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December 20th, 2011
It’s that time of year! Organizations are involved and engaging executive search & talent strategy firms in conversations on how to make ‘Next Year’ the best year ever as it relates to attracting and hiring the right people! How do we take our key learning’s and challenges of this year and substantially enhance our recruiting and talent acquisition efforts? While this is a great time of the year to plan…let’s TRULY strive to make next year long-lasting by hiring the right people in the right seats who will be encouraged and engaged to utilize their strengths each and every day.
This is the year where your employment brand and recruiting efforts will mean more than ever as the talent war continues to intensify. [Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of The Talent War Has Begun!] Finding the “A” talent will never be more difficult and more rewarding – together let’s make sure we are victorious!
Many of our clients are experiencing the impact of thinking outside the box once again…it is not a matter of having a great post on CareerBuilder or Monster and the hundreds of resumes that come with it. It is about finding the right talent who will be the top performers your organization deserves.
I have been sharing all year that we are in an employee’s market vs. an employer’s market. “A” talent is simply more difficult today to attract, recruit and retain than ever before. This year will be a year where this is amplified as talent becomes more scarce and companies do more to engage their talent. What would you expect if you were being recruited to a new opportunity?
- You would expect to be attracted to an organization and culture where your values and their values align.
- You would seek an opportunity where your goals, personally and professionally, align with the organizations goals.
- You would most likely seek an organization who truly values and lives out community engagement. Why? Because this is what employees value…and this has been proven to improve employee moral & employee engagement.
It’s up to you so let’s think through some questions to ask ourselves to ensure we are recruiting and attracting the best talent for our companies! If your hiring managers and people leaders have the answers to the questions below you are FAR AHEAD of the Competition. If you don’t have answers let’s start working on them!
- What is your strategy to find great people that your competitors can’t and don’t find?
- What does the marketplace think of when they think of your employment brand?
- Are the people you find the best people you can find, or the first people you could find, or the easiest people for you to find?
- Did last years strategies attract many eagles or too many turkeys?
What are your responses to this initial list of questions….share it with us and let’s create conversation to assist each other in our efforts!
Mike Sipple Jr. is Vice President of Centennial, Inc., an executive recruiting, talent strategy and career coaching firm. Mike is passionate about attracting, recruiting, developing, engaging and retaining top talent for changing and growing organizations.
Learn more about Mike and his organization by visiting visit www.centennialinc.com.
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Tags: annual planning, annual talent plan, attracting talent, branding, corporate branding, employee retention, employment brand, hiring talent, recruiting, recruiting best practices, recruiting strategy, setting a talent plan, strengths based leadership, talent acquisition, talent engagement, talent planning, talent strategy, world class recruiting strategy
Posted in Employee Engagement, Employment Brand, Hiring & Recruiting, Recruiting & Executive Search, Succession Planning | 2 Comments »
November 14th, 2011
Do Your Actions Support Your Values?
This was originally posted on Erin Schreyer’s Leadership. Life. Legacy blog. Erin is the President of Sagestone Partners, Founder of Authentic Leadership Cincinnati and a trusted adviser and business alliance with Centennial, Inc. Erin is passionate about building into people and bringing out their leadership qualities to help them excel in all areas of life.
“I dropped my daughter off at elementary school the other morning and had to do a double-take on a mother who was just coming out of the school. What made me look twice was her outfit.
She wore a very fitted designer t-shirt (huge logo on the front.) That wasn’t so bad…except that the length of her shirt exposed her entire mid-section. Combined with her low-rise jeans, she was exposing quite a bit of skin…to drop her children off at school.
I wondered immediately, what message is she trying to send? Is it about designer fashion? Fitness or weight? Wanting to be desired or praised by others?
I thought about her children, and I wondered if she thought of them when she got dressed.
I bet she doesn’t want them to get their confidence from wearing certain labels or from having a specific appearance, I thought. As a mother, I have to believe she wants more for them. I have to believe she wants them to be authentic and to be liked and valued for who they are; not what they look like or wear.
But weren’t her actions speaking louder? And weren’t they sending a conflicting message? How will her children understand what’s truly important?
Does this ever happen to you? Are your behaviors in alignment with your values?
Whether we are leaders in our homes or leaders in an organizational setting, we have to model behavior that is consistent with our values.
People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do.
~Lewis Cass
Actions do, in fact, speak louder than words. People see what you do, and if it doesn’t align with what you’ve said, then you’ve immediately lost their trust, their admiration, and their willingness to follow. And worst yet, your words have lost their meaning and value.
What effect would that have on your company? Your team? Your family?
