What does transparency look like?

Many of you who have gotten to know me, know I spend a great deal of time talking about transparency in all forms... especially as it relates to communicating a company’s story, and for very good reasons. The ability to tell that truthful story is your value proposition statement (a reason someone should pay attention) but more importantly, it is truly the difference between you and another opportunity the candidate may be considering.

Do we really believe that anyone who thinks for themselves buys into a bunch of positives and no negatives? Before you answer that, might I ask – did you when you came on board? If the answer is no, don’t we owe it to ourselves, the company and talent we represent to tell the whole story as it is? Are we not impacting 70% of someone’s every day existence with one stroke of a pen to join an organization? How seriously should we take that? Even if we argue that leadership may turn faster and adopt the mentality of… “so what’s the big deal?” We all realize that - that’s a cop out.

Let’s get beyond employment brand for a moment and just talk about a brand in general. Do you understand your audience? Do you understand what motivates them? If someone buys your brand with a certain expectation and then does not receive equal value, will they return to your brand? Will they tell their friends about your brand? I believe it’s important to talk this way as it’s clear to me that “employment brand” has often lost its way as simply the language of over selling. After all, we see it on TV every day so why should we question it? Everyone is doing it - right? But therein lies the opportunity if you know how to seize it.

Without any question, it is very difficult to share the good, the bad and the ugly with talent in a way that engenders trust, but it is the essential requirement of the day. Possessing the skill and experience to navigate that conversation, however, is another story.

The mentality for years has simply been – just put out the JD, by the way this still litters the four walls of Linkedin, even for executive roles. What’s wrong with this picture? Simple, a false sense of accomplishment and dare I say, progress. To illustrate my point, allow me to tell you a brief story. Just last week, while on a remote conversation with my team, our top researcher was reviewing a position located on a Linkedin company profile for a VP of IT. He noted that the company had received 250 responses to the opening thus far, and then we heard him laugh out loud. After a few moments, he informed us that according to Linkedin, upon reviewing his profile, that he would be in the top 25% of those interested in the position. And while yes, he is an extremely talented and bright individual, he was in no way qualified for the job. And, if he was in the top 25%, what does that tell you about the other 75%? The point is, relying on algorithms to dictate your efforts is... never mind – no comment.

Taking this one step further, I’ll share we have found that candidates have become so conditioned to a linear process in a call, often all about the company, that they find it difficult to have a conversation. They sit idly by waiting for yes-no questions or, open ended questions that are truly not open, nor do they provide an OPENING for real exchange to take place. They are flat lined conversations with no meaningful substance that reflect flat lined JD’s. Which simply proclaims – it’s all about our company and little about you, the talent base that will bring considerable value to your company long-term. Question, has it been considered that if this line is changed, that quite possibly there will be an exponential rise in productivity and less turnover where real advantage is gained?

ASKING MORE RELEVANT QUESTIONS TO TRULY GET TO KNOW WHO PEOPLE ARE, requires great time and effort.

I think we all agree there has to be a better way.

News Alert: If I am truly a top candidate – what have you actually told me? It must go beyond a JD, a littering of awards/recognitions, our company is the best thing since sliced bread – the question to be answered is: Why should I (a high caliber talent) pay attention? Just because you are doing well or have market awards is still no reason to come aboard for those who think for themselves and, yes, “think for themselves.” Maybe there is the issue, is it a current belief that most don’t? It’s a fair question to ask today as everything has become standardized.

Recently I sat-in on an online presentation on PATHWAY TO RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE led by Chander Nagpal where the idea of “Standardization sterilizes Innovation” caught my attention. A powerful IDEA if you truly listen to those words. Which led me to think, to what degree are a company’s recruitment activities sterile? Again, it’s a fair question. Has it been modified and been adapted in order to adjust to the constantly evolving framework of the market? If not, especially considering where we all find ourselves at the moment, shouldn’t we be advancing that today?

