Hiring Conversations and the NFL Draft

The NFL Draft starts Thursday. Football fans will be paying attention to the names called over the next three days and I hope hiring managers and recruiters will spend a little time following the headlines because ultimately the Draft is about hiring the right people.

Every NFL team is trying to find their next best employee. Football talent is only part of the equation. As former NFL GM Randy Mueller told me, "There's a difference between collecting talent and building a team." To do the latter you need to be specific about the job itself and the role you're trying to fill. That's why you hear NFL teams talk about drafting for their specific needs versus drafting based on best available talent.

A vague job description, or one that comes with a moving target, won't get the right results for an NFL team or for your team.

Here's one of the many instances sports can be used as a jumping off point for bigger business conversations. With the NFL Draft top of mind consider questions like these with your team:

• Are the job descriptions we're currently using specific enough to the role we are trying to fill?
• What's your level of confidence that everyone is on the same page with the responsibilities and expectations for the open positions we're hiring for?

What indications do you have that we're building a team and not just collecting talent?

Sports talk doesn't have to revolve around stats, scores, outcomes or metaphors. You can use sports to spark very specific business conversations. Making sports talk useful in business is one of the things I specialize in. If you'd like a fun communication and team building presentation, let's connect and see if we should team up!