{"id":596253,"date":"2023-07-12T17:34:57","date_gmt":"2023-07-12T21:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/?p=596253"},"modified":"2023-07-12T17:34:57","modified_gmt":"2023-07-12T21:34:57","slug":"nonprofit-talent-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/nonprofit-talent-management\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Attract Top Talent and Retain Top Performers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Through the years I have come to understand the real kryptonite of nonprofit supervisors, talent managers, executive directors, and HR professionals: they struggle mightily with <\/strong>firing or managing someone out<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one loves it but nonprofit managers <\/em><\/strong>really<\/em> don\u2019t like it. Not one little bit. Nonprofit managers are pleasers<\/a> and helpers and that is a double whammy combination when it comes to accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The high-powered CEOs of large organizations that I coach will do just about anything to avoid moving a poor performer out. I had one client I was coaching to move someone out (let\u2019s call them Noa) and asked them to tell me the worst thing that could happen if they didn\u2019t move this staffer out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, that\u2019s easy,<\/em>\u201d they said. \u201cIf Taj walked in and resigned and it was clear that they simply could no longer work with Noa \u2014 Taj is a rockstar and I can\u2019t afford to lose them.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And guess what happened? Taj got a new gig and resigned, citing Noa as the main reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And still the CEO made excuses, and offered second and third chances to Noa while the rest of the team picked up balls that Noa was dropping. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One moral of the story is obvious. Nonprofit managers need to see accountability as a key piece of nonprofit talent management (and organizational) success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But today, I want to talk about another moral. Let\u2019s acknowledge this nonprofit talent management kryptonite and work to avoid it all together by recruiting and retaining the very best talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2023 WORKFORCE TRENDS ARE IN OUR FAVOR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hear this all the time \u2014 people resigning in droves post pandemic<\/a>. Nonprofits tell me they are having trouble building strong candidate pools and many positions are remaining unfilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But wait. What is motivating the resignations? Yes, you hear issues of compensation but that is hardly the only thing on the list and not often at the top. Folks cite poor managers who don\u2019t seem to care about them, a lack of meaning and purpose in the work, a lack of attention to or commitment to building a culture of belonging<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s connect the dots shall we? Think about the list above and consider what the nonprofit sector is all about. Our sector has so much of what these folks are looking for.<\/em> Purpose is our business \u2014 we walk that walk every day. And our commitment to this work is rooted in how deeply we care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INVEST IN NONPROFIT TALENT RECRUITMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s time for nonprofit managers, executive directors, and HR professionals to reject the culture of urgency in their organizations \u2014 the culture that leads to a \u201cbutts in seats\u201d recruitment strategy. Hurry and post, hurry and interview, hurry and hire. This culture also leads us to promote folks who aren\u2019t ready or aren\u2019t the right fit. A client spent 20 minutes telling me why Kai was so not the right person to fill a more senior position and in the next session, the client, exhausted from doing the added work, made the case for Kai\u2019s promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Herein lies the root of the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hit the pause button. Maybe more focus on the breath<\/a> – not kidding by the way.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are three strategies that have worked for many of my clients \u2014 intentional recruitment has led to robust applicant pools; they are as a result attracting top talent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n