Association Industry Commentary | Workforce & Human Capital
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The more I talk about the future of the workforce in associations, the more I've had to think about exactly what skills and abilities people should be bringing to the table in order to engage and capture the modern member. The list is long—things like dynamic profiling, data analytics, brand management, lead generation, storytelling, user experience customization, social media and monitoring, influencer marketing, mobile engagement, cross-channel campaigns, marketing automation… whew! And that's just a sample!
The people that bring these types of skills in one package, if they exist at all, are prohibitively expensive for most associations, so they have to look to Plan B (or C, or even D!) to get the resources they need. Part of the solution is focusing and prioritizing, and this requires coherent strategies. Next up is job design—roles, responsibilities, and required competencies—that reflects a cost-effective application of the workforce, which will differ based on associations' sizes, budgets, cultures, infrastructures, labor pools, member needs, and other factors that necessitate differentiation in staffing structures. Then the challenge is finding, reaching, attracting, and securing qualified candidates in a competitive landscape. All of the "prep work" can be done to perfection, but candidate acquisition may still be quite difficult, if only because others are likely to be looking for people with similar backgrounds.
We have to be honest with ourselves and admit that landing the "perfect candidate", even for a role that's been tightly designed in consideration of every factor, is something that associations cannot rely on. At the same time, as we've discussed at length on the road and in previous blog posts, it's very clear that settling for less than a role requires is a dangerous proposition. Sometimes that's necessary, though, and if it's well-planned (e.g., managers have thought through what can be trained, and have a program to provide the necessary education over time), it can work. If you're going to take that approach, the least you need to know is the "essentials on hire", the skills and abilities an individual needs coming in the door. True, this will vary by association and job, but is there something more fundamental to successfully developing new hires so they ultimately meet full role requirements?
This is the question I've been mulling over lately. If we summarize all of the competencies we are asking for, what we really want are people who can integrate multiple disciplines—people who are able to blend professional, analytical, and technical knowledge to create, implement, evaluate, and adjust solutions that cost-effectively engage a dynamic member market. A solid understanding of the elements is obviously critical, but the ability to bring them together to address the challenge is truly indispensable. I'd argue, therefore, that the one skill that is absolutely essential is "critical thinking". Without disparaging so many people who have spent long, successful years with associations up to the present, this is ostensibly new as a universal requirement. "Yesterday's work" simply didn't require most employees to regularly demonstrate this ability.
People who can think critically can look navigate a series of variables and get from point "A" to point "B" without having the route mapped out for them. This is crucial in an era in which "big data" is accessible, options for engaging the market are so extensive, competition is more intense, time is of the essence, and resources are limited. Better yet, though, critical thinkers don't need to have all of the information. They're able to figure out what they need, what they know, and where they need help, and they're usually pretty good at finding answers. This isn't just a treatise on the inherent worth of critical thinkers, though… it really matters. It means that if you have to, you can hire less experienced people whose skills aren't quite as wide-ranging or well-developed as the job calls for, as long as they have that one essential ability. In the end, they'll be the best employees you've ever had.
How do you find these miniature stars-in-the-making? Arguably, critical thinking is an ability that can't really be taught. You either have it (even if you don't use it) or you don't. When you're evaluating candidates, you have to do three things:
- Ask for the "hard knowledge" you'd like to have,
- Know the minimum you're willing to settle for, and
- Test candidates who don't meet all of the experience criteria to see if they're able to put the pieces together.
I'll talk about this in more detail in a future post, but this generally means using live scenarios, case studies, or similar methods to watch how people reason through issues—how they respond when they don't know an answer, what questions they ask, etc. It's worth making the interview process a little bit harder to find the diamond in the rough, especially if you're not getting candidates who are exact matches for what you need.
As you might be able to tell, I'm a big proponent of critical thinkers. It pleases me that the contemporary association environment lends itself so well to this under-appreciated ability, often overlooked at the expense of the woman with a few more years monitoring Twitter, or the guy who claims he led a campaign. It's not a cure-all, but it can go a long way to helping you get the people you need. Intrigued? Not convinced? Have experiences with critical thinkers you can share? Want to know more? Drop me a line and let's talk.
