Letter on the Third — May 2022
Dear Datamax Family,
When it comes to recruiting, it’s important to remember: Everybody is the right person. They’re either the right person in the wrong job or the right person with the wrong team fit. When I think about hiring and onboarding in 2022, I point right back to Datamax culture. It’s more crucial now than ever that we look to find the right person, in the right job, with the right team fit.
It’s never been easy to recruit, but a lot has changed in the past two years. The pandemic caused a reevaluation for people about what’s important to them, both in their personal lives and in their careers. Many people were furloughed or lost their jobs. Many companies, in an effort to refill their staff, are offering unprecedented “perks,” many of which are arguably difficult to sustain. A four-day workweek, for example, sounds great, until a customer at a medical facility has a down machine on a Friday, and needs to get back up and running ASAP.
We can’t, and shouldn’t, change who we are as an organization. However, we can certainly use our culture to continue to recruit the right people and Create Raving Fans out of them.
So how do we recruit in 2022?
- We stay true to our culture. I would defer to Page 20 of the Little Blue Book: “In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock.”
- We listen. Just as our customers are sharing specific needs, it’s important that we listen to and respond to the needs of our employees and those whom we recruit.
- We make the decision based on the good of the entire organization. Remember: If we started changing ways to accommodate a few, it affects everybody else.
- We all take on the role of recruiting. I encourage all of you to embrace your Centers of influence.
What are Centers of Influence?
Your Centers of Influence are people (or organizations) who can boost our recruiting potential through referrals, testimonials, and word of mouth. Your’s could be a customer, could be a friend, someone who knows our company, or anyone they know who might be a good fit for our organization. Your Centers of Influence are powerful recruiting tools. Use them.
Our promise to our customers (via the Little Blue Book), and to anyone we recruit, is to “compete with honesty, trust, and value, not simply on price.” The recruiting tide has changed, but our unwavering culture continues to be our greatest asset. In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock.
The Best is Yet to Be.
