How to Solve the Turnover Problem

The status quo of “hire slow, fire fast” is only prolonging the pain of poor retention.

Hiring slow means that it’s taking longer to actually get the people you want into your organization… and “hire slow” doesn’t actually equip you with any better tools or system of ensuring that you are able to select the right people. All you are doing is taking a painful situation, and embalming it with the idiosyncrasies of company bureaucracy.

Firing fast works well if you are a gunslinger in the wild wild west, but do you have any idea how that notion affects your employee’s attitude toward their job security? Being quick to drop the axe on an underperforming employee creates a culture of fear that will effectively suffocate your organization. We agree – action must be taken. But what if that action could be proactive instead of reactive?

One of my favorite quotes recently has been:

CFO: “What if we invest in our people, and they leave us?”
CEO: “What if we don’t, and they stay?”

Investing in your employees can look like working with that underperformer to find a better fit for them in the organization. Creating an alignment between a person’s unique identity and the work that they do will draw out a sense of engagement and commitment like nothing else can. When a person actually fits their career, they will thrive at work. When your employees are thriving in their roles, your company will flourish.

Waiting to realign the “underperformers” probably isn’t the best approach. (Though it is still far better than firing them… eh quick-draw McGraw?) Why not start right from the foundations, and be sure to select the best people for the positions in your business?

This is why we are raising the status quo:

Hire the Best, fire less.

Hire the best-fit, that is. Hire the person who personifies the position you want filled. Create a match between the person’s unique disposition, and the specific requirements and key accountabilities of the job. This is why we are happy to serve the Central Oregon business community with our Job Benchmarking program.

A Job Benchmark is a profile for the ideal candidate, based on their Behavioral Style, their Driving Forces, and their chief Competencies.

A Behavior Style mismatch will create stress, anxiety, and exhaustion. A good fit here will lead to an employee feeling emotionally rewarded with the actual tasks they do.

A Driving Forces mismatch will lead to disengagement, disillusionment, and depression. A good fit here will result in an employee with a deep connection to the purpose of their role, and a sense of fulfillment in their career.

Competencies can further map out whether a candidate has developed themselves in the specific areas required to be successful in the position. On the job training is inevitable, but it also requires a solid foundation to build on.

Hire the best fit. Start by gaining insight into the specific job positions in your organization, and clearly defining the key accountabilities. Then watch your turnover problems melt away as you are able to connect people with their dream jobs. When the right people are in the right place, they will thrive, and your business will prosper.

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