How do we deal with the current talent shortage?

How do we deal with the current talent shortage?

I was speaking at a conference recently and the topic was on how we can deal with the current talent shortage.  With the NZ unemployment rate sitting at around 4.7% and the fact we are unable to import talent due to Covid-19 border closures and restrictions, organisations are now having to focus on what they can do within their business to retain the great talent that they have.  The businesses that also choose to focus on what will make them an employer of choice will have an edge, so when the world frees up a little bit, they will be in the best position to attract the talent they need and want.

Focusing on what we can control            

The first thing to note is that in a time when things are out of our control, like border closures and immigration policy, we need to start focusing on the things that are in our control.

To create a culture where you are considered to be an employer of choice – which means your existing people want to stay with you and new talent can’t wait to join you, there are some foundation things you need to have clarity on:

Leading with Impact

We need to ensure our leaders are equipped to lead our workforce for today.  For leaders to be effective at this task they need to understand how they are playing their ‘inner game’.  How are they doing their leadership from the inside out?  What are their strengths, their derailers or blind spots, and what are their values and preferences that drive their behaviours?

Once leaders understand their inner game, they are in a far better position to understand how they are playing their ‘outer game’, their team, results, products, and services. With this awareness and knowledge, they are then in a better position to make the necessary changes to get better results and lead with impact.

Strategic Planning for Results

Over the last 18 months or so most businesses have checked in on their strategy more often. Perhaps what we were hoping to achieve through strategy, the outcome, hasn’t changed that much but the way we go about achieving our strategy may have changed dramatically.  What is the context your business is now operating within?  What has the impact on your supply chain meant for how you get things done?  How are you getting certain roles or tasks completed with the labour and talent you have onboard?  Is your strategy integrated into the business and designed with accountability and execution in mind?

High Performing Teams

The third area we want to focus on is creating and maintaining winning teams. Sometimes leaders think that because they have thrown a group of individuals together and told them they are a team that they will magically be able to produce and function at high levels of performance.  If only it were that simple!  Creating and maintaining winning teams is a deliberate strategy and there is a formula to help businesses establish teams to be successful and this then becomes part of the culture of their organisation.

Creating a Culture of Excellence

In order to create a shift in your culture, a deliberate shift of any kind, you need to have a good understanding of the bench strength of your leaders, you want to ensure your strategy is current and well communicated, executed, and reviewed through your business.  You also want to establish your teams, current and new, with the tools to enable them to be successful and higher performing.

Only then will your organisation be able to make a sustainable shift in culture.  If you don’t have the intentional clarity on leadership, strategy and how your teams are established and how they work together, any efforts in your culture space run the risk of being a flash in the pan exercise or a flavour of the month project.

If you are wanting to create more momentum and engagement in your organisation that leads to greater impact, focusing on the above areas is the way to go.

If you would like to receive a complimentary educational diagnostic questionnaire to help you determine how you, your team, and your business are currently tracking in either Leadership | Strategy | Teams – send me an email or message me and put the topic you are interested in, in the subject line.  If they all sound interesting to you, just put ALL.  I will then get those questionnaires out to you.

Now is a great time to focus on the things in our control to make our organisations an outstanding place to be.

Lead with Impact.