On Valentine’s Day 2000, my new bride dropped me off at the United States Army Ranger School. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous as we drove past the entrance sign that said “NOT FOR THE WEAK OR FAINTHEARTED.”
Sixty-two days later I was a proud graduate of the Army’s most difficult leadership school. Little did I know that 16 years later I would be saying that managing today’s work force is also “not for the weak or fainthearted,” albeit for very different reasons.
I am now fighting a very different battle, the “War for Talent.” Just this past week I published a recruiting website and video to help wage this war. If you haven’t seen it already, I would love to get your feedback on The Leader Farm.
A few years ago I had an epiphany and decided to fight this war with a different strategy than most business leaders. I was pondering…what do military units, high school and college sports teams all have in common?
Turnover is embraced! In the military most personnel PCS (Permanent Change of Station) every 2-3 years and in high school and college sports, players graduate after four years. I later thought about how major league baseball farm teams and minor league football teams exist for the sole purpose of developing talent for another organization.
I was saddened yesterday when an old friend contacted me after watching my video on The Leader Farm site and shared with me that her daughter works at a similar establishment, but the culture is very different. She said, “The store manager has actually said to my daughter’s friend if they mention going off to college, that he will not invest in them or teach them leadership skills since they are leaving. She has been told by her peers that if she plans to go away to college, not to tell.”
Most people see turnover as a problem,
however I see healthy turnover as the key to growing my business.
It’s a paradox, but if we stop trying to fight turnover, and develop a culture and organizational structure to embrace it, we will actually reduce it. When employees are free to leave and know they are not being forced, guilted or manipulated to stay, they will actually be more engaged and leave a trail of high performance for others to follow. When the company develops a sustainable plan for selecting talent and developing leaders there will always be a pipeline or deep bench ready for the next person to step up. I challenge you to develop a culture in your organization that embraces turnover and has the team member’s best interest at heart. Think about it, how do you want to be remembered…someone that withheld leadership and manipulated people or someone that made a difference in people’s lives?
Scarcity mentality is powerful! You are onto something. Try to keep or plan to launch! I like launching!!!