Very few of us are thinking about our pipeline of talent today, but we need to be in order to plan.
There is a light at the end of the test tube.
Big pharma, small pharma and others we don’t know about, are using their resources to find a vaccine or antibody for COVID19. (Thanks and hats off to all those on the front lines.)
To do our part, we all must focus on that dim, still distant light and ask ourselves what do we want our talent pipelines to look like when this is all over.
Are the right people in the right roles?
How will it be different?
How should it be different?
Then we must answer the call – the call that re-launches our economy and the labor market.
Some think that at the current pace we could very well be near 20% unemployment when we make the turn. That’s not an uplifting scenario unless you are prepared to pivot when the opportunity presents itself. You may be thinking “When that happens, there will be plenty of talent to choose from” and you may be right – or not. The winners will already have their draft picks chosen and will be studying their playbook for the fastest start to the new season.
The plan should include pipelining talent so YOU are ready to launch. A few thoughts…
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Stock your talent shelves — toilet paper is important but talent is vital. Take time to video interview now. Good sports organizations have depth charts. Do the same.
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FITFO – I’m told this a term used by our bravest who serve our country. I’m not going to spell it out, you can find it by googling; however the gist is to HAVE A PLAN! That means: what talent, where talent and how talent. (Skills, roles, compensation and strategy.)
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Don’t rot your core – we face difficult decisions daily in these times. Identify your core. Ask extraordinary things of them, provide safety and use this to brand and build your talent pantry.
This plan has other positive effects:
- For you, it keeps your mind thinking positive; i.e. what if you meet great talent, how and when can you use them?
- For candidates – it provides hope and promise that entrepreneurs and business leaders are thinking about creating opportunity.
- For your team – they see growth and a plan.
Listen, this isn’t easy in the best times, especially if you are currently in a reduction mode or in the midst of layoffs. Yet, we must press on. Sometimes necessary endings create opportunity and new approaches.
So, make the commitment – think about the talent waiting at the end of the test tube. Take nothing for granted and stay healthy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Keith Banks, CSP is the President of LLoyd Staffing and a staffing and search industry leader for more than 25 years. He has expertise in talent acquisition, strategic workforce management and is the co-creator of an award winning vendor management program for staffing, Ringo. This technology, which he help pioneer in 2001, has revolutionized workforce management and changed the ways companies effectively manage the use of their temporary workers, contractors and locum tenens across a variety of industries.