Increase the "POWER OF ATTRACTION" as a manager!
Interview with personnel developer Regina Bergdolt
Ms. Bergdolt, we are looking forward to your presentation on "The seven practical management tips for successful talent search", which you will be giving in Heilbronn on April 11. In your opinion, who should attend this lecture?
Decision-makers who want to be sure that they are doing the right thing for their company. Perhaps they are driven by "constructive dissatisfaction" because they are unable to find and retain the talent that will take them forward. Or they are simply curious about what "good practice" looks like, how their own company can impress on the job market. Employer review sites such as kununu.com have made the "inner workings" of a company much more transparent.
The working population in Germany and other countries around the world will shrink and age in the coming years. What demands on company management and middle management are you addressing here at the talent managers' meeting in Heilbronn?
We have reliable empirical values and well-founded findings on what works. The crux of the matter: finding and retaining talent, regardless of age, is now a sales task. And sales works when you stand out from the market with your offer, arouse the customer's curiosity and offer them a factual and emotional benefit.
In the area of leadership and employer attractiveness, it is often not so clear what actually leads to more "good people". Nevertheless, it is not necessary as a company to spend a lot of money on colorful "personnel marketing campaigns" that ultimately don't achieve anything.
Any promise you make during the recruitment process must be kept. It makes sense to promise what is essential for applicants and to be reliable in doing so.
Competition for talent is also fierce in the Heilbronn-Franken region and the surrounding area. How can a decision-maker act "sales-wise" to increase the appeal for their own team and the region?
According to surveys, the company's homepage is still the number one point of contact for interested parties. Therefore, there should be much more than just a "careers page" with a few job offers and the usual phrases: Further training, nice team, standard market remuneration...
We know from representative surveys what skilled workers are looking for today more than ever: exciting tasks, a constructive working atmosphere, modern management tools and genuine dialog as part of strength-oriented personnel development; specialist careers in particular are a good tool that very few companies use. It is the job of managers to develop these offers.
In order to present an economic region as an attractive area, cooperation between the city, business development and regional players is important.
What opportunities do middle managers have to be active in this employee management process as designers rather than "clay layers"?
What tips do you give here in your new book?
It's not said for nothing: "People join companies, but they leave managers". Middle managers determine the day-to-day reality in the company; their influence on employer attractiveness is huge.
A good middle manager stands behind his or her people and leaves success with his or her employees. As a manager, the middle manager is also the employee's most important personnel developer; "Generation Y" in particular demands coaching skills. In my book, I outline various core competencies that help (senior and) middle managers to progress: from professional empathy and a willingness to make decisions to dealing intelligently with employees from different generations.
And by the way: strong middle managers are also in demand. It is worthwhile for companies to create attractive working conditions for middle managers; hardly anyone wants to remain stuck in the glue of organizational toughness. The new book will include a "self-assessment" so that middle managers can check how constructive or obstructive the framework conditions in the company are for them.
If this has aroused your curiosity: the book "Successful leadership in the sandwich position - the unusual compass for middle managers" will be published in mid-May 2016.
The questions were asked by Frank Dörrstein. Regina Bergdolt answered the questions in writing.
Photo credits: pièce manquante, solution © Olivier Le Moal @ Fotolia
