by Mike Philie
This blog originally published in Printing Impressions
It seems that no matter what role you’re trying to fill, finding good, qualified candidates remains a challenge. Face it, it’s been difficult for many years now. From entry level positions to those that require higher levels of experience, talent acquisition is truly an art. Or is it?
Are you the employer of choice?
What are some of the things that you can do to become the employer of choicein your area? Let’s start off with the things that don’t really cost much.
- You do a good job of solving client problems every day, make sure to let people know. Be active in the social networks of your choice, sharing your good deeds and telling your story. Case studies, pictures of happy clients with their projects – it’s all good.
- Are you growing? With growth comes opportunities for advancement and learning new skills. You may be hiring for a certain position but reports show that the younger people are looking for ways to learn, grow, and do different things. That usually comes through growth.
- Check your culture. What’s it like to work there, are your employees treated with respect, have clear expectations of their role and are given feedback on their performance? Things that are important but sometimes left for granted during the heat of the battle of running a business.
- You’re a high-tech business! There is so much technology in your business that it makes the companies from 10-15 years ago look like they came out of the stone age. Even the smallest companies are able to take advantage of electronic file automation and personalization. What happens is that your story isn’t always being told the way it could be. Take a good look around your business and start listing all the technology that you have, the application, and how it impacts your ability to deliver for your clients. Now, tell your story from that perspective.
Recruit, recruit, and recruit
OK, so now they’ll be lined up outside your door, all wanting to work in your business right? I wish it was that easy. So you’re trying to fill a position and you have several channels to consider. Remember that there are active job seekers as well as passive job seekers. The passive ones are the folks that say they are happy where they are and are not looking to move. However, they may often be the best candidates. Recognizing that, your search should take into account a strategy for both active and passive candidates. Here are a few ideas that you can ponder and determine if they are right for you.
- Use word of mouth through your existing employees, clients and suppliers.
- There are many print related job boards. Check out what’s available in your area. Also consider that depending on the position, you may want to reach out beyond the traditional print community. Please make sure that you have a well-written ad.
- Placing ads on web sites such as Indeed, LinkedIn, Monster, and Craig’s List – there are also many more available. Depending on the position, some sites may be better than others. I’ll repeat, please make sure that you have a well-written ad.
- Build your recruiting bench. Ask yourself “who are the 3-4 people in my area that I would love to attract to my company?” Can you name those names? Recruiting for your business is a contact sport. Start building your contacts, get to know these folks. Your position could be that if they were ever to want to leave their current position, that you would be the first person they would call. Earn the right to have the first right of refusal. This takes time and it doesn’t happen overnight. But, building a successful business with the right people doesn’t happen overnight either.
The question reverts back to “do you have the best people because you have a great company” or, “do you have a great company because you have the best people?” A tongue twister no doubt, but something to consider. I didn’t even touch upon the different interviewing practices and the use of testing profiles to help determine fit. Perhaps in another post.
There are several great resources out there to help you in your quest. Here’s an article from McKinsey & Company that you might find useful, Attracting and retaining the right talent. There is also a good book on hiring written by Bradford D. Smart called Topgrading. Work at it, it’s a process to make hiring the best people easier than it is (I said easier, not easy). Good luck and have fun.
Mike Philie can help validate what’s working and what may need to change in your business. Changing the trajectory of a business is difficult to do while simultaneously operating the core competencies. Mike provides strategy and insight to owners and CEOs in the Graphic Communications Industry by providing direct and realistic assessments, not being afraid to voice the unpopular opinion and helping leaders navigate change through a common sense and practical approach. Learn more at www.philiegroup.com, LinkedIn or email at mphilie@s756788055.onlinehome.us.
by Mike Philie
A hiring strategy means different things to different people. It certainly means different things post-pandemic. Finding experienced labor and the work-from-home movement have created challenges that we have not seen before. From the production floor to the customer service desk, the struggle to find people is unprecedented. With some creative thinking, an open mind, and the desire to turn this challenge into a competitive advantage, companies can avoid being the victim and rise to the occasion.
Build Your Bench
This may be where it all starts. Hiring often seems reactive. You land a new account; you need to add staff. A person leaves, you need to replace them. Makes sense, but these searches are performed in a defensive posture. The clock is on to find the best person – fast. You’re filling a gap that when left open, will cause stress, excessive overtime, missed deadlines, and unhappy team members.
