Attracting Diverse Talent

Rejuvenation is needed to invigorate individual, team and company performance. By attracting new ideas from diverse thinking people, performance plus growth can soar to new heights.

Attracting Diverse Talent

Thinking and acting differently as a result of Covid-19 induced pressures, rejuvenation is top of mind for many as we look to new means of invigorating individual, team and company spirit as well as performance. Attracting new ideas and collaborating to debate varied perspectives is good talent to attract to your work teams that can fuel sustainable business growth. So how can we achieve this? Let me share some ideas on how to attract diverse talent.

Thoughtful and inclusive job advertisements and job descriptions
Promoting a role or project seeking to attract individuals with different perspectives or value to contribute might sometimes feel like linguistic gymnastics. How does one highlight the criteria craved, whilst portraying a tone of openness and equal opportunity for all candidates? The key is writing with thoughtful, non-jargonistic language, and highlighting the values you desire candidates bring that are affiliated to a proven track record of aligned skill execution. This allows candidates to differentiate via their unique execution flair, how they intertwine their values, and their skills for success.

Amplify your diverse company culture
Overachieve the goal of finding cultural fit by asking candidates to illustrate ideas on what they can do to live, walk and talk the ideals of your culture. Candidates sharing both the benefits and challenges of being successful in a culture may be the medicinal tonic leaders are looking to hire. Rich in honesty and courage to communicate illustrates a comfort with disruption, much needed with innovative status-quo challenging ideas.

Broaden your search to periphery networks
Look for your future talent where they are, not where you are. Extend your search beyond your primary stakeholders, ask in unknown places, and network in new arenas. Spend time with people, clubs and associations different to you – invest your time into understanding their objectives, challenges and accomplishments to reap a different kind of return. Most people are happy to help those whom help them first.

Understand interviewing is a 2-way process
As first impressions usually dictate how we feel about a candidate, delve deeper into their motivations and perspectives. Look to candidates whom focus is on both their personal and professional growth, and do look beyond your personal preferences to avoid hiring the wrong person for the role. Accept the candidate will interview you in reverse. Understanding values are reciprocated yet practised differently may be the reinvigoration your team is craving. Furthermore, interview with diverse panels can trigger and bring out varied examples of difference and understanding to excel at the metrics your business is driving.

Teach your managers how to avoid bias
I am a big fan of the conscious competence model in understanding strengths, and how these influence preferences plus decision making. With feedback, it has really helped me understand my blind spots, as well as where my strengths are best placed in empowering people. Understanding how any bias in both yourself and others impacts decisions, can determine how people are drawn to you as well as interact with you. To avoid any predispositions, park your own opinions, intently listening, questioning and observing others. Ensure to role model openness in perspectives with your teams in meetings, interviews, presentations and planning and in all conversations. Showing a growth mindset will demonstrate a personal brand of integrity and openness, attracting a broader variety of people.

Reference: conscious-unconscious / competence-incompetence learning module

Hopefully, I have excited you with these new ides to rejuvenate individual, team and company performance by attracting new ideas from diverse thinking people whilst also attracting diverse talent. Everybody has different ways of doing things and as a fostering and empowering leader, to triumph, harness the collective potential by collaborating on all ideas. Let me know which tips resonate best for you!