Debra Cannarella
VP of Operations, High Performing Systems, Inc.

After a grueling year, many companies are trying to ramp up to pre-pandemic capacity and grow, but many organizations are struggling to find and retain strong employees. Hiring managers are facing a pattern of key positions being open too long, and when candidates do express interest in a position, many don’t show up for the interview. If they do get hired, they don’t stay long. Meanwhile, employees already working for these companies are feeling overworked and stressed, and that puts them at risk of leaving as well. At High Performing Systems, Inc., clients are asking for help to make quality hiring decisions, get new team members on-board and trained quickly and ensure a retention process that will keep them long-term. 

As we evaluate all that’s happened in the last 18 months and help our clients with their needs, we keep arriving at the same conclusion: in order to break the pattern of vacancies and turnover, companies can’t rely on trendy buzzwords or the latest new fads being touted by the media. It’s time to get back to the basics. If companies want to get back on track and grow, they must start with basic leadership competencies that have been proven to work time and time again. 

Don’t get us wrong. We recognize the needs that our clients and companies around the world are facing. We know that there are many critical issues that must be addressed, and we empathize with leaders and team members who are struggling. We want to help them, and we do so by not relying on the buzzwords or the fads. Our approach is to start with the fundamentals first. By creating a solid foundation of strong leaders, everything will fall into place and will actually be easier to implement and sustain.

What are these fundamentals, and how should organizations address the needs they’re facing? First, you need a process to get the right leaders into the right roles. HPS uses the Leadership Potential Equation to help our clients hire best-fit leaders that have a high probability of success if hired.
After the leaders are in the right roles, they need training and development on the leader competencies they’ll use every day to communicate with their employees, keep them motivated and provide feedback on their performance. Once leaders return to the basics of what it means to lead effectively, team members will start to improve their performance. As employees see their productivity increase, they’ll be even more committed to doing their part to help the company succeed. This increases retention and raises morale across the team and department and, eventually, the whole organization.

Leadership training and development can happen in many different ways. For some leaders, individual feedback and coaching work best. In some organizations, entire teams or all leaders need training in basic leadership competencies to get everyone working together with the same models and techniques. The High Performance Leadership system provides training on those critical leader competencies. This gets all leaders on the same page, speaking the same language, and leading in a consistent manner across the whole organization.

Once a company rebuilds based on leadership basics, team members won’t want to leave. Turnover will no longer be an issue. Employees will encourage people they know to join the company as well. Because people want to work for a winning team, the lack of quality candidates will be a thing of the past.

As you consider the future of your company, remember that buzzwords or trends are not a magic pill or silver bullet. They might sound great, but they won’t create lasting change. If you want a sustainable process to rebuild and grow, the organization must commit from the top-down to go back to the basics and build the core fundamentals. If you’re ready to cut through the buzzwords and start fresh, contact HPS to learn more. We’re here to help.

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Debra Cannarella is the VP of Operations at High Performing Systems, Inc. (HPS), a consulting company that provides assessments, consulting and training solutions to help organizations excel. HPS conducts certification training on the EQ-i 2.0 assessment and provides individual, leader and executive coaching to clients. Contact Debra by email at debra@hpsys.com.

High Performing Systems is an award-winning world leader in EQ-i 2.0® certification (since 2005), EI training and implementation, leader coaching and success profiles. Call 706-769-5836 to talk with an experienced EI practitioner about your organization's specific needs.