Achieving success in business is the result of many variables. Based on my experiences, it’s crucial to find people who share common goals, as well as whose drive and passion align. This is the foundation of building and creating success.
Throughout my nearly 20 years in management, working with different cultures, industries and companies, I have fine-tuned my process for building high-performing teams. In this article, I will share it.
Talent does not trump passion: My first soccer coach taught me that skill is something I can develop, but passion and desire must come from within. This life lesson has stayed with me throughout my professional career. Individuals with drive will complement your organization better, and carry it further, than those who are simply talented could. In business, just as in sports, talent might win some short-term goals, but drive gets you to the finish line.
Our industry is not unique: Look to other industries to recruit. Project management is just one example. This position translates well in various industries, and I’ve found that an individual who is successful in this role can quickly maneuver well within the AV sphere. Take the time to network outside of AV. You’ll likely meet individuals who will provide our industry with ways to evolve and become stronger.
Potential Talent is Everywhere
Always network: We often discuss networking as a means of finding the next big sale or customer. I’ve taken this approach to finding talent, too. I met one of my most successful hires at a charitable networking event. This individual was in finance for a different industry, but I knew within minutes that he had the personality I needed on my team. We talked over a few months and developed a relationship. Eventually, I hired him for a finance role. Now, eight years later, he has been promoted several times, and he is instrumental within the organization. He’s proof that you can find eager workers in many ways. Always look for talent!
Also Listen: AV+ Podcast: 40 Influencers Under 40 Talk Diversifying AV, Retaining Young Talent
Create your own pipeline: We lack an abundance of technical schools specializing in, or degree programs for, AV. But we can borrow leaders from similar industries. You can find comparable talent in people with low-voltage and broadcast degrees. A proactive approach I’ve taken in the past is to partner with a technical school to offer fabrication as an evening class in our workspace. The students built a rack by leveraging example drawings created by our engineering team. Although this strategy does not fill an immediate need, it does build toward the future: It allows us to hire and invest in training people more tailored to our standards.
Nurture Your Internal Talent
Promote from within: Before you look to find talent externally, do all you can to promote from within your organization. Continue doing so until you simply cannot find anyone qualified to fill the gaps. It sounds cliché, but people want to work where there are opportunities to grow. A constant goal in my organization is to promote a minimum of 25% of our workforce annually. My advice to my managers is to invest in our own employees before we take the risk of hiring new people.
Create excitement: AV is not that well known. But, when people really understand what we do, only a few don’t think it’s cool. I leverage LinkedIn to create awareness within outside companies and industries using a team hashtag. This hashtag creates a recruiting photo album that showcases our accomplishments and our company culture. To get my team excited about this, I created a competition that worked like this: The person who used the hashtag in the post that generated the most “likes” won a $500 gift card.
Develop something unique to the culture you are creating; then, get those around you to participate in the effort. It’s much easier to hire when people have tangible things to read or review. Take advantage of all the free marketing that exists on social media and by building word of mouth.
Conclusion
I didn’t learn these lessons through conventional methods. However, many talented people aren’t conventional, either. Great people exist in every industry, and the best have common characteristics that make their skill sets translatable to AV. It is our job as trendsetters to find the talent and introduce new faces into our industry.
Let’s build it together — one talent at a time.
Al Ayulo is senior vice president and general manager, west region, with AVI-SPL.
