I am excellent at IT. Why should I work for you?

Great technology talent is in shorter supply than ever.?The number of career choices tech talent now has available to them has grown exponentially.?

The way an IT organization is viewed internally and externally sets the tone for many career choices.??

Organisations need to ask, and positively answer 12 key people, talent, culture, and technology questions if they have any chance of winning the war on tech talent.

1. Do you over index on finding top tech talent or do you continually focus on creating an innovative environment where tech talent wants to work???

"In the history of enterprise IT, people (human) are deployed to pick up the shortcomings of software. This is clearly wrong. It should be the other way around. That is exactly what Digital Transformation is trying to do. That is why experts say it is all about people."

Shige Sato, Co-Founder and CEO, ARGOS LABS Incorporated

2. Do you have a diverse team or do you still focus on male, pale and potentially stale recruits? Do your recruitment adverts still say 'he will be excellent at’ or ‘she will have the aptitude or attitude necessary to try to...’ or are your job adverts free from race, sex or other biases??Is anyone made to feel ‘less than’?

“The business advantages of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have been proven through extensive research, from various sources, over time. Which is why DEI is top of mind when building out a team for growth and sustainable success. Like manufacturers who leverage AI vs. those who do not- companies with DEI as part of their foundation, will be the only ones to hold up over time.”

Kate Arndt, Americas Sales Manager, Vanti

3. Does your organisation have a ‘psychologically secure environment’ for your technology team to operate in???No one should fear the sack from innovating and failing fast.

“It is crucial for leadership to establish a culture of productive psychological safety.?The ideal is to have everyone 100% engaged physically and intellectually.?Organization members will contribute more discretionary effort only when it is safe to do so.?Remove fears of being inadequate, being misunderstood/misquoted, being hurt by rejection, saying something in opposition to the leader’s position, making an unfavorable impression with perceived threats of future punishment, of failing again.?It is not having a “country club” but instead having a “powerhouse” of talent united together in an overarching, inspiring, common cause.”

Bill Bispeck, COO - InCite LegalTech

4. Are you focused on extraverts and neglect to understand the value of introverts or teams that contain a mix of both?

"Since historically our team makeup has been composed of computer scientists, mathematicians and engineers, we tend to have a high percentage of introverts so we have always had a focus on the right personality balance to create not only a harmonious working environment & team dynamic , but to meet individual fulfillment goals and requirements as well.?We have always had extremely high retention rates so we consider our methodology a success!?"

John Lindsey, President - InCite Logix.

5. Do you invest in the latest effective technologies, or do you try to seek an existence out of legacy tech? Do you somehow hope your tech team will remain engaged and excited as their marketable skills, and exquisite inquisitive problem-solving nature diminish, as they work on the same legacy problems year in year out?

‘There is an unbelievable range of technologies available for all budgets.?These don't have to cost the earth.?This is a time to digitally transform.?It is a time when your employees and customers want, and need, to be excited and delighted every time they interact with you.?

Intelligent automation and digital transformation are no longer a nice to have, it is a need to have.?

Your IT team will get excited by what they see and an excited team usually creates exciting business technology outcomes.?Invest today.?Not investing in tech will not only see your best technology team exit, but your best customers will exit your business too.’

Olivier Gomez, Co-Founder and CEO of IAC.AI

6. Do you treat your tech team as real people? Are you focused on employee experience not just project experience as you recognise people transform business not technology? Do you truly listen and act on what is said? Do you proactively manage by walking, seeing, meeting, listening, experiencing, and talking to your technology people or do you leave that job to the CIO??A town hall is not communicating with your team, it is shouting toward them.?

“I speak to a lot of experts in the market, naturally working in recruitment, my conversations focus a lot on someone's current role and their motivations for considering a career move.

A recurring theme to me is the way people are (or not) treated and valued by their company or management which is usually the main trigger for them considering a new role.

