Blake was eager to attend the next dinner meeting with the CEOs. Although the previous meeting had been relatively uneventful, he was optimistic. He knew these men and women were in their respective positions for a reason. He wanted to learn as much as he could from them.
After the normal pleasantries, Martha kicked off the conversation with a question.
“Who has a status report for the group? Who's had a breakthrough?” After a long pause, “No one? Certainly, someone has done something.” Martha turned to Blake. “You were full of vim and vigor when we first met. What have you accomplished?” she asked.
“Well, we've defined the goal,” Blake offered.
“And?” Betsy asked.
“And, we're working on it.”
“Doesn't sound like much progress to me,” Bart said.
“Well, I understand why you would say that, and I wish we had accomplished more; however, I believe a problem well defined is half solved.”
“So, you think you know the problem? I do, too,” said Sam Caldwell, the head of a small hotel chain headquartered in their town. “I need bodies; I can't find enough of them.”
“That may be your problem, but it's not mine,” Blake said. “Our problem is fundamentally different.”
“I thought you were struggling to find people,” Sam challenged.
“We are, but our problem is not finding bodies; we're looking for Top Talent. And the problem we're trying to solve is this: What will it take to attract them?”
“Top Talent sounds like a load of sh-. . .”—Sam caught himself—“crap; it sounds like crap to me,” Sam said.
“Hold on!” Martha stepped in. Having known Sam for decades, she felt very comfortable confronting him. “Have you had too much to drink already? You're more rude than usual tonight. Listen to the young man.”
“Thank you, Martha,” Blake said. “I don't know what else to say, really.”
“Tell us why you want Top Talent and not just any ‘body,’ as Sam put it,” Martha suggested. “Wouldn't Sam's approach be easier?”
“First, am I alone here? Does anyone else want Top Talent?” Blake asked the group.
Several raised their hand.
“Thanks. That makes me feel a little better,” Blake said. “Okay, let's try to explain to Sam why he may want to rethink his strategy and set the talent bar higher. Can we come up with ten reasons Top Talent matters?” Blake spotted a flip chart in the corner of the meeting room. He decided to capture the ideas from the group—he didn't know if he might need them to convince the skeptics in his own organization.
“Okay,” Blake said, “ten reasons we would invest the time, energy, and resources required to go after Top Talent. . . .”
A spirited conversation followed and yielded the following list:
Why Top Talent?
1. Creates competitive advantage
2. Is more agile
3. Produces better results
4. Responds well to complexity
5. More growth-oriented
6. Represents our brand well
7. Accelerates growth
8. Creates our future
9. Creates energy
10. Attracts more Top Talent
“Good work. I want to add one more thought. It's why I think the pursuit of Top Talent is our only viable alternative. The growing demands of our customers, increased competition, and the complexities of our business necessitate higher levels of talent. We believe the organizations with the most Top Talent will ultimately win the day.”
“That's a convincing argument and an impressive list; so, what are you doing to attract Top Talent?” Betsy asked.
“Honestly, not nearly enough, and to be completely transparent, I'm not even sure what we should be doing.”
“Why do you say that?” Martha asked.
“We don't even know what Top Talent wants—not yet. We've begun a project to find out. Unfortunately, we've never asked them. We've just made a lot of assumptions, and based on the current state of affairs, I would say our assumptions have been dead wrong.”
Bart said, “Hold on, Blake; you're young, but this is not your first rodeo. You know Top Talent wants top dollar. It's that simple.”
“Is it? Is it really?” Blake pushed back. “We lost several candidates recently at the offer stage. We checked. They went to competitors for comparable wages; and one, for less!
“I agree, people want to be paid, Top Talent included, but I'm fairly sure money is not the solution. Unless you just want bodies. I actually think Sam can fix his short-term problem by paying a couple of bucks more per hour. No, I'm not sure exactly what they want, but Top Talent is different. I'm convinced it will take something different to attract them.”
Top Talent is different. I'm convinced it will take something different to attract them.
“Please keep us posted,” Betsy requested. “Martha, I know you didn't envision this as a single-topic roundtable, but with your permission, can we talk about this again next month?”
“Unless we decide to throw money at the problem or lower our standards, I don't think we have a choice,” Martha responded. “We'll see you next month. More answers, please.”
After almost everyone was gone, Sam approached Blake and said, “Can we talk?”
“Sure.”
“I'm sorry. I know I was out of line, and no, I had not been drinking. What everyone said really makes sense. I didn't want to say anything to the group, but we are really struggling. I guess that explains my tone. I know it doesn't excuse my behavior, but I wanted you to know, it was not personal. I've been lashing out at everyone—my employees, my family. I even shouted at a guest last week.”
“What's going on?”
“Just what I said. I am so short-staffed, I don't sleep. I'm either working or worried about work. This talent thing is killing me. Literally, I'm afraid.”
“What's your plan?” Blake asked.
“I don't have one. I just know something has got to change or I'm done. I thought about what you said—closing the staffing gap by raising my starting wage. I think we would just get more mediocre performance and a weaker bottom line. What I really want is to hear more about what you're learning. Can I call you? Maybe come for a visit? Since I'm in the hotel business, I don't see any conflict of interest, do you?”
“No, I really don't. I'll let you know when we have something to share.”