequently so your team trusts you and wants to perform for you. To do so, hold regular mini-meetings that emphasize face-to-face interaction. So many bosses don’t personally interact with their workers anymore. They communicate solely by e-mail, even though the workers are just down the hall. Remember, as motivational management consultant Zig Ziglar so profoundly said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Communication equals caring.
• Expectations: What do you expect of your employees? Is it realistic? Does the team member have the time or skills to meet that expectation? What can you do to support the employee and prioritize the expectations?
• Motivations: What’s the reward to the employee for meeting the expectation? For some, the reward may be the satisfaction of a job well done, while for others the reward may be something tangible, such as a bonus or time off with pay. To motivate people, help them see value in their work by explaining how the project affects the company or the industry.
• Assistance: How can you help your staff? Maybe it means being a mentor or taking a piece of the workload. Maybe it’s just guiding the group. If you have a low-performing employee, then you need to coach that person actively to be more successful.

Maximize the talent you have
Realize that this process isn’t a one-time quick fix. To see results, you’ll need to invest the time in these steps on a regular basis. When you do, not only will you gain a much deeper understanding of your team, you will also find some surprises. Some of your “lost causes” will take on new value, and for those who don’t, you’ll experience a lot less stress as you move them along, knowing that you gave it your all. In a market this tight, you can be assured your competitors are facing the same issues; getting this right can give you a real competitive advantage.