A month full to bursting with a sporting extravaganza which is viewed by 3.5 billion people in 190 countries and territories, has crowds of 12 million watching throughout the competition, has every moment followed by more than 2,000 accredited journalists and, in recent years, has been dominated by a UK team. So, it’s not football, then. Don’t turn the page just yet. It’s Le Tour de France and you should read on…

A confession: I am not a cyclist. I am, however, a sports fan and can’t help but admire the very business-like approach Team Sky has taken in its assault on the professional cycling world. I’ve also heard Team Sky chief Sir Dave Brailsford speak at a non-cycling event and been left with no doubt about his capabilities as a manager and leader (not that the team’s trophy cabinet isn’t sufficient evidence of success). At the time of writing, Chris Froome has won the Giro d’Italia (yet another significant achievement for him and his team), and Le Tour de France is underway, all the time while a question mark hangs over the star rider with regard to asthma medication. That investigation aside, the team is a real study in attracting and retaining talent; for all the advancements it has made in the sport of cycling, its fundamentals are, in essence, quite traditional, certainly not earth-shatteringly new nor representative of any fads or trends. They’ve just been exacting – almost ruthless – in their application.

But what if that talented candidate really does have the perfect attitude but, maybe, just doesn’t have the technical capability you need right now to deal with a current challenge? Perhaps that’s more a fault of your approach to hiring – don’t focus on immediate challenges, look for someone who will drive long-term success for your business. Team Sky could have bank-rolled any number of talented riders at launch but, instead, Brailsford opted for a long-term goal with a team developed through their own organisation. Ensure you have a positive approach to training and development – talented applicants with that ‘right’ attitude will look for it.

Making absolutely the right hiring decision can make absolutely the best impact on your business but, with an SME in particular, making the wrong one can be especially painful. The time, resource, and overall effort involved in recruiting talent should not be underestimated. So, if you’ve made the correct hiring decision once, how do you repeat it? As your business grows, how do ensure consistency of hiring decisions? For Team Sky, attention to detail is famously in their DNA, and being equally meticulous will pay off. Keep a detailed record of your recruitment process, have successful recruits cite and record what appealed to them, bring in an expert who can act as a recruitment partner for you. Whatever your preferred method, ensure you listen carefully to others in the industry; the more you learn, and can apply that learning, the better you’ll become in recruitment and, therefore, your business.

I’m no cyclist, but I suspect it’ll make a difference there, too!

 

Rej Abraham Managing Director