As we lead, we must consider our priorities, beliefs and values. They cannot be swept under the rug. They must be lived.
 What values does your company profess? Putting clients first? Treating fellow employees with respect? Being thrifty with spending?
What values do you uphold as a family? Kindness to others? Integrity? Always doing what’s right?
Take a few moments and think about your actions over the last week. Are you living out what you claim to hold important? It’s a tough question we should all challenge ourselves with. We are, after all, human. We can, so often, get distracted or derailed. What’s important, though, is that we recognize it, and then we commit to making the necessary changes to bring us back to the best of who we are.
Support what you say. Model your values. Let your actions do the speaking, because they’re what people hear anyway.”
We encourage you to read and subscribe to Erin’s blog – Leadership. Life. Legacy.
Erin & Sagestone Partners provides service and expertise in the following areas:
- Leadership Coaching, Development Programs and Strategy
- Employee Engagement, Motivation, Team Building
- Strengths-Based Training and Development
- Business Development Strategies
- Effective Communication
- Motivational Speaking
Contact Sagestone Partners:
Dallas:
972-349-9915
Cincinnati:
513.535.2305
Tags: authentic leadership, Business Coaching, Erin Schreyer, Erin's Writings and Thoughts, Leadership, Sagestone Partners, Talent Management | Tagged beliefs, trust, values, values based leadership
Posted in Communication, Corporate Culture, Employee Retention, Employment Brand, Executive Coaching, Leadership, Motivation & Inspiration | No Comments »
September 29th, 2011
I read a fantastic article recently on reasons you need a mentor. It brought to my attention how thankful I am that I have grown up in both a family and business where mentoring has been encouraged.
The article written by Patricio Robles provides Six Reasons You Need a Mentor and expounds on the following bullets:
- Somebody has walked a mile in your shoes before
- Honest feedback is hard to come by
- A mentor can inspire
- A mentor cares more about you than your current job or business
- Your mentor’s advice is free
- Being a mentee will help you become a better mentor
I have parents, a wife, extended family, co-workers, business partners, valued clients and friends who all make investments in me…and for that I am and will always be grateful! (For all of those reading this who invest time and energy in me – THANK YOU!!!)
My personality is such that I am always seeking to learn and grow from the experiences and input from others.
My personal belief is that openness to learn from others will be critical to achieve new heights. Be encouraged, humbled and open and you will grow in ways you never thought of or never thought was possible…
I STRONGLY encourage you to seek out a mentoring relationship for yourself AND mentor another. It can be as formal or as informal as you would like but one thing is for sure – The Mentor and the Mentee will both grow through the process!
 Mentoring is Win - Win If you know of great mentoring programs, opportunities, attributes, articles be encouraged to post! Also, please share your personal experiences, comments and perspectives on this topic.
I can tell you that through parenting my children, and my personal involvement in the Dan Beard Boy Scouts Professional Leadership Network, that mentoring and striving to be an inspiration to others is one of THE MOST gratifying experiences you will have in your life! Experience it and you will cherish it…guaranteed!
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” – Winston Churchill
~Humbly
Mike Sipple Jr, Vice President – Executive Recruiter / Talent Aquisition Expert / Business Advisor
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Tags: mentor program, mentoring
Posted in Communication, Corporate Culture, Employee Retention, Executive Coaching, Leadership, Motivation & Inspiration, Recruiting & Executive Search, Succession Planning | No Comments »
July 19th, 2011
Generated by: Facebook MembersThe term “divide and conquer” is used all of the time, and it is nearly always used incorrectly.
Some people believe that to divide and conquer means that leaders should spread their limited resources out widely so a large problem or initiative can be successfully addressed.
The problem with this approach is that it usually leads to failure as divided individuals encounter resistance that they cannot overcome alone.
The true meaning of “divide and conquer” is that leaders should focus the full strength of their resources on a targeted area, thus dividing the problem or opportunity into separated parts that can be more-easily conquered.
- Knowing the true definition of “divide & conquer” leads to an enormous difference in results.
- To succeed we must select the best team leader and team, give them the Technical Right To Succeed.
- Protect the leaders undiluted focus on the mission.
- Target the team’s strength to divide the problem or opportunity into manageable parts
- Then conquer those divided parts to complete the success.
We hope you enjoyed Part 1 & Part 2 of this article…now think before you invest $180,000 in your next strategic planning session!
- Are you dividing and conquering in a way that allows your organization and team to succeed?
- What have you learned about spreading responsibility across your team?
