Identifying the Right Talent

"A business is only as good as it's people"is a  quote by Kathryn Minshew that is echoed through organizations around  the world. Unfortunately, that quote is rarely accompanied by the  sentence following it - "The hard part is actually building the team that will embody your company culture and propel you forward."Any  entrepreneur or business leader can easily explain the importance of  quality talent within an organization, but it becomes much more  difficult to define precisely how that talent is identified and how it  fits into your current structure. 

So how should organizations approach this enormous challenge of  building the right talent within their company? The answer should be a  combination of self-reflection and understanding what you have to offer.  

Taking time to self-reflect 

There are countless ways to build a successful company and even more  ways to fail. If a business is only as good as it's people, taking the  time to understand who you are as a company and how this new hire will  get you to where you want to be, is an obvious first step that is often  overlooked. Are you a start-up still trying to find your keys to  success, or are you an established company looking to take the next  step? Do you need ideas? Do you need stability? What is your objective,  and how does that affect your employees? 

An organization needs to understand itself first before it can  realize the personnel that can help. Ask yourself the tough questions. 

• What kind of traits do we need more of within our human capital, and why do we need them?
• Is our organization attractive to people who can bring these traits?
• Would the people coming in with these traits be put in a position to succeed
• How would these new skills fit into our current employee basis? 
• What internal changes may be needed to ensure we're utilizing these skills? 

Understand beyond "what" you need to "why" you need it. Writing down  the answers to questions such as these will not only help in creating a  template for your hire but should help you understand your current  position better when it comes to your human capital.  

Understanding what you have to offer

It's essential to remember that a new hire is a partnership. Your  considerations should not only be what you need but what you believe  this person would need in return to be happy and prosperous in your  company. Monetary incentive is important, but rarely the make or break  of someone's success in an organization. Things like growth and  development, opportunity to make an impact, and what kind of support  you're willing to provide this person are far better components to  consider when thinking through your offer package. 

You may not be able to offer everything you'd like, but it's vital to  be transparent with candidates and set proper expectations. If you're  unable to provide a defined growth track due to a recent promotion in  the department, explain that and think through workarounds. Can you  provide training on a new skill-set or exposure to another department  this candidate may be interested in? You may not be able to pay  someone's ideal target salary, but can you instead offer more  flexibility in this person's work schedule? Again, understanding what  you have to provide an employee comes with the added benefit of not only  positioning yourself for a successful hire but in better understanding  where you are as an organization.

Hiring is never simple, but there are steps you can take to increase  your chances of a successful hire. Taking time to self-reflect and  understanding what you have to offer will ensure that your decisions are  being made off more than just gut-feeling. Securing the rights hires  and providing them the tools needed to be happy and effective in their  roles will result in positive impacts throughout your organization - as  your company is only as good as it's people.