With the process of hiring and keeping the rest employees an increasing challenge, here are tips from three experienced leaders that might help.
Bill Gates once said: “The competition to hire the best will increase in the years ahead. Companies that give extra flexibility to their employees will have the edge in this area.”
Looking into the economics of it, Marcel Schwantes discovered that the average person can save between $4,668 and $5,688 per year by working remotely, including over $1400 for gas and maintenance.
Indeed, FlexJobs, the premier job service for telecommuting and remote job listings, conducted a study to make the strong case that working remotely is the future of work. The company’s fourth annual Super Survey on Millennials found that:
- 84 percent want more work-life balance.
- 67 percent indicate family is the reason for their desire for flexible work.
- 60 percent want to save more time.
- 49 percent want to save money.
- 48 percent are looking to ditch commute stress.
- 85 percent want to telecommute 100 percent of the time.
- 54 percent want to work a flexible or alternative schedule.
Steve Jobs stated that: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”
His approach was to intentionally hire bright people, get the heck out of their way, and give them room to build great things. That meant enrolling them in a shared vision, giving them the resources, autonomy, and flexibility to do the job. Once they know what to do, they’ll figure out how to do it.
Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, observed that “you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you. You think about it; it’s true. If you hire somebody without integrity, you really want them to be dumb and lazy.”
Clearly, knowledge workers need intelligence; and energy fuels passion and motivation. Integrity enables colleagues and customers to see workers as dependable and accountable for their actions, enabling team trust.
These are the opinions of these three leaders. What are the major leadership traits that you seek in hiring people and promoting workers? Share with us.