Very quickly, a strategy is:
The way in which you apply your unique strengths and contexts to gain a future advantage over others.
(There are a LOT of definitions of strategy, but most of them are rooted in overly-meticulously planned military thinking that hasn’t really worked in about 150 years. See The Art of Action by Stephen Bungay to see how Von Moltke reinvented strategy after watching Napoleon dismantle Austrian armies.)
It isn’t a plan.
It isn’t a series of tactics.
It isn’t a goal.
It is the means by which you (specifically YOU) win.
So what is talent strategy?
The way in which you apply your unique strengths and contexts to hire more effectively in the future.
Breaking it down:
What are your unique strengths? What resources (money, consumer brand awareness, a famous CEO, branded trucks, partners, etc etc etc) do you have that others don’t?
How are you applying them in a way that others can’t?
How are you defining “effective” in this case? Better talent? Faster hires? Cheaper hires? You can’t show your strategy is working is you don’t know what it is trying to achieve.
When in the future? Tomorrow? Next quarter? Next year? And when your competition reacts to the strategy in that time frame, what will you do then?
So I have a very simple question. This is a real question. You should respond to this email with your answer:
Based on this definition, what’s your talent strategy?
+++++
Whether you have 2 or 2000 employees, this is the employer brand strategy book for you. James not only outlines the WHY, he shares exactly HOW to build an employer brand foundation. This book is the mentor you need to give you the knowledge to create the employer brand strategy you didn’t know you needed. It’s the “secret sauce” you can’t live without.
- Rosie Martinson, Head of Talent Acquisition and Employer Brand at Carbon Health
I am SO PUMPED for Employer Branding for Small Business to come out. See?
***This Newsletter Contains No ChatGPT***
###