Let’s get back to transparency for a second. I want to ask… what does it actually look like today? Considering it’s a term that is being thrown around. It becomes hard to know the difference. It all starts with vetting efforts at the front of the search, taking the time to truly address the problem statement. Yes, I can hear the nay-sayers putting blame on leaders unwilling to take the time. Is there some truth in that – yes. If we push too far, do we upset the apple cart? Does this possibly reflect a culture challenge then or, a one-off leader? It’s clear over time that even the most difficult leaders will eventually open up if guided by the right questions that engender trust, and once again we find ourselves back at greater transparency. Arguably a better word might be humility... which translates to a willingness to allow someone else to help drive greater success for me and my team and, should not be misconstrued as being exposed. What it offers are greater possibilities and fosters thoroughly informed decisions. Is this critical? – We believe so. As we look at a landscape littered with increasingly more junior recruiters, we have to ask, do they have the wherewithal to engender this trust? You be the judge.

Many of you have seen me attack the idea of the “new norm” lately. I will say this, if I’m going to take any position on a norm, THIS would be the only area. Transparency is a constantly evolving issue, from our perspective companies have a tendency to make it all about them, when for us, it’s all about the high performer. The fact is, if you put them in the position to win, as a company – YOU WIN! The equation is that simple. If you do that, yes you will have turnover, but the right turnover and as a result, you will inevitably build better functioning teams with differences that are meaningful.

We must take steps to get beyond less meaningful aspects of differences, and here’s what I mean. In the West, we talk about things in absolutes – right and wrong, in the East, no absolutes – everything is open for re-interpretation. How we meaningfully engage in these differences is were real progress can be made, and these possibilities are set in motion through, you guessed it - greater transparency. Consider this, it’s all about the way you think that makes you different, not your hair color or where you grew up. Coming to terms and understanding this single point, is what will help us get over the collective global challenges we face.

What are the pluses of greater transparency?

For one, it sets the tone of future successes, and if there are positive surprises that reveal themselves along the way – all the better. Notice, no talk of negative stigmas like turnover. We are quite often focused on the wrong end-result. Instead, direction should be given to the real levers you value that create the right environment for people to THRIVE – not just survive?

I’m a strong believer that in all its forms, setting the RIGHT FOUNDATION is critical. YOU set the tone for success or not, it’s a choice. While we talk about innovation in technology in product deliverables, we rarely hear the talk about innovation in our actions... (NOT PROCESS).

I find too many being reactive at the moment and not thinking enough about setting a tone for greater success for their company and talent base coming OUT of COVID, this is where we believe companies have a real opportunity. Is it easy? - No. It requires great effort, but, if you are currently in staffing mode, don’t you have the time to do this right now? Perhaps a stronger question might be… can you afford not to?

For organizations who are simply reverting to their tried and true recruitment habits, practices and procedures, believing that what worked eight months ago will actually work today, I have bad news for you. The market is drastically different, the mindset and expectations of professionals are different, their wish list and demands are different, their tendencies are different and their unspoken objections are different, and to accommodate these differences – you have to be too.

I encourage every hiring leader to take a look at how you’ve described and positioned your company in your active job descriptions. If they read the same way that they did before this whole pandemic began – you lose. I would explain why, but given the context of this article, I think you already know.

About Steve Diedrick...

Steve is the founder of Redmond, a global executive search firm whose clients include world renowned brands and start-ups that are shaping tomorrow's world. As a highly respected authority and pioneer in the field of human capital with close to three decades in the space, his progressive ideas on search-excellence reflect a profound understanding/passion for the global economy and the ever-evolving mindset of the unique talent that propels companies forward. He has personally reached out to more than 100,000 professionals and interviewed over 35,000 potential candidates throughout his career. His personal drive, perspective, discipline and focus is a culmination of his life experience living abroad and the 27 years spent mastering the Martial Art of Qi Gong. His Mantra: There is nothing like direct experience that takes you from knowledge - to knowing.

Email me at: [email protected] or Text me at: 947.222.9200 and let's discuss how Redmond can help you.

? Redmond Research, Inc. 2020