Building Talent Pipelines: Attract and Retain Top Talent
Being a successful leader in engineering is about more than just understanding technology. It also involves creating a strong team and maintaining a work environment that attracts and keeps the best people.
Leaders Attract Talent
Effective leaders have a way of drawing talented people towards them. When a well-respected leader moves to a new company, it's pretty common to see other talented people follow them. This shows that a great leader can recruit people in ways that go beyond typical methods like hiring recruiters, reaching out to people directly, or using professional networking sites.
Talented people often look for more than just a good salary. They want roles where they can prove themselves and take on challenges. These people can be lured away from their comfort zones by the promise of tough challenges under the leadership of someone who's proven themselves.
Building Relationships
Leaders who are thinking ahead understand how important it is to network, speak in public, and build relationships with potential team members. They know that recruiting is something you have to actively work at – they need to go out and find the best people.
After someone accepts a job offer, a leader's job isn't over. They need to stand up for their team and make sure they're included in important opportunities. They understand how important it is to have a diverse team with different perspectives, and they know how to handle it when they need to let someone go who isn't performing well.
As an engineering leader, you should:
- Regularly have deep conversations, remembering important details or taking notes.
- Develop and communicate a detailed plan for a new hire's first three months, based on what you learn from discussions.
And, a good leader should:
- Build a team who trusts them and would be willing to follow them to new opportunities.
- Build mentor relationships both inside and outside the company, and continue to hold one-on-one meetings outside of work.
- Be good at dealing with underperformance, including knowing when and how to let someone go.