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Tags: communications, delegation, leadership strategy, leading, strategic planning, talent resources
Posted in Communication, Employee Engagement, Employment Brand, Hiring & Recruiting, Leadership, Motivation & Inspiration, Recruiting & Executive Search, Succession Planning | No Comments »
July 19th, 2011
Depending on the size of your organization you may spend thousands or even millions of dollars managing the brand of your products and services.
Managing a brand is the effort of managing your unique product or service offerings, why customers should buy from you and why your consumers should trust your product to meet or exceed their expectations.
Employment branding is the perception and reality of what it is like to work and do business with your organization.
Who defines your employment brand?
Your current employees, passive and active candidates, suppliers, vendors, client’s, prospects, past employees and your key stakeholders.
Your employment brand is the most critical brand you should be investing in – it is critical to winning the war on talent. We encourage you to continue investing in your employment branding if you are currently. If you are not, it is time to step up your game. What if you do not? Your competitors will be happy to attract the ‘top talent’ to their organization…
An effective employment brand will make an impact on your entire talent management process. It will assist you in attracting and recruiting key leaders to your organization. It will enable you to develop and engage your talent. It will make a significant impact on your retention efforts of the best and brightest.
“The art and science of employer branding is therefore concerned with the attraction, engagement and retention initiatives targeted at enhancing your company’s employer brand.” Brett Minchington
Just as you invest money to attract, recruit, engage and retain your key clients, customers and consumers you should be investing in your current and future employees.
From experience, you taking the lead and managing your employment value proposition, marketplace perceptions and employee realities will only pay off dividends in the short and long-term.
Is it an investment?
Absolutely – it will take time and extensive effort but it will be worth the investment! Engage your executive team, leadership team, people manages and everyone else in the organization and start leading your employment brand today.
During the journey ask great questions, be authentic and care about each and every last individual who has come in contact with your organization.
~Your Executive Search & Recruiting Adviser
Mike Sipple Jr, Vice President – Executive Recruiter / Talent Aquisition Expert / Business Advisor
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Tags: attracting talent, employer brand, employment brand, employment branding, engaging talent, executive recruiting, executive search, recruiting, retaining talent, talent value proposition
Posted in Communication, Corporate Culture, Employee Engagement, Employment Brand, Hiring & Recruiting, Leadership, Motivation & Inspiration, Recruiting & Executive Search | 2 Comments »
July 12th, 2011
“When does our organization’s executive search & recruiting process start?”
It’s an active process that is developing every moment of every day, as your employment brand perpetually communicates the value you are placing on:
- The values your organization lives out – not simply what is written in the lobby
- The true ‘culture fit’ of your company
- The chemistry dynamics of individuals and teams within your organization
- The probability of success
- The scope of developing, engaging and retaining the ‘best’ talent to hit your goals and objectives
- The impact an employee will experience if they accept an opportunity with your organization
- The short and long-term challenges a hired candidate will have if they accept the position
- Growth and succession planning
- Professional and personal time
- The truth – what it is really like to work at your company
- Authenticity – never before has authentic leadership and authentic culture been more important to leaders
- Passion – every “A” player wants to join a passionate team that has a consistent and constant desire to succeed!
If you believe the recruiting process starts when you or your HR department ‘finally’ get around to posting a position externally, it is time to have a crucial conversation with your leadership team, people managers and key stakeholders to discuss how you can best position your employment brand and proactively attract the right candidates to your organization.
What question should we ask to start this meeting?
Watch this video and ask your leadership team to be critical of your recruiting and hiring processes. If you want to recruit the best talent you must have a culture that attracts the best!
To Recruit Top Talent You Must Have A Culture That Attracts Leaders
~Your Executive Search & Recruiting Advisor
Mike Sipple Jr, Vice President – Executive Recruiter / Talent Acquisition Expert / Business Advisor
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Tags: best places to work, centennial, company culture, company values, employee engagement, employment brand, executive recruiting, executive search, Inc., Leadership, mike sipple, recruiting, retention, succession, succession planning
Posted in Corporate Culture, Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Employment Brand, Hiring & Recruiting, Leadership, Motivation & Inspiration, Recruiting & Executive Search, Succession Planning | No Comments »
July 6th, 2011
Centennial, Inc. has focused on our 4C Recruiting Process for over 36 years to recruit top talent and executive talent to our client companies – which includes recruiting for character, culture, chemistry and competence. Our team knows first hand how important company culture plays into attracting, recruiting and retaining ‘Top Talent’ and we make this a priority internally as well. As the President of our organization I also consider myself to be the Chief Culture Officer…
I am writing today to share something that I hope will help you and your organization. One of the greatest business levers that has helped Centennial become a better, more effective organization has been the Cultural Audit work we have done with our business partner, Perfect 10 Corporate Cultures. They worked with our team to assess our organizational landscape, identify critical needs, and develop skills and solutions that have made Centennial a better place for our team and for our clients.
