By Scot Hunsaker
Great leaders always come at a premium, even more so when unemployment is low and talented people have more choices. That said, no matter the economic highs or lows, all businesses need great leaders to manage the ebbs and flows of the industry, as well as to strategically plan for its future. How does a company attract the best of the best so it can maintain excellent client service, while at the same time continue to expand and grow to deliver great aquatic experiences?
First, it is important for business owners to take a minute to look inside the mind a talented candidate to understand what they see. In surveying their career possibilities, these candidates will likely find a few large organizations and many small ones. If they have leadership abilities, the will to take charge, along with a good skillset and the drive and determination to move forward, what career choice should they make?
They may ask themselves: “Why would I want to work for a small, family-run pool service company that employs 10 to 30 people when I could work for a large corporation with all the benefits it would bring?” Candidates will have to make this decision themselves, but before doing so, they should know a majority of companies employ less than 500 people. Therefore, the reality is, small businesses are truly the backbone of not only the aquatics industry, but also many communities and the country as a whole.
Small businesses develop careers
Almost half of all new jobs come out of the private sector. Even though many of these businesses may be relatively small, when looking at the aquatics industry as a whole, each one can be considered an incubator and the fertile ground for future business leaders to stake their claim and develop a successful career.
Unfortunately, however, a candidate is of a certain age, they may have to adjust their career goals based on how young they are. This author once had a business associate say, “I practice age discrimination. I do not hire anybody under 40.” Today, this is a common feeling about this current generation of candidates in large part because of biases based on a lack of knowledge. Yes, this age group has different expectations when it comes to their career. In fact, history has shown each generation has had different expectations, and each of them came with resistance from the one previous.
For instance, consider the G.I. generation (a.k.a. the greatest generation), the baby boomers, and the millennials (a.k.a. generation Y)—each one could not be more different. Candidates from each of these age groups have different expectations and needs. Therefore, a business owner with the mindset of practicing age discrimination might find this concept to work short term but, as a result, they may not be in business long-term, as one-third of today’s workforce comprises millennials. In five years, this number will increase to approximately 48 per cent. In 10 years, this generation will represent 88 per cent of the workforce. Therefore, business owners will either adapt or change to meet the needs of the candidate pool so they can find great talent; otherwise, they will not be in business for long.
What are these future candidates looking for?
More than three quarters of today’s candidates are looking for a collaborative work culture. They are looking for a boss who is a mentor or coach, and they want to be with a company where they can make a difference and have self-determination. They cannot be told how high to jump and be expected to go do it. These candidates will want to know why they are being told to jump, as they want to be able to participate in shaping the future of the organization. The ’50s style of top-down management will not work anymore if a business plans to attract top talent.
Recently, this author was working with a business associate who was interviewing a strong candidate to work for his organization. At the end of the interview, he said, “Well, do you have any questions for me?” The candidate responded, “Yes, I do. What gets you up in the morning and makes you want to come to work here?” This was a great question, as this candidate (and representative of the talent pool) essentially told him, “I want to work somewhere where I can make a difference. I want to feel that me and my organization are making an important contribution and doing work that matters.”
Therefore, business leaders must come up with a compelling narrative about why their company is a good place to work. It should explain what makes the business unique, rather than blend in with all of the other opportunities that are presented to exceptional candidates.
After this is done, business owners have to determine how to create an organization that allows these candidates to rise to the top. Finding the next generation of leaders does not just happen. A system has to be set up that encourages those with the willingness and ability to lead to step up and do so.
