What are the top three challenges facing leaders today?

1. Employee engagement. Everyone is talking about it...very few are taking action. Leaders need to ensure their best people are highly engaged and have a sense of security, ownership, camaraderie and excitement for what their organization is about and the impact they are making. Today too many leaders have one foot in and one foot out the proverbial revolving door. If leaders can get their employees truly engaged and inspire the passion they were hired in with by involving them in the business and caring for them both professionally and personally, it will help minimize disengagement and the revolving door.
2. Dealing with the uncertainty and communication. Leaders need to have clear and concise communication to build trust and engage and motivate their employees, yet so few do this as they may not be 100% certain about the details. We encourage our clients to communicate versus leaving their leaders in the blind. They need to determine the right level of commitment to communicate. That commitment will create more security and more security will create higher levels of trust for employees. As Stephen M.R. Covey states in his book 'Speed of Trust'...trust is the one thing that changes everything. You want to make an impact on your organization and the leaders who run it....focus on building trust.
3. Leaders need to look at and consider new ways of doing things. They should ask, Who are we? Who do we sell to? What should we focus on? They may need to look at distribution channels, sales channels, client diversification and more. It's possible that changes need to be made – perhaps changing the mix of product/service offerings, remaining with core expertise, forming alliances with other companies to outsource/partner to deliver the best quality and value to clients. Strengths should be considered and creatively leveraged.

How can we find the "best" people for our company?

The first step is to be sure you truly know what you're looking for. Who are the decision-makers in the process? Have you all met around a table to agree upon what the ideal candidate profile looks like?

Have you agreed upon the benchmarks for the candidate evaluation? What do you want to be different than the last leader who held the position? What similarities and differences do you want in the next candidate compared to the past individual and others on the leadership team?

What behaviors should you be looking for in candidates? What are the behaviors needed today, and what's needed to get your company where it needs to be in the future?

Once these questions (and more!) have been answered and agreed upon, we suggest you start by looking to an outside advisor who specializes in the process of recruiting and attracting talent. Also, look to people in your network who know you and what you are about. Who do you know and trust? Who understands and appreciates your business and culture? Who can identify and refer you the leadership and talent that will fit your organization?

This is where Centennial is especially strong, because we're constantly out meeting people and networking. We are regularly communicating with the top leaders, whether they're currently looking for opportunities or waiting for the "right time." We invest the time with our clients to understand goals & objectives, challenges, opportunities and "fit" and match this to the leaders who can meet and/or exceed expectations.

If your preference is to use the job board process, that's ok too, as long as you have the proper expectations. In this scenario, you're really only looking at the best of who applied. There's a difference between this approach, versus proactively communicating a message, networking and searching for candidates. You may be able to find an "A" player on a job board, but how can you be sure? How could you benchmark that?

It's critical to understand and clearly communicate not only "what" you're looking for, but also "who" you're looking for. The "what" is defined by the role, responsibilities, and critical success factors to meet goals and objectives. The "who," which is equally as important, is defined by the intangibles – chemistry, culture and character. They key is knowing both "who" and "what" you want, so you're able to hit the target on the first round and the bulls-eye on the second round!

How can we encourage "A" talent to choose our company?

Attracting the right talent is very different than finding the right talent. Many organizations believe it's a "buyers market" out there in this economy. So, they also believe that if they find the right person, they'll naturally want to work at their company. (Seems logical. You've got a great company, right?!)

The problem is that many candidates believe the same thing...but to their benefit. They've had great accomplishments throughout their career. They've achieved a lot and have terrific results. They believe that companies should want them on their team. They have a great value proposition, after all!

So, how does a company win? It's all about communication.

If you want that "A" player on your team, make sure the communication (and understanding) is clear. Of course, there are the basics – what will it take from an offer standpoint to get this leader on our team? You should also articulate why a leader - like you - would want to work for us.

What are the goals and challenges we have ahead of us, and why do we think we would be better off with you on our team? Explain your future initiatives and why you're particularly excited about their participation and leadership. Define the culture clearly, and provide examples of why you think they'd be a great fit.

Throughout the entire process, you should be "pre-closing." To do that, you must clearly understand what the candidate is looking for. Help to make those connections and also explain why you're excited to get them on your team. If they have a family, make the whole family feel welcomed and excited too. That's really important, especially in these times.

Realize, as well, that a common challenge in the recruitment process is delays. You have to expect that "A" talent will be considering several opportunities. If you have a delay, for any reason, you must communicate that to your candidate, and you should continue communication to always keep the process fluid and moving. At Centennial, we never let more than 2-3 days pass without an update to the talent our client is seeking to attract. We also make the investment and have the advantage of understanding a candidates goals, desires, must-haves, non-negotiables, flexibility and reservations. We specialize in the over all process and our corporate clients and talent we represent both win!

Should we try to hire talent on our own before engaging a recruitment firm?

Some companies like to try this, and having that experience can sometimes be valuable. It's beneficial to understand what you've tried and not tried, what's worked and not worked, what have you liked and not liked? We can then partner with your organization to improve the process. That's where we'll spend our time – making improvements to hit the bulls-eye.

