Yesterday, “my” NHL hockey team finished the regular season and officially made it to the playoffs.
Playoff fever, here we come!
In the post-game interview, a comment by the head coach caught my attention:
“We thought of the game tonight as a dress rehearsal for the playoffs, and made it a must-win.”
Technically, they didn’t have to win.
They are in the playoffs regardless of the outcome last night.
But the win reflects the team’s culture they’ve built this season: inspiring every player to play their best game.
By looking at their results from the regular season…
And the fact they made it to the playoffs…
They’ve clearly done the work over the last few seasons to optimize their talent.
So, what started this whole team transformation in the first place?
Looking back, it was a demand from loyal fans for the team to be better.
We were sick of watching them lose, despite all the draft-pick talent we had on the bench.
And so, the team’s Talent Optimization began.
But, why do I bring this up?
(And not just because I’m pumped about the playoffs…)
Because it reminds me of the market forces that demand Talent Optimization in Engineering & Construction too (just like those loyal fans).
Here are a few examples of market forces for you to consider…
#1 – An Organizational Transformation / Change
This is a broad bucket and includes any event or condition that has changed the way you do business.
It could be from external market pressures like changes in your customers’ (or loyal fans) needs, supply chain disruptions, and inflation on materials and labor.
It could also be from internal organizational pressures like employee turnover, a leadership change, organizational restructuring, a merger or acquisition, or adaptation of new technology or processes.
Any time we face a change in the way we do business, we need to consider how it’s going to impact our people.
And optimizing talent helps to align people with new ways of working, to set them up for success.
#2 – Rapid Company Growth
When companies experience exponential growth, bursting at the seams with project backlog, new talent challenges emerge like:
→ How to attract and hire more exceptional project and technical talent to execute the work?
→ How to maintain project execution excellence and efficiency without overloading people?
→ How to implement new policies and procedures to help structure the work, without adding more “red tape”?
Optimizing your talent for rapid growth will help you put the right people in the right roles, and remove barriers so they can do their best work.
#3 – Interdisciplinary Project Work
Multi-discipline and multi-phase projects are complex.
For success, the team needs to collaborate and communicate effectively.
And frankly, delivering projects is much more fun when the team is high-performing (without tension or kerfuffles).
Talent Optimization takes the guesswork out of creating the best workplace experience for our people so they are engaged, motivated, and team-focused.
So, if you recognize these market forces having an impact on your business, maybe it’s time to “up” your Talent Optimization game.
Now may be the best time for you to:
→ Build cohesive teams by anticipating team dynamics and taking individual workstyles into account to navigate change.
→ Optimize your hiring process so you can hire the right people in less time so you have all the people you need to achieve your business goals.
→ Inspire your people to perform (to play their best game) by giving them insights into how to work with and best manage others.
→ Keep people engaged by diagnosing employee retention challenges to find long-term solutions for sustainable business growth.
If you’d like my help to show you how to build your Talent Strategy, along with my support to implement it, simply answer a few questions and schedule a call with me to get started.
Jennifer
