Talent domination the Jeopardy! way.
I’ll admit it. My husband and I are hooked on Jeopardy! We weren’t loyal fans of the show until James Holzhauer took control of the buzzer. As of this writing, James is winning hand over fist over his competitors and has earned $2,382,583!
Here’s how to use his winning strategy to create talent domination for your organization.
Be fearless. Most Jeopardy players begin at the top of the board, where the more straightforward questions are located and work their way down. They do this to get some easy wins under their belt. Not James. He starts at the bottom of the board, so he can accumulate the wealth needed to make significant bets when he hits a daily double. He also does this to unnerve his opponents.
Stop looking for talent in all the easy places. These areas are overfished. Instead, go for the more challenging hires. This may mean convincing someone who is currently employed to consider your offer or hiring someone who everyone else appears to want. By the time others realize that you are capturing the lion’s share of talent, you’ll be well on your way to grabbing even more. No one else will be able to catch you.
Be relentless. Every now and again, James answers a question incorrectly. When this happens, he doesn’t stop to lick his wounds. He keeps charging ahead to the next question.
You’re not going to get everyone you attempt to hire. Realize this and move on. Keep your foot on the hiring accelerator and don’t take your foot off until you’re fully staffed, regardless of what happens along the way.
Play offensively. James doesn’t have to play defense, as his offense is so fine-tuned, others can’t keep up.
Create a talent strategy that will place you in a position of dominance. Double down in your efforts when you need to, and don’t let a few dollars get in your way when you’ve got the right candidate on the line.
Cause some buzz. Everyone is talking about James. Is anyone talking about you? I didn’t think so. You’ve got to change this, and you’ve got to do this now.
Listen, it’s a heck of a lot easier to hire people when they come to you, as opposed to you having to go to them. Just look at Google. They have a ton of candidates wanting to work there.
You may be a cool company as well, but if no one knows you exist then so what? You have to build a strong employment brand. One that demonstrates why you’re the company people should be lining up to work for. I’ve taught thousands of others through my LinkedIn course called, Employer Branding to Attract Talent on how to do this. It’s not difficult to create an employer brand. However, you have to be willing to put in the effort and commit to the process.
Go all in. I love it when James hits a daily double, and when asked how much he’d like to bet, he cups his hands and pushes them forward while saying, “all in.” This guy knows that to win big, he has to bet big. He’s confident that he’ll come up with the right answer, which he does!
So, let me ask you. Are you all in with your recruitment efforts or are you merely dipping a toe or two into the water and pretending you’re in it to win it? Write to me and tell me where you think you are with this, and I’ll give you some suggestions on how to go all in.
Educate yourself. When James was asked how he prepared himself for ‘Jeopardy!’ he said he spent time in the children’s section of the library reading children’s books. These books were easier to digest than books in the adult section.
How educated are you in terms of what’s going on in the employment market? Perhaps your only knowledge is what it was like when you looked for a job, back in the day. The labor market has changed dramatically within the past year. If your talent strategy hasn’t changed to adapt to these new circumstances, then you may as well hang up your buzzer and go home.
Stay in control. James is in complete control of the game. You have to feel sorry for his competitors, who don’t stand a chance.
That’s the kind of situation you want to create in terms of talent domination (without the feeling sorry for your competitor’s part.) You can totally dominate your industry in terms of talent. To do this, you have to take control.
What are you waiting for? Let’s get this done!
©Matuson Consulting, 2019.
Final Jeopardy Question: How would you rate your company from 1-10 (with 10 being high) in terms of talent domination? Send me your answer and I’ll set aside 30 minutes to discuss steps you can take to rule your talent market!
