The Coming Talent Wars

All business leaders beware, the next war is going to be the Talent war.

‘A’ level businesses will get ‘B’ level talent and ‘B’ level businesses will get ‘C’ level talent.

Only the ‘A+’ level businesses will get the ‘A’ level talent.

‘A+’ level businesses are those that are the best in their field. These are the top 2% of companies, which have consistent records of great financial performance. These are companies who have proven themselves where it matters most, the market place , amongst their competitors and customers.   These companies have a history of attracting, developing , challenging , rewarding and retaining top talent. The companies are in an enviable position. ‘A’ level talent will propel them to ‘A+’ level performance and ‘A+’ performance will help them attract ‘A’ level talent.

The talent wars will be so severe, even the ‘A’ level companies will have to settle for ‘B’ level talent. A level companies are amongst the top 10-12% of companies in their respective fields in terms of market share and profitability.

That leaves out the ‘B’ level Companies. These are good companies, but not great. Here the Talent crunch will be the worst. It is an inevitable downward spiral.  ‘C’ level talent begets ‘B’ level results which will attract ‘C’ level talent .

In my next post,I will talk about what A and B level companies can do to survive the Talent War.