Hughes: How Do You Evaluate (and Motivate) Talent?

A constant challenge for our industry remains attracting and retaining talent. In fact, attracting and retaining talent has gone beyond a mere issue; it has made its way to the top of the industry's "buzz word" totem pole in terms of organizational challenges. Whether seeking professional technicians in the service bays or professional executives in offices, boardrooms, and industry leadership positions, the best leaders know the importance of not just finding and retaining talent, but also challenging that talent to get the maximum productivity they can.

We all know the drill of traditional hiring practices: reviewing resumes and job applications in hopes of screening for the right fit. Once a few good candidates emerge, the next step is to schedule interviews with company leaders ranging from the immediate supervisor all the way up to possibly the president or CEO. There is no predetermined formula for conducting great interviews or identifying the right talent. If it were that easy, we would not be faced with the talent shortage we are, and industry job boards and recruiters may not be anywhere near as active as they currently are.

How do we avoid hiring the proverbial square peg when looking for someone to fit in the round hole?

I think the biggest mistakes come with pursuing the best talent instead of pursuing the right talent. The common error is that people often view these terms—best and right—as interchangeable, and that is not the case. The most successful team builders in sports and business recognize the difference, and part of that recognition centers around not just finding and retaining talent, but motivating it.

I have always believed that employees generally fall into three categories when it comes to motivation: money, title, or purpose. Sure, there are exceptions, and there are overlaps that may exist, but by and large all professionals fall into the category of being motivated by one of these three. And I am not saying that any one of these categories is better than the other. The challenge for leaders is identifying what motivates each team member, so the incentives used to maximize their production are the right ones and tailored to their wants and needs.

The Money-Motivated Employee

For the person driven by money, it is not to say that title or what they are doing for a living is not important at all, but ultimately this person is willing to do a little more or work a little harder if there is a monetary benefit to doing so. Looking at it another way, they are more willing to tolerate unsatisfactory work environments if the dollar amount on the paycheck or in the direct deposit makes it worthwhile. This is great to identify because the person willing to go the extra mile for additional earnings is perfect for many careers with variable pay scales that correspond to the idea that the more you produce, the more you earn.

However, the downside to this employee may show in terms of loyalty. If they are not being rewarded for their effort at a level they see as deserving, they will take their expertise to an employer who is willing to reward them more aptly for their attributes.

The Title-Motivated Employee

Moving to the person driven by title, there is no clear indicator of what the impetus for this motivation is. Perhaps earlier in life, or early in their career, they identified someone like a mentor or manager who made a big impact on them. In looking up to that person, they may have identified a title like supervisor, manager, or director, further enhanced by other title terms like senior, executive, partner, or associate. Nobody is ever content with a title including words like trainee, apprentice, or even junior.

One advantage of recognizing someone motivated by title is that the benchmarks are already in place, and chances are they have identified them. They know that succeeding in a specialist or coordinator role is the best way to get to the next level, like supervisor or manager, and they will identify the attributes they need to grow or cultivate to reach that next level.

On the other hand, throwing additional money at this employee may prove more costly and never enable tapping into their full potential for the role they are in or want to move to.

The Purpose-Motivated Employee

For the person driven by purpose, it may be easy to say this would be the ideal employee. The person not driven by factors like money (which there is never enough of) or title (there are generally few executive leadership roles) seems like they would be perfect for most roles or most companies. As Coach Lee Corso may have said, "Not so fast, my friend."

You may not have to raise wages as often or create a new executive leader of mail room optimization (or similar fictional title) to keep employees, but you may take on additional challenges. Organizations must maintain agility in today's global market more than ever before, and having employees committed to a cause that may not be relevant to the current slate of challenges will prove to be a negative either right away or eventually. Another potential shortcoming is getting stuck in current processes and not identifying continual development as a priority, but seeing it as the fastest way to stop doing tasks they like to do.

Building the Right Team

The best teams in the industry are made up of people who check all different boxes when it comes to motivation. The challenge lies with organizational leadership—and not just in human resources—to recognize in both recruiting and developing employees what drives the team members.

Annual reviews are a great time for leaders to dig into these motivators and try to match them to the employees. Social media has made all of our personalities more public and identifiable than they used to be, and perhaps the easiest way to look at this philosophy is to understand that you are not hiring a robot, a resume, or even past accomplishments. You are hiring a person, and that person is driven by what drives them, and not necessarily anyone else.