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This is the seventh installment of an interview between Seth Morgan, Founder, and CEO of MLA Companies, and Stone Payton of Business RadioX Studios. In this section, they discuss recruiting top talent.
Seth ended the previous section with this statement: “In many ways, that model is more about our team understanding where we are in this process than it is telling our client how to think about their challenges.”
Are you wondering how to attract, manage and retain top talent? MLA can help with that.
Stone: What insight might you have on retaining and managing top talent?
Seth: We have a model that allows us a lot of flexibility. It’s one of our core attributes as a firm that we don’t want to change. I pride my flexibility, perhaps more than anything. So one of the keys for us has been to apply that than to our recruiting to that top talent.
If you were to ask “What did you advise your clients to do through the pandemic? The answer is quite similar to the answer on top talent, and that is really understanding what do they desire and need.
We spend a lot of time as a company thinking about our value, our core competencies, our value sets, what what are the traits that are going to set us apart, and what we’re going to hold ourselves accountable to. We have to recognize that individuals have that same question and answer.
Most of the time, individuals have not thought through it well enough to actually answer it. But they do have an answer. And your job is to extract from them the core values that they care about as well. And then craft something to accomplish that.
So we’re not going to our team and saying, “Here’s the box. Fit in it.” Instead, we’re saying, “How do we take the inventory of things you clearly value because of how you’re stewarding your life and put them side by side with us?” And now what value can be created between us? Some of the best talent we have is where we’ve taken that very direct approach.
When it comes to developing younger talent, it looks more traditional. It’s salaried hours being tracked because we’re obviously trying to mold and craft them into something because they don’t have those questions to find or even answer for themselves. But some of our very top talent has answered it, and so I view it as our job to learn to be flexible with them.
The other thing I would say, is we’re always recruiting. I’m always asking “Do I have enough capacity to meet the demand I either perceive or know about in the market, whether that’s whether it’s coming or already in house demand.
And the reality is, I’m always on the prowl for somebody good. And if I find that person, I’m probably going to do what all good entrepreneurs do, and I’m going to figure out a way if they’re interested to take risks and get them on the team.
You should never stop recruiting top talent. The most effective thing you can do is bring in that rock star who’s truly a rock star. But it takes time to work through if that top talent is in too big of a hurry. If so, then they’re probably not the right talent for you. But where that time is taken, relationships are built.
You need to understand their why and you match it up with your why. If that’s in place, you’re going to figure out how to get them in and when to get them in, and it will be a good match and that relationship is simply going to grow.
Need help recruiting and retaining top talent? MLA can help with that.