John Ansbach, RECON Intelligence Services, Coppell, TX
Sponsored by Stewart National Title Services

People are not your most important asset…the right people are. Tailoring recruiting, branding, and retention efforts, especially in regards to generational differences, can help you achieve this goal.

Recruiting: Ansbach stressed the importance of getting the right people (not just good people or people you like) and provided tips for having a defined recruiting system:

1. Consistently apply exacting standards at all times and at all levels
2. When in doubt – don’t hire
3. When you know you need to make a people change
4. Recruit people for your biggest opportunities not you biggest challenges
5. Perform acid tests (integrity, intelligence, maturity, positive energy, courage to make decisions, ability to execute, passion)
6. Consider behavioral interviews

Branding: Ansbach discussed the power of branding your company to attract talent, and explained that branding is when “the potential employee reduces all of your images and experiences and messages into a sound bite for easy storage.” The speaker shared examples such as Wal-mart (low prices) and Volvo (safety) and encouraged companies to explore everything that gives a sound bite (office, people, technology, marketing materials, website) to ensure it is sending the right message and marketing for talent.

Generational Considerations: Ansbach talked about the importance of revising recruiting efforts to address the four different and distinct generations of people.

1. Civics (born before 1946) value respect for authority, loyalty, security and stability, and hard work. Be open to flexible working arrangements and traditional communication and tell them they are wanted for their experience.
2. Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) value work, self, community, experience. Offer performance opportunities, challenges and community impact.
3. Generation X (born 1965-1976) value fierce independence, change, skepticism, work life balance. Offer work life balance, hands-off management, empower with industry knowledge, use and offer technology
4. Generation Y (born 1977-1994) value extreme self-confidence, optimism, desire for meaningful work, technology. Offer opportunities for personal growth, opportunities to contribute to something meaningful, a positive collaborative environment, heavy use of technology, rewards!

Retention: Ansbach emphasized that retention begins as soon as an employee walks in the door, and that new hire orientations can be a powerful introduction to the organization, its people and its mission. In terms of succession planning, the speaker stressed the importance of keeping knowledge in house as people retire and suggested the TVA approach: What knowledge is likely to be lost when particular employees leave? What will be the business consequences of losing that knowledge? What can be done to prevent or minimize the damage?

 

 Workforce Development: Getting and Keeping the Right People [116:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1251)

Posted in Success Series 2006 |