Resumes Frozen In Time – How lack of self-exploration will decrease productivity and retention.
Far too often do I come across organizations that force their talent to freeze their resumes in time; keeping them from expanding their knowledge and skill sets beyond that from which they started. Usually this cannibalistic act is in an effort to increase productivity and diminish non-authorized projects completed within the workplace. However, ironically, these actions tend to have the opposite effect – decreasing productivity and retention.
Employers love resumes with diverse skill sets, but then want to force employees to such strict talent avenues, it is a little counterintuitive. I personally have the hiring mentality of forcing the position to conform to the person; not forcing a person to conform to a position. The position should ever more be evolving in compliment to the employee’s skill sets. Simply put, utilize your talents ability to grow; it is their impressive and diverse resume that prompted you to hire them in the first place. Why not continue to influence that desire and drive to better themselves; and in turn better the bottom-line. It is a poor business practice to in anyway-shape-or-form limit your talents desire to broaden their horizons.
If you have a marketing copy-writer that is expressing an interest in design; don’t stress to them that their environment is strictly within pen and paper. Give them the opportunity to explore the possibility –if they become successful you’ve just found your unicorn; that mythical being, a well-written designer at a copy-writers salary. Needless to say, if your copywriter is clearly not on his way to becoming as visually competent as necessary – explain that the new avenue isn’t an appropriate fit (the important element is to give it a shot first).
Every company has a standard way they do things, typical operating procedures. The standard is usually the way most things are done. However, great companies are made through innovation; in whatever form the innovation may take. In promoting and encouraging the company’s talent to grow their skill sets, innovation is more likely to arise. Even if employees skill sets are growing outside of the standard, encourage it; you may find the standard is ineffective or underutilized. Let your employees grow and you will see your business grow.
- March 8th, 2006
- 2comments
- I am a proud member of the 9rules network
I like your ideas. The real question, however, is this: are you more successful for bringing these ideals to your business? I certainly hope so - I like to see the guys in the white hats win.
akjensen –> in response to your question, Absolutely successful!!
I’ve seen innovation take place that has saved countless hours and most importantly money. It is also nice to see your team excited about bringing ideas and skills to the table that literally help build the business.
More importantly than success, I’ve seen the negative effect of doing the opposite — I’ve experienced the failure first hand. I’ve had teams of some of the greatest talent in the metro area slowly dwindle away. In some respects your happy to see your team move on to bigger and better — in other respects its frustrating to see the talent you once had access too strive in a competitors business which has an environment that allows for such talent to thrive.