Attracting Talent – The How To!

​Over years of working with leadership teams, the one common factor that lay ahead as a sticky point was how to get in bed with the new generations.
 
Most leadership teams comprised IQ driven leaders who were struggling with the newness of what was expected of them. Those who acknowledged their lack of fit for the future hired coaches. Others enforced authority even more, allowing ego to take center stage. 

Janice straddled both generations. A relatively young CEO she climbed the corporate ladder fast. She was sandwiched between Veterans & Baby Boomers versus Generations Y and Z. It was a tough job to iron out the differences and it was a major decider when she realized she needed external expertise.
 
Sylvia an Neuro Linguistic Programming Master Trainer had seen this common problem in organisations time and again.  She had grown up with a father who worked for one company all his life. It didn’t even occur to him that a better job may have been available next door. His mindset was dictated by loyalty and the need for security. He belonged to the generation of Veterans.
 
Today loyalty was not the driver. Instead these other factors had emerged;
 
1. RECOGNITION
 
Today new people joining the workforce are driven by very different variables. Their ability to bounce ideas off the boss and be recognized for them tend to rank high in their priority list. They long for a flat structure where senior people are accessible to them and they are part of a team that counts.
 
2. CREATIVE
 
New generations have entrepreneurial minds. In many ways the risk of doing something they've never done before challenges and excites them. If they fail so what? I can try again. This departs from the way my father thought. He was the breadwinner of the family and was risk averse. He didn't have many choices.
 
3. FLEXIBILITY
 
Most young people today sleep at odd times, they are almost nocturnal. Their Cicadian rhythms are different to that of older generations. They work when others are asleep. This may not be such a bad thing as there is a point to say that silence of the night brings with it creativity and answers that may not be available in the chaotic environment of the day.
 
Working from home had become a big thing. What was required most was the element of TRUST. Migrating from fear and control to trust was a big step for many. Organisations had to jump this hurdle to heighten employee engagement with the new generations. With expectations met, this could be a win-win for both the employee and employer.
 
Sylvia knew she had to help employees own their strengths, step deeper into their identity. Once internally connected they would become bullet trains, whizzing exponentially to results they had not encountered before.
 
From an organisation’s perspective, the need to be an attractor for talent was crucial. They had to change how they operated NOW! Janice was on the right track. Hiring Sylvia would accelerate the process. Within months they would begin to see positive changes to performance.
 
It was an exciting time!
 
Sylvia Fernandes is the Founder & CEO of VIA Frontiers established in Sydney in 2002 and is currently based in Singapore. She is a corporate NLP trainer and consults in creating effective people in the Asia Pacific Region.

She is also the author of Bye Bye Black Cat – Turn Your Luck Around And Realise Opportunities available on all e-platforms. Go to www.viafrontiers.com or email blog@viafrontiers.com for more information. 
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