Cowboys and the Pink Mitten; Why Proper Talent Acquisition Matters
The story I'm about to tell you is true. But unfortunately, the names and establishments have been changed to protect the innocent—this is an example of why proper talent acquisition are needed and would have prevented these events from happening.
During my third season as an Executive chef, we were looking for a new General Manager to lead the teams through what was planning to be a busy season. I was excited to see who would lead our incredible teams at the resort. Not having a talent acquisition team or any department that vetted candidates, the owner, an old-school businessman, though he would find our GM. After a short search, he found a new leader!
A few weeks later, a man rides in on horseback wearing one fluffy pink mitten, waving to the staff and guests as he trots by, I looked at another manager and asked, "who is that weird guy?" Then, laughing, she said, "that's our new general manager."
The next day we had a staff meeting. He shows up with his fluffy pink mitten on again shaking hands with the staff (with glove hand). Someone asked why he had a mitten on in the middle of the hot summer. He never explained why and tried to be funny to a silent room. During this meeting, he suggested that the 15-20 employees do a team-building exercise. He wanted us to move a 2000-plus-pound rodeo judging cabin on stilts and carry it the length of four football fields. Nope and I advised the new GM that it was a bad idea and could injure someone. It didn't take long for the resort to realize that he seemed off and might be on something. He lasted about three weeks. We ended up doing record business and had three GMs that summer.
Talent acquisition consulting could have prevented this from happening—some examples of what could have been done.
Conducting job analysis to understand better the criteria needed for the job.
Creating a job description that captures the essential requirements.
Advertisements that attract candidates to your company tell your story to the potential candidate.
We provide employer branding to establish yourself as an employer of choice in your industry.
It is revamping your hiring process to identify an efficient interview process that will enable you to assess and select the best candidates.
Training for hiring managers to interview and select employees effectively.
If you ever have a have a general manger ride in on a horse waving to you with a pink fluffy mitten on, don’t panic just reach out to Discovery Talent Strategies and we will help you find the next GM.