In order for us to better advise and guide our clients regarding their talent recruiting, engagement and retention strategies, we highly recommend a culture audit by Perfect 10.
 4C Recruiting Process “The only thing of real importance that leaders do is to create and manage culture.”
-Edgar Schein, Award Winning Author and Professor MIT Sloan School of Management
The Cultural Audit work helped us in many ways.
Centennial could not have achieved what we did without the Perfect 10 Culture Audit, which was central to our development.
As you know, Centennial believes deeply in the power of people and the power of an effective team, whether that’s within our own organization or in the passionate service of our clients. We aren’t perfect, but we keep getting better. Perfect 10’s Cultural Audit work has helped us tremendously by identifying our most important growth and communication needs and helping us focus our efforts. I am convinced it can help your business too.
To learn more, visit Perfect 10 Corporate Cultures, or call 513-874-4220. Share with them that Mike Sipple & the Centennial team strongly suggested call to learn more about creating and maintaining a Perfect 10 Corporate Culture.
- Organizational Performance & Culture Model
“I hope you’ll consider this as a potential business-building tool, and I wish you the very best in the process.”
Last, if you know me you know that my making this kind of endorsement is extremely rare. There’s a reason for that. I do it only because of our personal experience and conviction, and I do it only in the spirit of offering you information which I believe will add value to you and your organization.
Warmest regards,
Mike Sipple Sr.
President & Chief Culture Officer
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Tags: best places to work, company culture, corporate communications, Corporate Culture, employee retention, engagement, engaging talent, Gerry Preece, Leadership, leadership assessment, leadership recruiting, Lynne Ruhl, organizational assessment, organizational planning, organizational values, P10 Corporate Culture, perfect 10 corporate culture, retaining talent, retention, top cultures, top workplaces
Posted in Communication, Corporate Culture, Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Leadership, Motivation & Inspiration, Succession Planning | 3 Comments »
June 28th, 2011
Why did we have to invest $180,000 to legitimize that learning? Do you think the answer we figured out in Part 1 sounded simple and obvious?
The best way to answer these questions is to think about how your own organization operates:
- When a vital project or initiative must be done, do you consciously select the BEST team leader and team?
- Do you remove or reassign all, or a significant part of team members’ current workload so they have sufficient time to successfully execute the new initiative?
- Do you ensure that they are continuously allowed to focus on the vital initiative without having their attention diluted?
- Or, do you normally pile the new project’s expectations and workload onto your best, most capable people and then hope for the best?
Did a light bulb just illuminate in your mind?
You now have the potential to earn improved performance results. Implementing the learning we just discussed builds a foundation upon which a successful, winning culture can be built.
- What are keys to success that you have learned?
- What have you found to be the most beneficial approach to bringing out the best in your leaders and your organization?
Part 3 of this article we will discuss the power of ‘divide and conquer’ – the truth and power of doing it correctly!
~Randy Pound, Vice President @ Centennial, Inc.
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Tags: brainstorming, career strategy, communications, Leadership, leadership strategy, strategic planning, talent engagement, talent succession
Posted in Communication, Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Hiring & Recruiting, Leadership, Motivation & Inspiration, Recruiting & Executive Search | No Comments »
June 20th, 2011
I recently attended the ACG of Cincinnati’s 2011 CEO Focus event where Dave Dillon, CEO of The Kroger Company, spoke on “Lessons Learned via Organic Growth and Acquisitions”
This event was absolutely fantastic, like all ACG events I attend, and after this event I feel inspired to share my key takeaways with you.
Focus on your legacy & the importance of choices:
- Decisions we make have long-term consequences and impact
- Customers change and so must we
- Dillons out of Kansas City and Kroger only bought/buy winners. Mergers and new endeavors help your company but do not rely on them to reach your immediate year profitability goals
- “Take pride in your job – Embrace it and Value it” ~Dave Dillon
Joint ventures have added tremendous value to Krogers strategy and their customer’s experience – including dunnhumby and US Bank.
The choices that you make will create your strategy:
- Customer First Strategy – make sense to the customers vs. trying to make sense of what you are you doing internally that you want to sell or provide to them
- Centralize but listen to the field – “we have learned that the consumers, field operations and team members tell us what we should be doing”
- Adopt values that you truly live out – values that are core to your organization and yourself.
