The Seats on the Bus...(Part 1)

Happy new year all! I hope everyone is doing well. Excited to talk about the next area that really will drive your organization: the people. This will be a 4 part series, because each part of this is so critical in order to get the team you need to help you drive that vision. So let's get to it!

Once you start to lay the infrastructure for what your organization to look like, it’s a good time to pat yourself on the back. A compelling vision, a strong set of core values, and the expectations of the cultural landscape you intend to implement are all difficult tasks to accomplish. Ultimately though, all of this is theory. These are all the words that have been spoken by the executive team and their leader. In order for these words to translate into works, we need individuals that not only feel the same way, but can execute in step with this infrastructure. In short, linking theory to practice, the time old struggle between good and great anything, will be your greatest challenge. So where do we start in order to ensure we can bridge this gap? You got it: Talent selection.

How do we select the right talent? If there was a perfect science that was easily implemented, we’d never have to worry about our organization’s health. Why? Because the right employees do three major things for your company: they perform their jobs at a suitable level, they either establish themselves as depth in your leadership pool or groom you potential leaders, and they affect your bottom line and your culture because of it. That being said, I think all of us can raise our hands when I ask how many of you are lacking these people in our organizations. Lacking doesn’t mean you don’t have the talent, because some of your people are doing this. It’s just that not enough people fit this bill…and you can never have enough of the “right employees”.

So now, let’s get back to our question of how to select the right talent. From my experiences, I see four overlapping concepts that will steer you in the right direction when it comes to selecting the right people:

1. Remember the Past, Want the Present, Plan the Future
2. Right Bus, Right Seat
3. "Involve me, I will understand"
4. Build the gauntlet, trust the gauntlet

We have a unique opportunity through this process to select talent that can transform our organizations. It takes a little faith, a little luck, and a whole lot of integrity to make it work. Happy reading!

Be inspired, be developed, be the change!

~AI