What if when that need arose, you called upon one of the candidates that you’ve been nurturing over the few months or so. You’ve already come to an agreement that should an opening come up, you’d reach out to them first. Better yet, should they become disgruntled at their current employer, you’d be the first person they’d call. Now, expand that to the key areas in your business. Task your managers to start developing their own hiring bench. It won’t happen overnight but overtime you could curate a list of potential candidates that are qualified, and eager to join your company.
Employer of Choice
Another key attribute of a good hiring strategy is to become the employer of choice in your market. Simply put, this means you are the place where the right people want to work. It could be for a variety of reasons. A growing business creates opportunities, a business with a positive culture helps staff retention and sends a message that this is a great place to be a part of. You might also be in this category because of your cutting-edge technology or maybe because you’ve attracted the best clients.
One place to start might be to better understand why your current staff stays with you. These days, anyone who is good at their job can work almost anywhere. Why do they select your business – why do they stay? Those attributes could be revealing and help you to attract like-type employees. Once you’ve identified your secret sauce, let the market know. Create awareness that all the ‘cool kids’ are at your place, and if others have what it takes, that there may indeed be a place for them as well.
Successful Onboarding Formula
Hiring for success is more than having the new hire complete the paperwork and send them off to their respective departments. Mapping out the first 100 days of a new employee’s journey with your company can be refreshing. One benefit of doing this is you’ll be establishing expectations for that individual. You’ll also assign them to a mentor or buddy within your organization who can show them the ropes. It just helps to take away or minimize the anxiety of starting a new position within a new organization. You will also benefit from getting some good feedback on their performance.
What Else?
What other attributes are you looking for during the interview stage? I’d like to think you are looking for someone who can answer your need for the four C’s — competency, compliance, commitment, and culture. In a recent post, we discussed four critical components for your next hire. To get deeper into the subject, I encourage you to reread that post.
Mike Philie can help validate what’s working and what may need to change in your business. Changing the trajectory of a business is difficult to do while simultaneously operating the core competencies. Mike provides strategy and insight to owners and CEOs in the Graphic Communications Industry by providing direct and realistic assessments, not being afraid to voice the unpopular opinion and helping leaders navigate change through a common sense and practical approach. Learn more at www.philiegroup.com, LinkedIn or email at mphilie@philiegroup.com.
Originally published in Printing Impressions.
by Mike Philie
Finding ways to help your managers be more effective can drive multi-level results for your business. Business leaders are always searching for ways to improve their reliability, dependability, and trust in all they do with their customers. One way to do this is to empower your managers and help them to lead your valuable workforce.
Begin by understanding each managers area of strength. These could include product and process knowledge, company values, goals, and objectives, leadership traits and people skills, as well as departmental results and staff development. You also want them to excel at group collaboration and problem solving.
Where are they proficient, and where do they (or you) think they need help? Identify those areas that they need to get better at and map out an improvement plan. If you both tackle this with the right amount of professionalism and emotional intelligence, it should prove to be a win-win experience. A byproduct of this is that they will have a higher level of self confidence in all they do.
Too often we focus on the product and process knowledge and assume that they can lead, motivate, and manage through difficult conversations with their staff. Don’t assume, and don’t leave these skills to chance.
The August 2022, PRINTING United Alliance Wages, Salaries, and Benefits Report went into detail on how effective managers can make the difference in employee engagement and retention.
The report goes on to say, “Multiple studies on the workplace have uncovered lack of career development as the top reason employees currently leave. Good managers have the power to turn that around with effective direction and communication. If companies want to retain a productive workforce, investing in managers and training them to be empathetic, human centered leaders is imperative in today’s work environment and is a cost that will reap long-term sustainability.”
I highly recommend the report and encourage you to read it cover to cover. Compare your established best practices with their findings and create the initiatives for change in your business.
In a recent post, Why You Should Develop Your Next Level Leadership Team, I mentioned that this training can be done in-house if you have the structure and staff to implement it, or you can utilize an outside resource. Many have turned to their payroll or HR services provider to bring in professional training offerings. I’ve seen these in the form of self-paced online training modules, all the way through to in-person training for small groups. Lean on the resources available to your business to provide the best possible outcome for your team.
Renewing your emphasis with your managers on staff development and departmental leadership. This can have a positive influence on morale, retention, as well as overall job performance. If you have experienced other ways to develop your next level leadership team, please add them in the comments or reach out to me to discuss. Good luck.
Mike Philie can help validate what’s working and what may need to change in your business. Changing the trajectory of a business is difficult to do while simultaneously operating the core competencies. Mike provides strategy and insight to owners and CEOs in the Graphic Communications Industry by providing direct and realistic assessments, not being afraid to voice the unpopular opinion and helping leaders navigate change through a common sense and practical approach. Learn more at www.philiegroup.com, LinkedIn or email at mphilie@philiegroup.com.
