NederlandsWe can disagree on all kinds of things, but that 'the right person in the right place' is key for your company, doesn't it seem to me like a stone?
People make the difference. The wrong person in the wrong place is dramatic. Negativity in the workplace, dissatisfied customers, declining sales; disaster all around. You don't want that.
Tell me; why do we as a Dutch business community collectively pay so little attention to 'the right person in the right place'?
Half year income
I can hear you thinking: 'Why!? I spend half a year's income on recruitment and selection agencies!' or: 'Why? I put a lot of time and energy into good job interviews!'. But I didn't ask. I believe that we put a lot of time, money and energy into recruiting new employees. It's all about the combination of the right person – right place. That's where it goes wrong.
Get that trophy
Company A's No. 1 top seller lands one deal after another, has 'success' on his forehead and leaves his colleagues miles behind. One day he starts to get bored (it is very easy, that gets boring), so he applies for a job at company B. Company B has thoroughly studied the STAR methodology, see the proven track record of this promising candidate , and is happy to have won this trophy. But…. you can already feel it coming. In company B, little of this trophy remains. It doesn't match, trophy and company B. Trophy turns into pathetic pile of human beings, exit trophy. This really happens very often.
Can you beat this? Certainly. You do this by recognizing that people only thrive in an environment where it is right. Not only job content and salary indication, but also something vague like: 'culture'. I don't think anyone has fallen off their chair while reading at this point. This is not THE eye-opener of the year yet. And yet it is so little taken into account when we look for our trophies.
Success guarantees
100 responses to a vacancy is not rare these days. Nevertheless, we are happy for a long time when we find someone who has the right 'papers'. Een subsequent education, comparable work experience, a relevant network, they are success indicators, aren't they? Certainly true. But it makes no guarantees. The question of conscience is; shouldn't we be happier with the one who matches in terms of culture? Who will prove capable of developing talents, bringing others along, being an ambassador for customers and colleagues? "Yeah, do you know how much I have to invest in training?" I hear you think. Certainly. But what do you think is a better breeding ground for a successful employee; an environment where talent comes into its own? Or the fact that someone was out of place somewhere else in the past? I rest my case.
Recognizing cultural elements and environmental factors, that's where it starts. Then being critical of the connection to cultural elements, being critical of this and daring to let go of hard criteria a little more takes us a long way. Our trophy will thank us for that.
Silvie van den Berg is community manager at Actief Werkt! and was previously a Corporate Recruiter. She writes about recognizable situations from the field of 'Recruitment and Selection'.