What IS the People Puzzle? And Why Should You Try to Solve It? | TalenTrust

Executives list attracting and retaining top talent as their #1 issue. This is the people puzzle, and it’s time for a solution.

Most CEOs agree that people are their most valuable business asset. People are critical for growth and success. Yet many executives struggle to find, keep, and grow the best. They face one or more of these common problems:

• Managing immediate hiring needs
• Dealing with increased turnover
• Not understanding their reputation as an employer
• Struggling to hire and retain Millennials

Whatever your particular challenge, if you are a CEO of a high-growth company, you have likely spent considerable time thinking about how to find and keep the talent that you need. If you aren't constantly searching for new talent and building up a substantial talent pipeline, you are potentially costing your company significantly in terms of client retention, employee satisfaction, and lost functionality.

If you have unfilled positions, you are almost guaranteed to be losing out on clients as well as putting significant stress on your current employees. To avoid getting to this point, you must make finding and keeping great people one of your highest priorities. It's the only way to avoid making it one of your biggest headaches.

But what are your options outside of traditional transaction-based recruitment models?

Solving Your People Puzzle

Kathleen Quinn Votaw's new book, Solve the People Puzzle, outlines the approach that she has developed for TalenTrust to ensure that the right people are hired for the right positions. This match makes a huge difference for both the company and the employee.

Here are a few of her basic principles:

• Never hire in isolation. You should ALWAYS have multiple viable candidates for a position.
• Remember that the economy has shifted and candidates are in control. You must ask yourself the same questions prospective employees are thinking:

• • What makes your company so great?
  • Why would people want to come to work for you?
  • What’s your story?
  • Where are you going and how will it affect your employees?

• Hire for attitude and culture fit FIRST. You can always train the right person in the skills you need.
• Be clear about the nature of the unpredictable, demanding entrepreneurial environment in which you work.

And here is a big one:

• Give recruitment and retention just as much attention as your customer attraction strategy.

Until you treat recruitment as a strategic process that is essential to growth, you'll always be wondering why you aren't meeting your goals.

Want additional tips on solving your people puzzle? Mark your calendar and purchase Solve the People Puzzle on February 4^th on Amazon. And stay tuned for more on the blog.