Depending on the level of position, some organizations may want to try. But...once you reach the Director-level and above, you need to be more careful. As an example, how will you know if the candidate truly do the job? How will you know you are seeking out the best candidate for the opportunity? Have you checked them out? Was the candidate referred by a credible source? We're equipped to do this level of research.

If you do try a search on your own, we highly recommend that if and when the time comes that you do engage a recruitment firm, you must truly partner with them at that point. Allow the search firm to partner with you for success. This means that you don't compete in the marketplace with recruiting efforts and that you are transparent with your recruiting partner.

In fact, it's often beneficial for you to hire a recruitment firm. It actually helps promote your image and reputation as a company who is focused on finding top talent. That builds confidence and encourages "A" players to get engaged in the process, because they know you're serious about the search.

Similarly, if you hire several recruiting firms to meet your needs, it brings a negative connotation because you don't look focused, and it's a confusing message to candidates. Many top-level candidates have had negative experiences with swarms of recruitment firms, and now they only want to talk with the ones who have been retained. They're more assured it will be a good use of their time and the know the open and honest conversations will be kept confidential. There is also a strong perception and image you create for the organization – that you are willing to invest and engage expertise to find the "best" talent.

Why should you partner with a recruitment firm if you have in-house recruiting?

It really depends on the level of the position. When you're looking for Director-level and above, it's really difficult to recruit from competitors, industry relationships or contacts, or it may be a confidential search.

If it's confidential, it's especially important, because there's a chance that current employees or their contacts may hear about the search. Internal recruiters can't effectively look for talent without being "noticed" or without people knowing their corporate phone numbers. We're able to search for talent with total confidentiality that protects you from the rumor mill.

Internal recruiters do an excellent job, and we appreciate partnering with them as a complement to their overall efforts. They have a lot of different responsibilities on their plates, and they may not have adequate capacity to search for candidates because of everything they have going on. It may make sense for them to handle most of the positions for the company, while partnering with a recruitment firm to handle the more strategic leadership positions.

Additionally, if there's a specific timeframe or a specific niche-skill that you're looking for, it may be beneficial to hire a recruitment firm. Or, if you've hired and not been successful in keeping talent, we can help from a consulting perspective to figure out why you may have difficulty with retention.

As a job seeker, how can I differentiate myself from the masses?

Know how you're different – it critical to know your differentiating factors. Have a clear message and strategy. Be selective, targeted and intentional. Don't just take a shotgun approach to the market.

In order to do that, you have to know introspectively what you want. Where do you want to be in your next career move? What will bring the most value to your next employer, based upon your experiences and successes, as well as failures (because you learned valuable lessons from them.)

Depending on where you are, know how to be confidential. Be careful with who you talk to and how you talk to them.

Be excited...which can be difficult when you're in an unplanned transition. Employers are looking for high-energy and passionate. A negative attitude can cause a prospective employer to make a judgment about your personality, which may or may not be accurate.

Network, network, network!! Always lead with a referral – explain how you're connected. People will talk to you if you've been referred. Leaders will always introduce other leaders. That brings value to companies and their reputations.

Be detail-oriented about your networking. Know who you're networking with, know the type of companies you're trying to network to. Help me to help you.

Help organizations see and understand why they should hire you. What do you bring that's different? How can you help them accomplish things? Make yourself "attractive" to them. Build the differentiation...and reach out to a coach for help, if needed.

And don't forget to be intentional to say thank you, to follow up and be intentional to create real relationships.

How can I be enthusiastic in my job search without appearing desperate?

It all comes down to "the ask"...

Is the ask, "I need a job today!" Or is your ask, "I really want to find my best fit, and I'm energetic about meeting great people along the way."

It may be best to come to companies to network and learn about their culture and their needs. Don't overwhelm them, but try to discover more about them and if your skills and experience would be an asset.

Don't overwhelm with follow-up... but be intentional about it. Don't always make the follow up be about you. Ask people how you can help them. Value relationships and get to genuinely know people. If this isn't in your natural personality or style, then hire a coach to get help with this. It's necessary to do this, because your reputation as a job-seeker can spread quickly, and you want it to be a good one.

How can a Career Coach help me in my transition?

Being able to articulate your message – goals, value, strengths – in a clear concise manner is very important during a leadership and executive level transition. The best career coaches will have expertise in guiding you through this process to ensure the message "sticks" with those you network or interview with during your transition. Without a coach you may never know where you are missing! Provide a message that helps others help you...

Networking is so critical to your job search process. If this doesn't come naturally to you, or if you don't know how to add value to others and make connections, then you could learn from a coach.

If you feel overly confident in your ability and you believe that every company should hire you, then you could benefit from a coach.

If you've been completely torn down and your ego stripped from an unexpected downsizing, you would gain value from a coach.

If you've not been in a job transition before, a coach can help align your strategy to your goals.

Keep in mind, there's tough competition out there, and many others are using career and executive coaches for a competitive advantage. It may be worth considering a coach to help level the playing field.

And remember, the best leaders have coaches.