Hiring ‘A’ Players: Take Action Now to Upgrade Your Team

In your town right at this exact moment in time, a comment is being made by a business owner saying: “We are not hiring right now.”   

My reply, “But you should be because ‘A’ Players are readily available.” 

The actions and messages companies send their employees in this economy of uncertainty, restructurings, pay freezes and salary reductions dictates how top performers in your organization perceive your company. 

It may be true that employees cannot easily change jobs today in this economic environment, but how your workforce is treated means whether they are fully engaged (engaged employees are on average 25% more productive according to numerous research studies) or whether your employees will jump ship at the first opportunity 6 or 9 months down the road. 

Now is THE opportune time to hire ‘A’ players.   Many firms are distressed and have not done any of the following to retain their top performers:

• Adequately communicated with employees;
• Implemented motivation, employee engagement, and retention programs;
• Changed rewards and incentives to reflect this new economy.

The economy of 2009 and 2010 will be led by the organizations that innovate, adapt to a “Perform” economy, and embrace change.  A Players are needed. 

The following is a brief description of the ‘A Player’ concept according to Brad Smart, author of TopGrading: 

The cornerstone of Brad Smart's TopGrading recruiting and evaluation system is ranking candidates and employees through letter grades. "A" and "B" players are assets; "C" players will kill off your company. "A Players” are the top 10% of talent available in the marketplace. Defining an "A" player sounds simple, but it is not. The person's skills, motivations, and personality traits  will vary depending on the job description. (Your "C" player in one job could be your "A" player in another.) While all must have rock-solid integrity and a sterling job-performance track record, not all will have to be team leaders or long-term visionaries, though that surely helps. They all must be quick studies.

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