How To Attract & Lead Top Talent

By John Spence, one of the top 100 business thought leaders in America and top 500 leadership development experts in the world

Recently I did a study of more than 10,000 high-potential employees at leading companies around the world. The people I interviewed were the best of the best, the sort of employees that any organization would love to have on their team. I call this type of person a “voluntary employee,” because they are so good at what they do that if they quit their job at 9 in the morning they would have a job at the competition by noon. Which means they work at a certain company because they want to, not because they have to.

SO, I ASKED THEM THIS QUESTION: “WHY DO YOU WORK WHERE YOU WORK?” HERE IS WHAT THEY TOLD ME.

1. Fair pay, which they defined as 10 percent above or below what they would make to do the same job anyplace else.
2. Meaningful/challenging work. It was important to feel like they were using all their skills and talents to do something important.
3. Cool colleagues. It’s straightforward; A-players only want to play on a team with other A-players.
4. Winning culture. They want to work in a company with a fun, supportive, and enjoyable environment.
5. Personal and professional growth. They want their employer to invest in their continual growth and improvement, and they want a clear career path to move up in the organization.
6. And the most important element: They want to work for a leader they respect and admire.

WHICH LED ME TO MY NEXT QUESTION: “WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A LEADER YOU WOULD WILLINGLY FOLLOW?”

1. Honesty. More than 90 percent of the respondents listed this as the single most important thing they look for in their leader.
2. Competence. An effective leader needs to be highly competent at their job and in their leadership skills.
3. Courage. They expect a great leader to make tough decisions and take bold risks, but what they wanted was a leader who was courageous enough to admit they didn’t have all the answers. Another word they used here was “Authentic.”
4. Communication skills. The two skills they said were most important were asking great questions and being an intense listener.
5. Team player. They wanted a leader who would treat them as a partner and peer, not just an employee.
6. Empathy. A leader who realized that they had a life outside of the company that was as, or more important than, their job.

I believe that the lists above outline what it takes to attract, retain, and lead the very best people in your industry.