The war for talent is fierce right now. Hybrid work, The Great Resignation, labor shortages, and skills gaps have organizations scrambling to hire, retain, and develop employees. It’s overwhelming. We get it. The following guide, 7 Tips to Win the War for Talent, will provide a thought-provoking checklist to help you address any areas that could be impacting your desired results. The stakes are high. The war for talent is creating a lot of disruption that can negatively impact an organization if not handled with care. Handled well, businesses and people will thrive. Enjoy this guide. To your success!

1. 7 Tips to Win
The War for
Talent

2. INTRODUCTION
The war for talent is fierce right now. Hybrid work, The Great Resignation, labor shortages, and skills
gaps have organizations scrambling to hire, retain, and develop employees. It’s overwhelming.
We get it. The following guide, 7 Tips to Win the War for Talent, will provide a thought-provoking
checklist to help you address any areas that could be impacting your desired results.
The stakes are high. The war for talent is creating a lot of disruption that can negatively impact an
organization if not handled with care. Handled well, businesses and people will thrive.
Enjoy this guide. To your success!

3. #1 What’s your mission?
What’s your mission? Today’s employees want to know the ‘why’
behind their work. Money and benefits are not enough. Your employees
want to be part of something bigger.
The good news is that business is about solving problems. Consider
these three questions. If you can’t answer them with absolute certainty,
taking the time to do so will help you retain your talent:
1. What problem do you solve?
2. What solution do you provide?
3. Can every person in your organization answer the first two
questions in the same way?

4. Employee experience is not a fad. In a recent report, Josh Bersin, noted
that surface efforts to improve employee experience will backfire.
Understanding your employee’s experience will help you know what’s
working at your organization, and what’s holding you back from
executing on your mission and vision.
Three questions to consider:
1. Do your employees feel heard?
2. Is there an easy outlet for them to provide feedback?
3. Is the feedback publicly celebrated and acted upon?
Source: https://joshbersin.com/2021/07/secrets-to-employee-experience-the-definitive-guide-launches-today/
#2 Employee experience matters

5. 5
Employees want individuality. They crave a safe environment where
they can be themselves. Employees want psychological safety.
Regardless of their hair style, clothing, gender, sexual orientation,
and/or skin color, employees want to feel they belong.
Three questions to consider:
1. Is DEI an initiative at your organization?
2. If so, is it separate from, or embedded as part of the culture?
3. When was the last time you polled your employees on DEI?
#3 Individuality

6. Your people need to know where they’re heading in their career.
Clear career pathing is vital to driving engagement with your people.
Just like roles and responsibilities, success metrics for
advancement need to be spelled out.
Three questions to consider:
1. Does each role have a path to the next role?
2. Are there clear expectations for success and advancement?
3. Are there systems in place to help your people advance?
#4 Clear career pathing

7. A mentoring program is one of the easiest ways to increase
employee engagement and retention. Employees desire guidance.
They want to talk to people who have been there. There are leaders
in your organization who are likely natural mentors.
Three questions to consider:
1. Are you open to mentoring your employees?
2. What leaders in your organization could drive this initiative?
3. How can employees be involved in the creation of the program?
#5 Mentoring

8. 8
With hybrid work, the Great Resignation, labor shortages, and skills
gaps, it’s critical that teams are aligned. This can be overwhelming for
leaders. People are complex. Consider exploring tools to help
understand the dynamics of your team. Ensure these tools can map
your team to the work you need to deliver.
Three questions to consider:
1. Is the team clear on the work they need to execute on?
2. Are there gaps in capability on the team?
3. Are there gaps in capacity on the team?
#6 Team alignment

9. 9
#7 Leadership
Employees need to trust leadership. They’re looking for authenticity and
transparency. Any breach in ethics or trust can crush engagement.
Investing in your leaders’ self-awareness is vital. Leaders need to know
their strengths and their shortcomings. They also need to know the
people they lead, and the dynamics at play on their teams.
Three questions to consider:
1. Are leaders of critical teams aware of their gaps?
2. Are there teams that are struggling, but it’s unclear why?
3. Do you find yourself wondering why a team can’t deliver?

10. SUMMARY
In light of retention concerns, employee engagement, and hybrid work, missteps are
costly. We’re in unprecedented times. Leaders are stressed, which stresses employees.
Engagement and productivity are at risk. Disruption stretches the cultural fabric of
organizations, creating turmoil and frustration.
We get it! It doesn’t have to be this way.
The stakes are high. Losing good people is costly. It can suck the energy out of your
organization. Leaders have the opportunity to win the war for talent. Learn how to
engage top-notch talent, and create an environment in which people grow and thrive.

11. Contact Us
Win the war for talent...
Let’s talk
Cindy Lynch | Six20 Partners
cindy@six20partners.com
954-253-8526
six20partners.com