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Posted by on Jul 12, 2012 in Business, Business Heretic's Bookstore, Inspirational, Leadership, Return On Morale, Talent | 4 comments

Leaders: Do You Get The Leftovers?

People who are eager to add value and grow want to work here. Our competitors get the other folks. –  Morning Star employee

Leaders: the struggle for profits, market share, shareholder value and stock price starts – and ends – with the competition over talent. Does your company attract people who are eager to add value and grow? Or does it have to settle for “the other folks?”

Business doesn’t have to be about settling – hell, it shouldn’t be about settling! As a leader, if you don’t go to work expecting to win against your competition… what kind of a leader are you, anyway? And if you mean to win, doesn’t it make sense to have the best players, the most talented team?

Leaders, your only job is to find, recruit, and groom top talent, and then get out of that talent’s way. If you can’t do that, then you just aren’t much of a leader, are you?

So here’s a thought: make sure your company is an organization where that top talent is dying to work. And want to know the best way to do that? Ask your current talent what they like about your firm, and what they would change. Ask them how they would change it.

Then get to work.

Otherwise, you’re going to have to spend all of your time with “the other folks.”

They say you are who you hang around. So maybe, leaders, if you think that ‘good enough’ will suffice, well… maybe you’re one of “the other folks” yourself.

 

*****

The opening quote is from Gary Hamel’s outstanding second book, What Matters Now. If you haven’t read it, read it. It will change how you think about business. Yes, even if you already consider yourself a business heretic, there are still ideas in there that will set your leadership free to excel. It’s that powerful a book.

Graphic by Shawn Murphy
Ted Coine (88 Posts)

Author | Speaker | Consultant Ted Coiné is one of the most influential business leaders on Twitter, with a following of over two hundred thousand and growing rapidly. He has been ranked by both Huffington Post and Forbes for his business leadership and social media influence. An inspirational speaker, Ted is author of Five-Star Customer Service and Spoil ’Em Rotten! Prior to writing his first book, Ted was founder and CEO of Coiné Language School, a B2B company he brought from his living room to a $10 million valuation in four years by focusing relentlessly on customer service. He is currently writing his third book, about how social media is transforming leadership and business in this exciting new century. Ted and his family live in Naples, Florida, where he is active in the tech startup scene.


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  • http://www.stevebaines.biz Steve Baines

    Hi Ted – short, to the point, and bold….I like it! In his book, “Good to Great”, Jim Collin’s goes into alot of detail on making sure you have the right people on the bus!

    This is fundamental and I have seen it over and over with my clients. Often they are spending so much time and resources on trying to mold or create an employee into the employee they wish they would have hired or found in the first place.

    Bottom line, create a culture, set the company value’s and vision and only hire those that fit what you have created. Period. Don’t settle.

    I haven’t read “What Matters Now”- always looking for an inspiring book so thank for the suggestion.

    Thanks for the post Ted –
    Steve

    • http://www.shiftandswitch.com Ted Coine

      Thanks for the thoughtful comment, Steve. You know, you’re right on the money: that’s exactly what many employers do. (It reminds me of some unsuccessful marriages, as a matter of fact!)

      Some of the most successful companies have high voluntary washout rates among new hires, but those that remain are outstanding fits for the culture for years to come. Disney comes to mind: its culture has been called a cult by those who don’t last, but a cult of positive, happy people to work at “The happiest place on earth?” That sounds like a good fit to me!

      Food for thought, employers?

  • http://www.thecaremovement.com Al Smith

    Hi Ted. Another fantastic post. Love it. Short, Precise and to the point. Thanks again for all you do to inspire and encourage positve change.

    Al

  • http://www.shiftandswitch.com Ted Coine

    Al, thank you so much! Who is it who remarked that the approbation of our peers is the highest honor?