It takes two to make anything happen Organisations and talents should know that unless either one is contented with the other, neither one will have a chance of being as great as it believes it can be
What makes a great organisation even greater?
The common answer to that is
its people. And what makes a great talent greater? Obvious you might say, to be in an organisation that they can best showcase their skills. Whilst the debate continues on who deserves the credit for making either successful, the fact remains that neither an organisation nor a talent can achieve its objectives one without the other.
We are privileged to be in a position to witness the evolving expectations that organisations and talents have in their quest to find the best. The middle ground can sometimes be a blur when both parties fail to listen to the silent whispers of expectations from either side. The line of purposeful work that we do allows us to have a first-hand view of the common expectations that organisations and talents strive to find as their dream talent or dream organisation.
I am sure it doesn't cross the mind of many that there is more to finding a fitting organisation besides compensation and benefits.
We still encounter organisations that believe that if they provide the basic necessities to their employees, all is fair and well. Perhaps, in the early 20th century, that would have been sufficient and fair. However, in the present era, that would not be acceptable.
The last few decades have presented an evolving market from the East to the West, Asia has become literally the place to be; technology has advanced learning and the availability of instant information; new generations have a different view of work and life is now immersed in our workforce.
So, it's of no surprise that talented employees of the generation now' are looking out for the overall package in their organisation of choice.
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Impact to something greater
It's more prevalent that there is a growing desire
to do work that makes a difference, if not all the time, then at least most of the time; a contribution that is seen to be worthy to the world through organisations that operate with special attention towards their customers, community, the planet and making a difference.
The organisation
builds a culture that encourages work by their employees that serve a purpose; the teams in the organisation would constantly demonstrate commitment towards bettering the clients, even if their suggestions may not be taken into consideration.
Whatever the outcome, the employees feel that they have the ability to make a difference and do work that can create an impact.
Some go as far as expecting to work with organisations that display a sense of responsibility towards issues beyond their bottom line.
Growth of the organisation
Besides being a part of an organisation that is stable, there is growing interest amongst employees to be a part of an organisation that has shown progress and growth. Growth is viewed as the organisation's development, either through successful acquisitions or its evolvement with a cohesive story while capturing market opportunities.
A further expectation is that the organisation has the
ability to be forward-looking coupled with the capacity to consistently deliver on its promises, with an integrity compass in check.
Affiliation and a sense of belonging
Employees today want to be
associated with colleagues who are deemed as outstanding, either stars in their areas of expertise or great minds. The interest to work in a collaborative environment with highly capable individuals is seen to be challenging, stimulating and incredibly rewarding.
Employees find themselves learning and growing in such an environment, nudging them to constantly raise the bar for themselves, whilst forming a strong bond with high achievers.
Coupled with that is the ability of the employees to feel a part of the organisation. They want to be able to
assimilate to the culture and feel a sense of belonging. Employees feel that it's critical to be a part of an organisation where they feel accepted and welcomed in order to be successful.
An organisation with the ability to present itself as a place that enlists the best talents and is able to make employees feel a sense of acceptance is perceived to be the place to be.
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Career opportunities
Exposure, learning or development is deemed to open doors for many employees today. We've gathered that being with an organisation that has continuous opportunities for their employees provides a sense of stability and encourages employees to have a reassuring view of the organisation.
The CARE factor
Although I've touched on this earlier, to recap, the care factor is specifically manifested through the organisation via its employees, partners, and even leaders who go out of their way to make life better for its employees.
The culture
encourages fair treatment policies, transparent communication, fun at the work place and teamwork. It can be seen that the management practices an open-door policy and make themselves available to listen to their co-workers' concerns and requests, almost all the time, while work-life balance is understood and respected.
The leader
We've heard the phrase people join organisations but leave their leaders' before and many would agree that this still holds true. We have observed that there have been many instances when employees trail their leaders to a new organisation, only to prove that loyalty to leaders who make a difference does exist.
There is more interest amongst employees today to know more about the leaders within the organisation even before joining them by conducting their own references within the market place.
Employees today are keen to work for leaders
who have the depth, insight, foresight and a heart in leading teams to success.
Many of the organisations that we work with time and time again remind us that finding the right talent with the X' factor is becoming far more challenging. Nevertheless, there is insight into what organisations feel is a talent worth fighting over.
Intellectual depth and competence
In a majority of studies, it is evident that the productivity and contribution of an employee is determined by his or her level of intelligence and competence. This is defined as the
ability to plan, organise, set priorities, solve problems and execute tasks. It is also seen in the employee's level of common sense and practical ability to deal with the day-to-day challenges of the role.
Personable nature
Organisations too want employees who care; they believe that people who are warm, friendly, easygoing and cooperative with others can help instil a healthy culture of care and concern within the workplace.
Organisations want employees who can
immerse in a team and be part of the work family. It is also quite natural that employees with good personalities are invariably more popular and able to rally the support of their teammates.
Leadership ability
Leadership skills should not only be visible when someone is in a leadership role. Organisations today want these characteristics even before the role has been presented to the employee. It is demonstrated by the willingness and the desire of the employee to accept responsibility for results, their
ability to take charge, volunteer for assignments, and accept accountability for achieving the required results of their assignments.
Integrity
Integrity is probably the most important quality that has surfaced time and time again for organisations today. It has been viewed as a business expectation aligning them to the company's values in serving their customers. The characteristics in judging integrity stem from being honest in relationships with others, the ability to admit to weaknesses and strengths and the ability to admit when mistakes have been made.
Courage
As shocking as this may seem, organisations are also looking for employees who are willing to take calculated risks.
Calculated risks are a result of well-balanced decision-making derived by weighing the positive or negative consequences of the risk at hand. The courage to do so is displayed in the willingness of the employee to accept challenges, the willingness to take on larger assignments or even new opportunities where there is a high degree of uncertainty and the possibility of failure.
Courage also means the willingness to speak up and say exactly what you think and feel in a difficult situation even if it may ruffle some feathers.
Resilience and emotional strength
Inner strength means that employees have the ability and determination to persevere in the face of adversity. It requires the quality of persistence during tough times. Organisations view this as a potential upside when employees have the resilience to undertake the highs and the lows of the assignment unwaveringly. This characteristic is hardly built over time, it requires specific development to bounce back in the face of adversity and emotional strength to overcome it.
No doubt, both organisations and talents will have to accept the inevitable fact that unless either one is contented with the other, neither one will have a chance of being as great as they believe they can be. There must be continuous efforts by both parties to meet the evolving expectations of each other; it will take two to create something greater! My humble view is to keep changing to adapt to the surrounding expectations or risk being extinct. Is that not what progress is all about?
Melissa Norman is managing director of Kelly Services Malaysia
