TALENT ATTRACTION OLYMPICS: GOLD MEDAL ENGAGEMENT
Skeleton Official at Utah Olympic Park, Park City, UT
How does your company approach Engagement?
In Make Your Company ROAR, the A is ACTUATE. Actuation is Engagement. It is where your Talent Attraction Strategy either wins a Gold Medal or settles for a Participation Ribbon.
As a Leading Talent Attraction Consultant, I have worked with organizations across the spectrum. Some earn Gold Medals. Others struggle to get out of the starting blocks. The difference is rarely compensation or benefits. The difference is Engagement driven by clear vision and proper goal setting.
Managers in both types of companies need training to attract top talent. But once that talent is hired, one factor stands above the rest:
A clear vision for the company’s future, and a clear vision for each employee’s future within it.
When I was the Recruiting Manager for McLeodUSA, a telecom start-up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the leadership team understood human motivation at a very high level.
Every new employee received stock options. If the company succeeded and went public, everyone would benefit. That message was clear, consistent, and powerful.
After Board meetings that reflected strong growth, leadership often granted additional stock options. That was not just compensation. That was reinforcement of belief, ownership, and shared success.
The corporate goal was bold and specific: replace US West Communications as the leading local telephone carrier by leasing their lines and selling local service to homeowners and small businesses. By purchasing volume, McLeodUSA secured discounts and undercut US West’s pricing.
Simple strategy. Clear goal. Powerful execution.
At the individual level, I had a goal as well. I wanted to train my direct report, Elizabeth Trcka, to become an outstanding recruiter.
She was attentive, intelligent, and committed to improving. Because I documented her progress and results, she earned Human Resource Employee of the Quarter three times during the year we worked together. The only quarter she missed was while on maternity leave.
After her time at McLeodUSA, she went on to become a successful third-party recruiter and business owner.
That is what Engagement looks like in action.
The company reached its goal and went public approximately 19 months after I joined. Every employee understood the mission. Every team aligned their efforts. Individual goals supported department goals, which supported the corporate objective.
That is the Power of Proper Goal Setting.
Managers knew their employees’ goals. One-on-one meetings were not performance critiques. They were strategy sessions.
- What progress have you made?
- What actions are working?
- Where are you falling behind?
- How can I help remove obstacles?
When employees needed help building a goal-setting strategy, managers coached them. When progress slowed, managers provided guidance to help them regain momentum.
These conversations created alignment, accountability, and trust.
Not every employee engaged at that level. Those who could not or would not engage eventually moved on. That was the right outcome for both the individual and the company.
Every role in a company matters. If it does not, why does the position exist?
In high-performing organizations, there is no such thing as “just an employee.”
I am often asked, “Why are you just a recruiter?” I am not. I am a Talent Attraction Consultant. That distinction matters because expertise matters.
The same is true for every role in your organization. From leadership to frontline positions, every employee should understand their value and their contribution.
If you want Gold Medal Engagement:
- Help employees set meaningful goals
- Align individual goals with company objectives
- Conduct one-on-one meetings focused on progress and strategy
- Actively remove roadblocks
- Reinforce success and momentum
You are not managing employees. You are working with teammates.
And teammates engage, support each other, and win together.
EXPECT SUCCESS!
Originally published on LinkedIn to spark executive discussion on Gold Medal Engagement.
This is the link to the LinkedIn post for “Talent Attraction Olympics: Gold Medal Engagement” https://www.linkedin.com/posts/recruiterguy_most-companies-dont-have-an-engagement-problem-share-7441957515229155328-q-a8?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAAbUscBgUHSLKNwQRjNQoMKSyIumM4Or3Q
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Bill Humbert’s Bio
With over 40 years of expertise as a Professional Talent Attraction Consultant and 26+ years as an Expert Career Coach, Bill Humbert is uniquely positioned to speak, author, and consult on Talent Attraction, Career Search, and Goal Setting.
Having presented to audiences on three continents (Europe, Africa, and North America), Bill’s career began in 1981 as a fee-based recruiter in Washington, D.C. In 1990, he founded his consulting business, shifting to a flat monthly fee model and successfully serving companies across diverse industries, including telecom, construction, financial services, manufacturing, management consulting, and renewable energy.
Notably, Bill recruited the Chief Operating Officer for a restaurant chain, with her tenure starting on March 1, 2023.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bill demonstrated thought leadership by authoring 104 consecutive weeks of #TalentAttractionTuesday and #JobSearchFriday blogs, which are available on RecruiterGuy.com. He has a rich Article Bank with 400+ Articles.
As a career coach, he has guided hundreds of professionals toward successful career transitions over the past 26 years. He is also the author of three career search books, including the highly acclaimed EXPECT SUCCESS! The Science of the Over 50 Career Search, which received a 5-star review on readersfavorite.com/book-review/expect-success
