‘Having a personality of caring about people is important. You can’t be a good leader unless you generally like people. That is how you bring out the best in them.’ Richard Branson

It may be a ‘candidate strong’ market right now but that doesn’t necessarily mean there are quality candidates waiting in the wings eager to put their hand up for any new opportunity. High quality candidates know what’s important to them and as a result are either engaged quickly or they decide to stay where they are. So how do you attract them to YOUR business?

According to a recent report that I read, 39% of people consider company reputation to be an important factor when deciding between jobs. Moreover, 51% will consider the opportunity to work with a company that offers them the opportunity to share and expand their knowledge and skills in a supportive and empowering environment.

Top leaders are attracted to companies that offer more than personal advancement; these leaders are especially keen to access autonomy, freedom and support that they may not find elsewhere.

One of the first questions I ask clients when we first meet is ‘Why would I come work for your company’? You would think they would have an answer ready. Well, not necessarily so.

Establishing a reputation for being a company that fosters a culture of staff retention, advancement and knowledge is a very important aspect of any successful business. Just look at Richard Branson. Virgin is all about the people.

‘One of the key elements of what has become known as ‘the Virgin way’ is giving our people the autonomy, freedom, support and a highly flexible (in everything except quality) brand image that gives them the tools to go out and make amazing things happen. It is this passion-fed formula that has allowed the Virgin Group to launch hundreds of new Virgin companies in scores of very diverse businesses and I have no doubt that it will continue to do so for many years to come.’. Richard Branson, Passionate Leadership.

In short, employers need to establish themselves as leaders to attract leaders.

I have written an eBook “How to attract top talent to your business”. For a free copy, please email me at eva@eliteexecutive.com.au