Attracting and Retaining the Best Talent.

Last Sunday I read a fascinating article in the Sunday Times by Jamie Nimmo titled “The War for Talent”. 

It was a strange title and I am not sure who the combatants are. Companies in all industries need the best talent and the only way of getting them is through attraction. Maybe the war is between immoral tactics and moral tactics but in reality, it is between the old mindset and a new mindset.

The old mindset believes that pay is the ultimate weapon in a company's arsenal regarding recruitment. Yes, they also think about benefits and perks, but the old mindset thinks, “if I pay enough, people will do what I want them to”.

The new mindset has evolved from this old-fashioned command and control culture of paying more to get allegiance. They have learned that true allegiance is not bought but earned.

In reality, these two mindsets coexist in every organisation, which is the ‘war for talent’. The...