By Joel Shapiro
Joel Shapiro focuses on helping organizations to build teams in the digital space.
I’ve heard this story too many times to count. Has this ever happened to you?
You’ve had a great week. Friday comes around and you are sitting in your office with a fresh cup of coffee, looking at the road map, quite satisfied that projects are moving along nicely, and milestones are being reached. In fact, you are relishing in the fact that this is the best team you’ve ever had – and then it happens.
The knock on the door. It’s your key team member (you know, the one that has the relationships with the vendor and puts out fires before they happen) and she looks distressed.
“You get a second?” she asks
And then the bombshell – she was not looking for a new opportunity, but a colleague reached out and it’s an incredible offer that could not be refused or matched. Sorry. You have two weeks.
Being prepared for when talent leaves
There is no way you can now locate candidates, interview, hire and hand off projects in that timeframe. Panic sets in and you frantically email HR to start looking for candidates. Your weekend is ruined, and the projects are suddenly at risk.
This scenario does not have to happen. When you have a talent pipeline as part of your project plan, the inevitable turnover in the team does not have to be a risk factor to project success.
There are a few ways to build your talent pipeline – either with HR or on your own that you should absolutely prioritize and track. Here are a few ideas:
Build up your network. LinkedIn is a great place to start. Many people only prioritize LinkedIn when they are looking for a job. Use it to connect with potential candidates - people you have worked with in the past, or even new people you don’t know. Do this when you don’t have an open position on your team and it’s not critical. Even better than LinkedIn is to prioritize time to leave the office and meet new people in person, be it at seminars, conferences or other informal work networking opportunities.
Tap your network regularly: Now that you have built up local connections, have a coffee or lunch either weekly or bi-weekly with someone from your network. Talk about the work you are doing and listen to what they are working in. You will learn a lot and build deeper relationships. People tend to only tap into their network when they have a specific need. If you make it a habit to do this regularly, when the time comes, you will know who to activate in your network.
Have HR or your staffing agency send you a resume each week. Be honest with the candidate and let them know you don’t yet have a position, rather are being proactive for when you are ready to hire. Make it part of the plan to meet with a new candidate weekly. This will help you learn more about what other orgs are doing, refine your interview process and be ready with a pre-qualified list of candidates that you have already met with.
Spread the word! I heard some great advice on a real estate investment podcast that I instantly thought applies to building your talent pipeline. They spoke about a deal pipeline and becoming known as ‘THE person’ who always wants to hear about new multi-units coming on the market by mentioning what you are looking for constantly to every real estate agent, builder or industry person that you meet
You should do the same when building a talent pipeline - be the person that comes to mind when a colleague hears of someone looking for a new position. If you are leading a team of PM’s, at your next meetings, conferences, or networking event, be sure to spread the word and mention that you are always looking to network with PM’s. Be the person that comes to mind.
These four steps do not have to take up a lot of time and can save your projects for when you get that ‘knock on the door’.
When you have a talent pipeline, you will be ready!