I have friends whose house is virtually the same as the day I met them over 20 years ago. Same furniture. Same wallpaper on the walls. Nothing new, nothing updated. They hate change. It’s obvious.
So many of us run our lives like this. In a world that constantly changes, it is critical for all of us to constantly consider reinventing and updating. Sometimes small gradual changes can keep us current; sometimes our changes need to be more significant. This is particularly critical when it comes to the workplace.
In a recent AARP article titled, “Brand New Me,” writer Andrew Reiner reminds us that it is more difficult for older people to get hired – not because they aren’t equally talented and passionate about what work needs to be done – but because their approach to finding work is outdated and disconnected from today’s more social media approaches. They have not reinvented a more current approach to getting connected to those who do the hiring.
I spend much of my time coaching and teaching organizations in how to attract, hire and retain A-level talent. The most striking conversation I generally need to have with all senior and manager levels is that there is no longer a direct correlation between prior work experience and new employee effectiveness and success. Previous experience is a valid consideration, though for most organizations it is the only attribute they assess when considering a new job candidate. Instead, what leads to greater performance and success in today’s intellectual workplace are employees who are intrinsically good at what their jobs require and have some degree of interest in doing them.
As much of today’s workers are now in front of customers instead of hidden behind machines as in the industrial age, today’s employees impact the organization’s brand with every contact – on the phone, on the web and face-to-face. Organizations who have reinvented their hiring process now hire more selectively for talent and fit. They reject the skill and experience resume because its format doesn’t share meaningful hiring information; they now insist on a talent or behavioral-based resume. They host powerful and effective talent-based interviews. They commit to knowing more about their candidates before they consider bringing them into their organization. They know in today’s tight economic times that they must get more done with less, and they expect a greater return on their payroll dollar investment. They have reinvented what they need in each role, how to source it and how to interview for it. Great organizations are always ready to reinvent.
What in your business needs reinvention? What in your business looks like my friend’s living room furniture – outdated, uncomfortable and needing an update? What is the impact to the bottom line of not updating or developing a workplace culture that stays current and is ready to reinvent?
Contact me for help learn how to reinvent your best workforce, and check out more resources at www.LiveFiredUp.com. Please forward this to someone who will benefit from it.
