To become a Talent Magnet

Talent strategy needs to be articulated as business strategy, and that involves making strategic choices. The thing with choices is that we never know in advance if they will succeed or not - only in hindsight.

Indraneel Roy blogs about how organizations can become talent magnets

The best magnets for talent involve 3 things:

1. Your story, told well - this involves a clear, simple narrative of your company's roots, its dreams and aspirations and the many challenges that are getting in your way to reach your dreams. The story must be personal, honest, simple and uplifting ... and the narrator must be believable.

2. The human face, literally - this part is about putting a human face, or faces, on the kind of talent you already have. Examples of people one can expect to work with. Picking the ones who most intimately represent the talent you need for the future will ensure the right people are attracted to you ... and the wrong people are repelled, naturally.

3. The 2 sided confession. The third, and possibly, the strongest magnet for talent is a confession. An honest, open disclosure that cuts both ways. It gives the talent you are trying to attract a view that your company's brand is edgy, not neutral. There are people who love your company, and people who absolutely hate your guts. You then proceed to share what kind of people love your company and what kind of people are likely to hate you. In the process, you are subtly asking the candidate to take sides, make a choice, and build up some emotional stakes. If the candidate really identifies with the kind of people who love you, he / she will likely love you as well. If not, you spare yourself a wrong hire.

So, the next time you think about why talented people should join you, make sure you also think about why they shouldn't.