One of the many takeaways from our Talent Acquisition 360 research was the realization that the priorities of Talent Acquisition and Business Unit Leaders are deeply misaligned.
From what we heard, a primary reason for this is a lack of communication. We asked leaders from these groups what their priorities are, and received vastly different answers. When your priorities differ, strife will follow. But you can correct this – and here is how:
Start by clarifying the priorities of your Talent Acquisition team. To help, we have compiled a list of the qualities demonstrated by high performing Talent Acquisition functions around the globe. Carve out some time to rank these “12 Dimensions” and determine where your focus lies.
(But keep reading and do this later – because we have a simple guide for you to follow.)
12 Dimensions of a High Performing Talent Acquisition Function
- Innovating to meet the demands of the business
- Providing strategic thinking to shape business decisions
- Demonstrating agility to meet changing demands
- Generating insights contrasting workforce needs with the market supply of talent
- Delivering quality hires consistently
- Measurably impacting major organizational initiatives
- Communicating your employer value proposition
- Delivering great experiences for candidates and hiring mangers
- Crafting a comprehensive strategy
- Simplifying recruiting process
- Sharpening recruiting acumen
- Using recruiting analytics to inform business decisions
Once you can definitively state where your team is focused, have your Business Unit Leaders perform the same exercise with these dimensions. In other words, get them to tell you what they think your priorities should be. If your organization is like most, their choices will be quite different than yours. It might feel disheartening in the moment, but it is actually a great discovery! For perhaps the first time ever, you will have a clear list of the areas you need to be driving more alignment.
Imagine what a difference that could make.
Now that you know the disconnects between your Talent Acquisition function and Business Unit Leaders, it is time to talk. Your goals are simple:
- Listen to their expectations
- Explain the reasoning for your priorities and be open to making adjustments
- Align your priorities with their expectations
Schedule time on your calendars as soon as possible. Trust us – the longer you wait, the less likely you will be to take action. If you want to change the status quo, now is your opportunity.
Explain the goal of these discussions and go in with a willingness to be flexible. If you decide that you simply need to convince the other side to see things your way, you will not make any progress. Yes, you might need be persuasive in some circumstances. But your role is to be consultative and sympathetic to your internal clients’ needs – not an immovable object.
Cielo has created a simple worksheet to help you through this process. Download it, review the instructions and schedule time with your colleagues immediately. The discussions you have will set you on the path toward a better relationship, better quality hires and most importantly, better results for your organization.