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THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Nelson Valderrama
Nelson Valderrama is the CEO of Intuilize, a software Service platform that specializes
in helping mid-sized distributors transform data into profits. With more than 22 years’
experience as P&L manager executive for major PE firms and industrial distributors.
Nelson has dedicated his career to help business uncover hidden competitive advantages
and unleash the power of data in the new Digital Economy. For more information
contact by email nelson@intuilize.com or visit www.intuilize.com
RETAINING TOP TALENT IN THE
ERA OF COVID-19
Why is it that professional teams around the globe are
willing to spend so much time and resources to recruit,
attract and retain talent? Because no matter your industry
- and no matter how rock solid your business model may
be - your biggest opportunities will always be born out of
having the right people in the right environment at the
right time.
I’m a sports fan, so a good sports metaphor always
helps me put my thoughts in order. For my fellow soccer
fans, you know that teams around the world are happy to
invest $100+ Million to secure a contract with players like
Messi, Ronaldo or Neimar. American football fans know
that finding that your team is paying $45 million/year for
a QB can mean being a contender for the playoffs or a
ticket to the Superbowl. Basketball teams are dropping
$200- $250 million in 5 years for one single player...you
get the idea.
Legendary coach Vince Lombardi once said: “Coaches
who can outline plays on a blackboard are a dime a
dozen. The ones who win get inside their player and
motivate.” As in so many instances, sports personnel is
a perfect microcosm of the business world. Right now,
there’s a highly competitive market out there for great
talent, and if any team wants to keep them for the long
term, it takes motivation, direction, conditioning and a
proper investment in them!
Steve Jobs famously claimed that a small team of
“A+” players can run circles around a giant team of “B”
and “C” players. Jack Welch (who I had the tremendous
privilege to work for) said that “no company, small
or large, can win over the long run without energized
employees who believe in the mission and understand
CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLE
how to achieve it”.
All of this is to point out something fairly obvious but
something we are all overlooking far too casually: COVID-
19 has flooded a pool of available talent and suddenly
a huge wave of motivated forward thinkers are ready to
join new businesses and drive recovery and growth. As
management guru Jim Collins has shown us, making the
leap from good to great starts with getting the right people
on the bus.
Big Businesses Aren’t The Only Ones
Who Can Win
For small and medium-sized businesses, it can be
easy to assume that when top talent is out there, the
sharks will circle and big businesses will sweep them all
up - but that’s not necessarily the case.
In fact, a whopping 82% of Fortune 500 executives
do not believe that their companies recruit highly talented
people (McKinsey). Gallup reported that in a 2015
survey, more than 50 percent of respondents were “not
engaged.” I have personally worked both with and for
companies with a few dozen employees as well as a 25K+
employees and I can attest that no matter the size of a
business, everyone struggles to understand how and
where to find the right talent.
Role Players Matter As Much As Your Stars
Of course, if we want our team to operate at its peak
potential, we need to think about how each piece fits
together. We need to develop, hire and align our talent to
ensure that the stars can shine - and that means putting
the right support systems in place.
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