- “If we are not improving we are dead – life will pass us right by!” Dave Dillon provided a golf story that gives a great real life example of this quote. In 1980 the longest average driving distance in golf was 274.3 yards. Today the longest average driving distance is 317.2 yards by J.B. Holmes. The top 182 golfers on the PGA tour now have an average of at least 270.3.
- “The difference between success and failure is not much”
- Develop a culture of feedback
Ask your customers feedback provides you the best route for growth.
Ask others; employees and customers – how you come across and where you can improve.
Give all of those around you the open opportunity to share with you how you make them feel – especially if you are a ‘make it happen and focused leader
“Focus is important but it is how you come across that makes a long-term impact” ~Dave Dillon
The two most important learning’s from living out Kroger’s values are:
- When you start caring about values centered leadership vs. making money you will see tremendous transformation that will impact your brand(s), customer loyalty and internal & external customers
- “Diversity – We take this very seriously within Kroger and for our customers.” The more Kroger focuses on diversity the more impact they are making on the lives of others which in turn has generated substantial loyalty, revenue and growth.
When Kroger acquires other companies through mergers and acquisitions (M&A):
- Kroger acquires strategically and does not chase a deal
- Kroger does not buy fixer-uppers but well run organizations with solid leadership is what attracts them
- Kroger has flexibility when doing a deal – they listen to the other parties side and strive to have a win-win relationship as their goal is to have the existing leadership team in place and keep them in place when the acquisition is complete
- Kroger provides opportunities to receive feedback
Quotes from Dave Dillon, CEO of The Kroger Company, at the ACG of Cincinnati CEO Focus event:
“Be authentic – genuinely take an interest in the people around you and those you either employ or those you serve.” ~ Dave Dillon
“Small Details Matter” ~ Dave Dillon
“Always ask your customers, consumers what matters to them – make feedback a daily part of your culture” ~ Dave Dillon
“I have learned the most in life by asking others how I come across and providing a culture that people openly share this with me” ~ Dave Dillon
Interested in learning more about ACG of Cincinnati or ACG Global for your local area? Visit their our websites, leave a comment here or message me.
Centennial is engaged in ACG as it focus on assisting organizations who are experiencing change and growth – both organically and through mergers and acquisitions! The only way organizations can be successful is by having the right ‘engaged’ talent!
~Mike Sipple Jr, Vice President – Executive Recruiter / Talent Aquisition Expert / Business Advisor
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Tags: ACG, Association for Corporate Growth, authentic leadership, CEO, company culture, Dave Dillon, Leadership, leadership motivation, The Kroger Company, values based leadership
Posted in Communication, Corporate Culture, Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Employment Brand, Leadership, Leadership Events & Networking Opportunities, Motivation & Inspiration, Networking & Connecting | No Comments »
June 7th, 2011
Do you realize the importance of visualizing and consciously planning for success rather than merely planning enough to get started and then hoping that good things happen?
In 1994, my company’s senior leadership decided that they needed to learn the root cause of why some of the $13 billion corporation’s initiatives and projects exceeded expectations, while others either did not meet performance expectations or outright failed. The decision was made to bring a select team of 100 of the corporation’s most effective leaders to Atlanta for a two-day meeting to analyze the subject of “success.” As a 33 year old, I was very surprised and honored to be chosen to serve on this team.
Convening the two-day meeting in Atlanta cost the company over $180,000 including salaries, travel, lodging, and meals. This fact is shared only to highlight the seriousness with which the meeting was treated by the company’s leaders.
The meeting was extremely energetic and informative, with many passionate and articulate points being made. During the two days in Atlanta, we discussed, debated, and documented the topic of success for over twenty hours. Hundreds of excellent observations and ideas were documented and analyzed.
To conclude the meeting, we prioritized the many ideas and developed our list of the critical few keys to ensuring the success of future initiatives.
What do you think our 100-member team determined to be the most important?
We agreed unanimously that THE most important key to success in any critical endeavor is:
…selecting the right team leader and team members, and then constantly giving the entire team the time and resources to focus, without distraction, upon the mission to which they have been assigned.
WOW! Doesn’t that sound simple and obvious? Why did we have to invest $180,000 to legitimize that learning? I will attempt to answer this in Part 2… Tune in!
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Tags: brainstorming, executive leadership, Leadership, leadership challenge, leadership characteristics, planning, strategic planning, visionary
Posted in Communication, Employment Brand, Executive Coaching, Hiring & Recruiting, Leadership, Motivation & Inspiration, Recruiting & Executive Search, Succession Planning | No Comments »
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