Six habits of a talent Magnet

The Six Habits of a Talent Magnet by Manny Garcia April 24, 2014

1. Start your search for talent before you need them.

Begin socializing with the best individuals early on and get to know them personally, versus what they do for a living? What are they excited about, what is their passion, what drives them? Once you know them, study their success at what they do for a living.
Establish a personal relationship with them. This will give you the edge to determine if they are consistent with what you are looking for, and in many cases, top talent will reach out to you seeking other potential opportunities.

2. Develop a high sense of trust with potential talent by being 100% honest with opportunities at hand.

As a leader, it’s your responsibility to create and manage the right expectations. Don’t oversell the position.
Give the good, the bad, the ugly and the long term opportunities. If the talent you are seeking is truly great at what they do, they won’t be intimidated by the baby negatives present, but rather see it as a positive challenge where they can make their mark.
Don’t forget…talent doesn’t leave companies, they leave people. I once left a high paying position and a company I loved, because of a boss I stopped trusting. There was no amount of money that would have kept me there. Talent always has options.

3. Resumes are typically fluffy like a poodle. Fluffy on the outside, yet skinny in the middle.

Although technical skills and knowledge are important you must seek to understand their purpose, passion and their values. Your main question should be… how will he/she fit into the culture you are trying to create.
Leadership defines itself when you are looking for people to change the game — and not just to improve a company’s performance.

4. Nurture talent over time. The best talent is almost always occupied.

Great talent most never is waiting for you.
Cultivate the best talent all the time. Keep them engaged and interested in who you are as a person and the quality of your work.
Talent attracts talent. Winners surround themselves with other winners.
Never give up. Success doesn’t come easy and your talented prospects worked hard to get to where they are and won’t give it up easily. Your consistent approach over time will attract them over to you.

5. On-boarding talent is the difference maker

It’s amazing how frequently leaders carelessly and unsuccessfully transition new talent into a new organization. Don’t work hard to attract and hire talent to then flush their new hire experience down the toilet.
New talent wants to succeed. Invest from the start in making sure this happens, and you will soon find yourself surrounded by loyal followers.

6. Mentor them for success.

Being a mentor involves investing meaningful time with them. It’s more than giving constructive feedback and advice. Teach them all the tricks of the trade and collaborate to explore better ways to grow and work.
Mentoring is a journey based on mutual commitment, discovery, alignment and sharing which are the building blocks of learning. Your primary reward is another person’s success.
Real talent will want to bring you value and also receive value from you. If you don’t bring any value into their lives, they will leave you too.