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Much has changed over the past couple of years (understatement of the decade), especially regarding how people work.
Remote work is now the norm. Hybrid schedules (part-time at home and part-time at the office) are typical.
Due to the option to work remotely, many people have relocated to different parts of the country to take advantage of lower costs of living or a more desirable lifestyle while remaining at their current company. And still, others have evaluated what is truly important to them regarding the work they do, how they work, and perhaps most importantly, what company they work for and with whom they work.
Now, it’s more crucial than ever to be the leader of a team with a clear mission and vision that lives out its principles and values. Employees, team members and agents have lots of choices. How do you become the team they choose? Here are the steps every team must take to attract top talent.
1. Get clear on your vision
First and foremost, talent wants to be inspired and in alignment with the company’s vision, values and beliefs. Getting clear on your vision is the first step. Think through the following questions:
- Why do you want to build a company?
- What will it look like?
- Who do you want around you?
- How do you want to achieve your goals?
- Why is creating this company and realizing your vision important to you?
- How will you bring other people along on the journey?
Having a big goal and vision is essential. But if you are not able to articulate it and help others see how they will succeed and fulfill their personal visions by helping you realize yours, then you’re likely going to have retention problems or difficulty attracting the right people.
2. Communicate your vision effectively
One of the best ways to communicate your vision is: Share success stories along the way. Successful and driven individuals want to work with other successful and driven individuals.
Make sure you are sharing your stories of success, along with your teams’ success. If you are No. 1 or 2 in the market, tell the story of how you got there so that others can see the path forward if they join your team.
If you’ve helped team members increase their personal income by 20 percent, 30 percent or more year over year, shout it out! Or if you have entered into a fitness challenge (like an Ironman), share the journey and the results.
People know how hard it is to do those things, which is why not many even make an attempt. But if they can see what success looks like and you are showing them the way, you will attract top talent to your team — top talent that values and celebrates doing the hard things.
3. Role model
Remember, actions speak louder than words. To become a truly influential leader, you need to role model the behaviors you wish to see in others.
When was the last time you did something that challenged you? I challenge you to choose your hard; take the more difficult path. It’s amazing who you will become along the way, and without a doubt, you will attract talent who is the right fit for your company and who wants to run alongside you.
Talented agents want you to push and hold them accountable, which means that first, you must hold yourself responsible. And ultimately, you must become an accountable individual, which means doing what you say you’re going to do.
You follow through when you commit to a social event, a sales goal or a Spartan Race.
Part of being consistent here means you don’t say yes quickly. You only say yes to those things that align with your vision.
4. Serve others
Finally, to attract top talent, you need to make your vision and company bigger than yourself. As Jeff Bezos said, “Be a missionary, not a mercenary.” Bezos went on to say, “Missionaries build better products and services — they always win. Mercenaries are just trying to make money, and paradoxically the missionaries always end up making more money.”
If you genuinely want to grow, you have to learn to lead other people. By serving and contributing to others and helping them achieve their goals, you will achieve yours.
The bottom line is that self-leadership precedes leadership. You must lead yourself first before anyone else will follow you, including current team members and future agents and employees.
So, who do you need to become to attract top talent to your organization?
These are the questions you must answer to become the team that attracts top talent:
- How do you need to level up your leadership?
- How can you double down on your discipline and consistency around your leadership habits?
- What do your daily actions need to look like to be the leader you want to be?
Now, become that leader.
Adam Hergenrother is the founder and CEO of Adam Hergenrother Companies, the author of The Founder & The Force Multiplier, and the host of the podcast, Business Meets Spirituality. Learn more about Adam’s holistic approach to business here.
