by John Sule | Apr 11, 2018 | Articles
More than just a French term, “esprit de corps” is the sense of unity and commitment to achieving a common goal. It is persistently pulling each other together even in times of great adversity. It is a spirit of devotion and loyalty that each organization rely on to achieve success. Thus, Horizon Technology Partners believes that aside from providing talents with significant expertise, a professional should also be able to fit into the company’s ecosystem and should be committed to working with the team on a long-term basis.
Linda, Director of a Major Financial Institution, emphasized the importance of esprit de corps in an organization: “I think the collaboration that you get out of enjoying the people you work with causes you to have a better sharing of ideas and feel more comfortable on exposing yourself because IT is collaborative. So I think many times the end product has a lot more value added because you have people who really like to share and exchange of ideas.”
Although, it is a reality that in every working environment, conflicts can arise, as well as jealousy, one-upmanship, and misunderstanding. People have differences that could get in the way of ensuring harmony and loyalty. However, there are ways on how to deal with them and promote esprit de corps within an organization.
Michael Feuer, an entrepreneur, management consultant, venture capitalist, speaker, and author, wrote the article “How To Create ‘esprit de corps’ In Your Organization” which explains how a leader’s actions and effort contribute to molding a culture and establishing esprit de corps in a company. According to him, there are different strategies for achieving esprit de corps, here are some:
1. Create and focus on a single and common goal.
Keeping the team focused on a mission makes each team player concentrated on how to achieve the goal and refrain from dwelling on unimportant matters. Getting ready with action plans for those who are losing focus and motivation creates an easy way to get them back on track.
2. Lead by example
There is no better way to demonstrate ethical values, commitment, and teamwork but by showing them yourself. A leader can promote the company’s core values by showing how seriously it matters, then in following the same values and procedures comes uniformity and solidarity.
3. Support each other
Show more support especially during adversity. Being supportive builds connection which motivates someone to get more involved and promotes better productivity.
4. Maintain good communication
Take advantage of the different communication platforms to ensure that everyone in the organization is well-informed. We know that misunderstandings frequently stem from miscommunication, thus delivering a clear common purpose and making sure that everyone is on the same boat promotes unity and progress.
Hence, before getting excited about the fruits of your hard work, make sure your organization has built the spirit of esprit de corps so it can stand the challenges and test of time. It is more enjoyable to celebrate your success together with people who are devoted and loyal to a common goal.
Horizon Technology Partners understands the changing trends in the industry. We look deeper into the backgrounds and skills of IT candidates to ensure they meet your long-term, company culture, and soft-skill needs.
Edward, Manager of a Database Architecture Team, shared his experience with Horizon Technology Partners: “Horizon Technology Partners has a rigorous selection process. Not only they are trying to select based on IT skills and technical skills, but they are also looking at people skills to make sure the person seats the team.”
We can provide you with expert professionals that will surely work for you with a common interest and purpose.
For a “No-Pressure” conversation with John Sule, schedule a call
If you would like to learn more about finding the right candidate for your open positions give us a call at 847-202-3242 or email us at connect2htp@htpartners.com.
WE RECOGNIZE.
WE UNDERSTAND.
WE DISTINGUISH.
WE PRODUCE.
WE DELIVER.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE.
by John Sule | Oct 12, 2017 | Articles
If you have an open position you know how difficult it can be to fill it with the right person. You may find you’ve been avoiding filling the position because it is such a daunting task. Hiring the right candidate for an open position is time-consuming, and stressful because hiring the wrong candidate is disruptive to the current culture and it’s expensive.
Hiring the wrong candidate can cost a company hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the position. The Department of Labor estimates that it costs 1/3 the annual salary of the bad hire to replace them. Not only is expensive to replace a bad hire, but it undermines the moral of the culture you’ve worked so hard to cultivate. Obviously, it is important that you hire the right candidate the first time.
At HT Partners, we specialize in finding the right candidate for the job every time. Here are the strategies we use to ensure the right fit for your company.
Get to know the candidate – Candidates are much more than their resumes. You could be missing the best candidates because their resume didn’t stand out. We get to know our candidates personally, leveraging extensive experience interviewing and managing talent (when you’ve interviewed thousands of individuals, you build up a wealth of expert knowledge and insight). When we recommend them for a position, we know they’re a good fit.
Write better job descriptions – Want to attract better candidates? Write better job descriptions (see how to do it here). In a nutshell – focus on what the company to do for the candidate and you’ll find better quality candidates will apply.
Utilize digital media – Make sure your website is mobile friendly and you’re posting positions on social media. Quality candidates are using their smartphones to search for jobs and to research the companies posting those positions. If your company hasn’t embraced digital media you’re going to turn off the candidates you seek.
These are just some of the tools and methods we use to match the right job to the right candidate. If you’d like to learn more about finding the right candidate for your open positions give us a call at 847-202-3242 or email us at connect2htp@htpartners.com.
by John Sule | Oct 22, 2015 | Articles
46% – The percentage of Baby Boomers that have attended college.
61% – The percentage of Millennials that have attended college.
Society is placing more and more importance on higher degrees of education, and this can easily be seen in the labor force. Those with higher levels of education tend to have an easier time finding a job and many positions require it. However, even with the importance our society places on higher education, once out of college and in the actual workforce, Millennials are starting to question the true value of their academic education.
According to a global survey of nearly 8,000 millennials, the “majority of Millennials agree that when they left college, they did not offer the full range of skills, personal qualities, and experience for which today’s businesses are looking.”
These Millennials overwhelmingly rated the skills that they gained on the job after graduation as more helpful than what they learned in college. They were not as confident in specific business skills including; financial, economic, and general business knowledge, the ability to challenge or disrupt current thinking, the ability to create opportunity, sales and marketing, etc.
These studies indicate that higher education doesn’t completely prepare graduates for the workforce. The gap between what Millennials are learning in college, and what is needed in order to best perform the duties required for the job is known as the skill gap and is hard, if not impossible, to avoid when hiring employees directly out of college.
There are only two ways to handle the skill gap, avoid it, or implement strategies and programs within the company that might help to close the gap.
Some popular strategies that are being implemented to close the skill gap include;
Talent Mobility Programs – Talent mobility programs can help to build business skills while simultaneously giving employees the development and advancement opportunities that they seek. These programs place the best of your newest employees into foreign markets for several months where they can acquire new skills and are responsible for teaching their teams what they have learned.
Online Education – Consumers have quickly become used to online education sites such as Lynda.com, Khan Academy, and Coursera. The same format could be applied to learning programs within a company. Courses can include a variety of characteristics and skills applicable to the job that can easily be utilized by employees.
New Performance Management Models – Older performance management models include annual reviews, and leave the employee to their own devices for the majority of the time otherwise. The newer performance management models include more check-in meetings, direct reports, and hands-on coaching. Working closely with new employees can help to make them feel confident that they are on track and quickly allows for any questions they may have to be answered.
At HT Partners, you won’t need a program to bridge a skill gap, as our rigorous recruiting and screening process, based on your input, feedback, and our extensive experience, reduces the skill gap and ensures a successful hire every time!
Sources:
http://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/gx-wef-2015-millennial-survey-executivesummary.pdf
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/millennials_report.pdf*
[*the Whitehouse.gov link above is now a dead link. As of 2018/06/14, the following is a working link for the same pdf: http://templatelab.com/millennials-report/]
