The Ethics of "Poaching"

I read an interesting article this morning about the ethics of poaching; not hunting animals out of season, but rather the idea of specifically recruiting or targeting key talent that works for another organization typically a competitor.I have to tell you that my initial reaction was "what"?

As the article went on it did differentiate between specifically targeting an organization with the intention of undermining them through recruitment of their key talent or recruiting with the intent of obtaining trade secrets or proprietary information, but short of that indicated it was ok. Thanks for permission.

It kind of takes to thinking that our lexicon has gotten to the place where we really have started to believe phrases like human capital. One small problem, our employees don't "belong" to us. We "rent" their knowledge, skills, and behaviors and for a period of time if we are skilled and lucky we create a bond of mutual loyalty because of respect and commitment, period.I think the timing is especially interesting now that it looks like the economy may be picking up. I see a lot of questions out there from organizations about what they should be doing about retention in the face of a more robust economy. I advise prayer.

I am only being semi sarcastic. I am stunned by organizations who do not make investments in engaging and retaining employees on an ongoing basis and then want to install a program to fix it when there are issues.Employment at will is a concept that most employers will defend with the ferocity of Charlton Heston over the right to keep and bear arms- as long as it is balanced in their favor. They don't like it when employees see themselves as free agents.I hear a lot about loyalty as well. I define loyalty pretty simply. We interact with trust and respect. We meet our commitments to each other and we take into consideration our actions on the impact of the others in the organization when making decisions, period.

Out in the Wild West where I grew up we called it "riding for the brand". While I was sleeping in your bunkhouse and eating your food I was present, you got my honest effort. There were no life contracts or pledges of fealty.

I guess I am a career poacher. When I see people who are really good at their jobs and whose skills might be transferable to an organization I work with or for I feel comfortable bringing to their attention that if they are interested in exploring options I would like to talk with them.

As you know I am a huge believer in the concept of engagement. I guess my model is the best way to keep your employees from being "poached" is to create an environment where they don't actively seek or entertain other options because of the relationship of mutual respect and trust you have created. If my employees find another opportunity that they feel meets their needs or provides them with a chance to expand a skill base I wish them well if it is the right opportunity. You see I have found ex employees to be one of my best sources of future employees, if I treated them well they remember it and share it with their friends and associates.

So I guess with the exceptions of targeting or attempting to take trade secrets we need to acknowledge there is no such thing as poaching. Mr. Lincoln freed the slaves well over 100 years ago, people can't "steal" something from us we never owned in the first place.....

Employees for Life?

What inspired me to write this were two different pieces from people I respect in the business, Laurie Ruettiman at Punk Rock HR, http://www.punkrockhr.com/; and Margaret Heffernan at BNET, http://www.bnet.com/.

Laurie's always enlightening and entertaining post talked about what is wrong with the recruitment process, and props to her for stopping at less than a page because there is plenty. Margaret took a completely different approach and discussed the concept of never being able to fire an employee again!

Kind of makes your blood run cold doesn't it! I think most corporate employers look at Employment at Will the same way Charleton Heston looks at the right to bear arms, you will pry it out of my cold dead fingers.

I think sometimes that makes us sloppy and indifferent. Sloppy and indifferent to the tune of $5 trillion dollars in turnover costs annually in the U.S. alone. Add in another $200 billion for "presenteeism" and you are talking about real money, aren't you?

The things I read also say that a majority of employees are unhappy in their current jobs and performing at less than their potential and capability. So my question is-

• We like to think of ourselves as the most advanced country in the world, why are we watching this unfold?

I see a lot of things out there on the net asking "Now that the economy is picking up what should I do about employee retention and my key people?". I also hear from employers at all sizes that in this economy employees don't have as many choices so "I can focus on other more "critical" things." Last, but not least when I discuss poor practices and the costs and efforts associated with poor hiring I get the typical "Shit happens, people come and go. If someone doesn't work out we can always terminate them or lay them off."

What if you couldn't? What if you were "stuck" with the employees you have, what would you do then?

I think one of the things you would do is to have a way better process. You would be much more careful about who you hired and who was involved in the process. You might ask questions about things like "fit", "potential", alignment with "values". I'll bet the people involved with the process would be more senior and better trained. You wouldn't rely on your "gut" or a computer program to make the decisions for you. Because these people will be with you forever, and forever is a very long time isn't it?

Margaret lays out some pretty good advice about how to do somethings differently;

• Choose carefully at the start. We call this Hire Hard- Manage Easy. If this is a relationship not a "date" you should think it through.
• When you see trouble, intervene early. Don't watch someone struggle or fail to address an issue because you didn't want to hurt someones feelings.
• Stop waiting for them to quit. Studies show that actively disengaged employees are no more likely to quit than employees who are neutral or passively disengaged. They "quit", contributing that is. They stick around and poison the well.
• Right person, wrong fit? Is it the employee or did we put them in the wrong job? How many times have we taken a good "technician" and turned them into an awful manager?
• Are they being managed properly? My experience has taught me a lot of "performance" issues stem from mismanagement. You can't manage everybody the same way. Poor skills or application of skills at the front line manager level is one of the biggest contributors to turnover, litigation, unionization, etc. It doesn't matter if you are a "servant leader" if your front line supervisors are tyrants.

So even if we keep our right to employment at will, which by the way I am a fan of, shouldn't we at least consider making changes to how we hire and manage ? Especially if it can potentially save us over $5 trillion dollars a year. Doesn't that seem like good business?

Think about it, $5 trillion here and $5 trillion there and we are starting to talk about real money.....

The Twilight Zone

Isn’t it interesting how fine the line can be between a management strength and a management weakness. Do you remember the show “The Twilight Zone?” It’s that shadowy place where things could go right, or could go wrong; where things may not be exactly as they seem to be.

In one set of circumstances, an attribute of an executive might be viewed as a positive and valued; and in another set of circumstances that same attribute could be a real problem, significantly affecting their performance and/or judgment.

That doesn’t make selecting the optimal talent any easier, does it? But, if you just ignore this dilemma, your choice of key talent could be a real “crap shoot.”

Please consider:
A person who is excitable usually is high energy, passionate and enthusiastic. But, under pressure, they may be somewhat unstable and even display some anger resulting in others avoiding them.

Someone who is diligent is hard working, with high standards; maybe even self-sacrificing. But they can also be perfectionistic and hard to please. Have you ever worked for someone who is over controlling and micromanaging? I never found that particularly motivating or productive!

How about someone who is dutiful? What a wonderful trait. They are a good team player and considerate. They keep their boss informed. But, in the “shadows” they may turn indecisive, unable to make independent decisions or disagree with the boss.

I think understanding the dynamics of these types of shadows is critical in understanding management failure. It is in the shadows that managers have trouble building a team, forming alliances, gaining support for their vision, values and plans.

The most obvious way to reduce this risk in an organization is to screen out these types of issues in the selection, promotion or succession process. But, these contradictions are extremely difficult to uncover in an interview. It simply takes a process with more insight; a process with validated assessment instruments; a process with effective 360° reference checking; etc.

Does your executive evaluation process for potential or current executives illuminate the shadows? Where is Rod Serling when you need him?