Viewpoint — September 2009
Upgrade Your Talent Now
Written by Bob Gershberg, Managing Partner Dick Wray Executive Search
Some months back, I sat amongst the most prominent leaders in our industry at a CEO breakaway during a top tier national conference. Our speaker, a McKinsey & Company consultant, provided a plethora of valuable and relevant information. Truth is I would have killed for a copy of his slides. Unfortunately his presentation style was flat at best and it did fall into that dreaded after lunch slot. Towards the end of the presentation our McKinsey guru said, “If there is one piece of advice I can give you, it is to upgrade your talent now!” I quickly scanned the room and to my dismay noted all but a few of the attendees were half asleep. I so wanted to jump up, raise my hand and shout, “Bob Gershberg, Dick Wray Executive Search – Did you just say upgrade your talent now?” but I thought better of it.
Strut down the hall and have a chat with your procurement director. Query when the best time to buy a commodity is and inevitably the answers will be:
- When the product quality is high
- When the availability is high
- When the cost is low due to high supply & low demand
- When the competition isn’t buying
- When the seller has less bargaining power
These are the very factors that make now the most opportune time in decades to upgrade your talent. The “employers market” we are experiencing is unparalleled in recent memory but will not last forever. The abundance of affordable talent coupled with the temporary respite in competition for labor creates a fabulous opportunity to upgrade now.
It is prudent to recognize the recent cutting and hiring freezes in the market have yielded a pool of high quality talent at prices we thought unimaginable a couple of years back. In the restaurant industry we often pose this question to drive a point, “When was the last time you got too much good service?” So I ask you, when was the last time you had too much great talent? There is no better time than now!
Bob Gershberg |Managing Partner|
bob.gershberg@dickwray.com
(888) 875-9993 ext 102
Blending art & science to find tomorrow’s leaders today!
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