This year, human resource professionals should take the challenge to make some "Human Capital 2011 Resolutions":
• Reconnect with the highly paid professionals you downsized before you lose some of your best talent to your competitors.
• Treat your employees as if they are your best asset.
• Create an environment to attract the best and brightest to add to your talent pool.
• Build a virtual bench to pull from by networking.
In Q4 of 2009, employers took a random 20 percent slice out of their workforce. Many chose to axe the 20 percent with the highest salaries. Now there is a big candidate bucket -- a "garbage bucket" as viewed by many. But did you chop some of your best due to their high salary level? Maybe that bucket is not full of garbage but a mixture containing some very talented and formerly high-paid professionals you may need to reconnect with before someone else hires them.
You also need to become an employer of choice. Talk to employees so they believe their position is a position of choice. Strengthen corporate culture, and think in unconventional ways. What is top talent? They can do more with less, produce more, jump higher than their peers, and are the engine of your company. They are your greatest asset, so treat them that way.
In addition, rethink your purpose for attending networking events. Most people attend networking events just to network themselves. However, it is important to shift that perspective and begin networking in order to build a virtual bench and to constantly keep your eye out for the A-players you would like to someday join your team. Once superstars are identified, go to LinkedIn to see their social networks, find out their interests, etc., and also create several avenues to reach out to them monthly: send them industry info, your blog link, daily quotes, etc. Then, take them out to lunch, coffee or for a glass of wine once a month/quarter. When you're ready to hire, go to your virtual bench and have at it!
After every down year, every group of C-suite folks puts on rose-colored glasses. You must put on a leadership, strategic hat and give full commitment to change. If people are your best asset, how do you create an environment to attract and keep the best people? The more you empower your people, the more they will produce and manage themselves. Take the challenge to come up with a "New Year's Bucket List" that is actionable today.
Kim Shepherd is the CEO of Decision Toolbox ( http://www.dtoolbox.com ), a national recruitment process outsourcing firm. She is the author of the newly released book, The Bite Me School of Management: Taking a Bite of Conventional Business Thinking. The book takes a large bite of out typical corporate culture. The lessons, funny and concise bite-sized servings, can be applied to all industries.
By Kim Shepherd
• Reconnect with the highly paid professionals you downsized before you lose some of your best talent to your competitors.
• Treat your employees as if they are your best asset.
• Create an environment to attract the best and brightest to add to your talent pool.
• Build a virtual bench to pull from by networking.
In Q4 of 2009, employers took a random 20 percent slice out of their workforce. Many chose to axe the 20 percent with the highest salaries. Now there is a big candidate bucket -- a "garbage bucket" as viewed by many. But did you chop some of your best due to their high salary level? Maybe that bucket is not full of garbage but a mixture containing some very talented and formerly high-paid professionals you may need to reconnect with before someone else hires them.
You also need to become an employer of choice. Talk to employees so they believe their position is a position of choice. Strengthen corporate culture, and think in unconventional ways. What is top talent? They can do more with less, produce more, jump higher than their peers, and are the engine of your company. They are your greatest asset, so treat them that way.
In addition, rethink your purpose for attending networking events. Most people attend networking events just to network themselves. However, it is important to shift that perspective and begin networking in order to build a virtual bench and to constantly keep your eye out for the A-players you would like to someday join your team. Once superstars are identified, go to LinkedIn to see their social networks, find out their interests, etc., and also create several avenues to reach out to them monthly: send them industry info, your blog link, daily quotes, etc. Then, take them out to lunch, coffee or for a glass of wine once a month/quarter. When you're ready to hire, go to your virtual bench and have at it!
After every down year, every group of C-suite folks puts on rose-colored glasses. You must put on a leadership, strategic hat and give full commitment to change. If people are your best asset, how do you create an environment to attract and keep the best people? The more you empower your people, the more they will produce and manage themselves. Take the challenge to come up with a "New Year's Bucket List" that is actionable today.
Kim Shepherd is the CEO of Decision Toolbox ( http://www.dtoolbox.com ), a national recruitment process outsourcing firm. She is the author of the newly released book, The Bite Me School of Management: Taking a Bite of Conventional Business Thinking. The book takes a large bite of out typical corporate culture. The lessons, funny and concise bite-sized servings, can be applied to all industries.
By Kim Shepherd
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