There seems to be a disconnect currently with organisations purely focusing on outcomes and not the people delivering these.

If businesses flip this on its head and focus on the employee satisfaction the results will follow rather than the other way round”

Harrison Goode, Co-Founder, Edge Tech

7. How much of your talent budget is spent on developing key tech talent technology, business and people skills?

“Gone are the days of doing business as usual. What applies to businesses equally applies to their tech talent.

Preparing your people for a business reality characterised by frequent changes and emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and automation, means preparing your resilience.

But investing in talent does not always have to mean a 5-day on-site course. Online learning platforms, peer mentoring, and shadowing can be effective ways to even facilitate learning in times of economic pressure.”

Andreas Welsch, VP Solution Management —Artificial Intelligence, SAP

8. Is more cash your only incentive to drive folks who are exceptionally inquisitive and knowledge thirst problem solvers??Are you presenting interesting code-solvable puzzles or are you placing business muzzles on your best problem-solving technology specialists?

"Technology is playing a pivotal role in allowing organisations to reach all corners of the globe. Talent can be scarce and expensive in the current climate, however an ecosystem set up either through government initiatives or key industry players can allow organisations to surmount these challenges.

Organisations need to incentivise through pay, flexibility/ mobility and career aspirations (top 3 factors McKinsey 2022 summer survey) while allowing for autonomy to attract and retain the right talent."

Gary Gonsalves, Co-founder Broca Consultancy Services

9. Are you disciplined in ensuring your top talent is working on the most meaningful initiatives? Are you confident your best developers are given the highest-priority and most-exciting projects??

“Your most talented employees will want to be doing important work. They want projects that are challenging, meaningful, profitable, and supported by your organizational leadership.

These top employees know that to grow their skills and income, they must work on the most important initiatives.

Failing to place your best employees on top projects will lead to lower talent retention and decreased organizational performance.”

James Roloff, Principal Consultant, Roloff Consulting

10. Do your technology professionals feel valued, self-directed, and empowered or are you still employing command and control tactics??

"A Pagoda although an inanimate object can withstand the harshest of external environments owing to resource utilisation (flexibility), connectivity of resources allowing for friction but not stress thus creating resilience, a layered structure allowing for independent movement and a wobble effect allowing for permitted swaying within given parameters so as not to topple over.

Construct an ecosystem to nurture problem solvers allowing for gentle swaying and a wobble and the organisation will flourish, be rigid in your approach and the ivory tower can collapse."

Gary Gonsalves, Co-founder Broca Consultancy Services

11. Have you a digital and automation first mindset that is focused on delivering exceptional, technology augmented digital experiences for customers and colleagues?

“People transform organisations not technology.?And that takes a digital first mindset.?Exceptional digital experiences need to be felt by everyone inside and outside of the business.?When customer and staff NPS (net promotor scores) are positively off the chart - then you know you have a digital first culture.”

Olivier Gomez, Co-Founder and CEO of IAC.AI

12. Are your tech team solving big problems that matter or are they working on small legacy issues?

"The cost of doing nothing in the near term (tech evolution), while [myopically] saving money today, is extremely costly and almost immeasurable in the long-run as starving the immediate future, you have inhibited your ability to lead and be a discriminator and disruptor in your industry/market for the future.?

You risk extinction and/or embed perpetual also-ran status in the near/longer-term future and potentially become a takeover target."

Norman C Frederick Tech/CFO/Business Advisor and ‘recovering BU CFO’

Conclusion.

If you can answer each question with a 95% percentile statistically accurate response, and your tech talent would wholeheartedly agree, then you are winning the battle for talent.??If you can’t answer all the questions accurately and confidently then it is still not too late to take action.

All businesses will become technology businesses.

This takes time, talent, and investment. Start now.

The best talent wants to work for the best organisations.?The alternative is to not have the best talent and watch as a lack of innovation, teamwork and talent destroy value. Now which type of business would you prefer?

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