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Talent |
According to Mike Johnson, 85 per cent of workers could quite easily be
dropped into another company without too many problems. It’s the other 15 per
cent that make the business what it is, and attracting, retaining and
developing that talent is the main focus of How To Become A Talent Magnet.
In saying this, Johnson becomes fairly scathing of HR in places, suggesting
it would be more effective to have sales and marketing people selling the
company to future employees. It is obviously directed at managers with a
reasonable level of autonomy.
However, anyone with an interest in motivation in the workplace would be
able to glean something from this gem. Winning the talent wars is a fight we
can all take part in and this is full of practical, workable initiatives, not
only for hiring and holding the precious 15 per cent, but also for reducing
costly turnover and securing the commitment of the other staff.
How to Become a Talent Magnet follows closely on from Winning The
People Wars, although it’s more of a rewrite than a sequel, acknowledging
the impact of last year’s economic downturn while offering a refreshing
perspective on the current business climate.
Despite significant redundancies, Johnson denies there is a glut of skills
in the marketplace. It’s only bad news that makes a good headline, it appears,
and everyone moving up the talent chain, depleting the pool available for the
less attractive jobs, further exacerbates the scarcity of true talent.
In the preface, Johnson says a business book shouldn’t be boring, and this
one isn’t. Amusing anecdotes as well as useful facts and interesting case
studies have been amassed and skilfully combined into an entertaining read. The
result? An excellent guide to what keeps a worker happy, motivated and productive
with advice on recreating the ideal work environment.
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Alison Norris a personnel manager at Wealth Management Software. She is
currently reading What Would Buddha Do At Work? 101 Answers to Workplace
Dilemmas by Franz Metcalf and BJ Gallagher Hateley.