Originally published in Printing Impressions.
by Mike Philie
The players and spectators stare at the scoreboard during the game. Some hope that the clock slows down as they are behind, and need more time. The team that is ahead hopes the referees let them play so that there are no whistles and the time moves on without stoppages.
Coming back from a long Independence Day weekend is like emerging from the locker room after the half time of a game. The first half of the year is behind us and now we need to finish the year strong. Finishing the year strong can mean different things to different teams, depending on your status going into the locker room. Whether you want the clock to slow, or speed up, your next set of plays can set the stage for the remainder of the year.
I’m reminded of the chasm that separates those within the industry each week as I speak and meet with owners and CEOs of print companies. The divide is not a reflection of who these folks are as individuals, rather, it’s the operational performance of these businesses in their respective markets — the score of their game.
Different teams have different playbooks. Beginning with their core strategy, and their identity. There are those who are all things to all people, while others have identified a sector(s) that they can excel in and become a leader. The strength and depth of their players is another key differentiator. Everyone strives to have a loyal and quality focused staff. But, there are those team members who are enabled to innovate and lead in a manner that makes them all-star selections, and those that just are not ready for the major leagues.
The leaders try hard to leverage their customer wins. As they experience growth and success with a type of client, they focus on finding and attracting others like them. These efforts allow them to scale and increase their operational effectiveness in producing that work. They are also very clear about the clients that they don’t want. The leaders also seem to place more emphasis on the results and actionable items generated from internal team meetings vs. just having a meeting.
Leading companies view the supply chain issues, workforce recruiting and training, and the uncertainties of the economy through a different lens. While they certainly are headwinds, the leaders view these as opportunities to further separate themselves from their competitors.
As your team emerges from the locker room, consider this time as an inflection point for your business. Update your playbook and regardless of your score, choose something that you can improve on, to be better at than you were during the first half of the game. It may include doing more of the same, or a team rebuild. Either way, take the time to formulate your strategy and gather everyone to share your plans for the future, and the role they can play in the success of the business. Good luck and get to work on this.
Mike Philie can help validate what’s working and what may need to change in your business. Changing the trajectory of a business is difficult to do while simultaneously operating the core competencies. Mike provides strategy and insight to owners and CEOs in the Graphic Communications Industry by providing direct and realistic assessments, not being afraid to voice the unpopular opinion and helping leaders navigate change through a common sense and practical approach. Learn more at www.philiegroup.com, LinkedIn or email at mphilie@s756788055.onlinehome.us.
Originally published in Printing Impressions.
by Mike Philie
A quick note to all sales leaders about your next sales meeting. When I observe some of the leading companies, there are three things that their sales teams are always working on — finding new customers, adding services and depth to existing relationships, and breaking out of the commodity trap. As you fill out your agenda for the next meeting, it’s important that you touch on these three areas.
The result from new business development is making current non-buyers into buyers. A good place to start is making sure that your team is chasing the right type of customers for your business. All customers can be good, but some are just better than others. Make sure that everyone understands what your ideal client looks like and that they have the proper tools to find them. Convert prospects into clients. Cashing checks … you get the message.
Adding depth to existing client relationships and customer retention are key objectives for account management. Each account is different and should be treated accordingly. Talk about the plans that are in place for your key accounts and make sure that they are on track to reach your goals.
Don’t assume that everyone understands how to best stay out of the commodity spiral. Focus on solving customer problems, and the tools and experience you have in place to help. If you aren’t solving a problem that you’ve worked to help identify, you’re faced with reacting to someone else’s agenda. This can also lead to simply completing someone’s spreadsheet with your prices. That’s it, just your pricing. Good luck with that. Adding value and staying relevant are two keys to de-commoditization. Make sure that you include this at all your sales meetings.
You’ve got a few discussion points for your next session. The purpose of this brief message was to remind you to “connect” these points to the relative and meaningful tasks that we ask the reps to accomplish every day. Good luck and have fun at your next meeting.
I welcome any thoughts or questions; please add them below or reach out to me directly.
Mike Philie can help validate what’s working and what may need to change in your business. Changing the trajectory of a business is difficult to do while simultaneously operating the core competencies. Mike provides strategy and insight to owners and CEOs in the Graphic Communications Industry by providing direct and realistic counsel, not being afraid to voice the unpopular opinion and helping leaders navigate change through a common sense and practical approach. Learn more at www.philiegroup.com, LinkedIn or email at mphilie@s756788055.onlinehome.us.
Originally published in Printing Impressions.
