Did you know I have two kids? A daughter in middle school and a son in high school. My daughter is bright and outgoing and already exhibits great business instincts, and my wife and I raise her (and her brother) to believe they can and should be able to pursue any career they want. Here is the challenge… I work in an industry that has lagged behind others when it comes to promoting equity across both race and genders.
We need to change that.
Hiring for Success
Channel Program is growing like crazy. We’re hiring quickly; bringing people on board to help us carry out all aspects of our mission.
And whether you’re an MSP or a vendor, the IT channel is also growing quickly, and finding the right people is critical to your success.
Finding the best and brightest has always been a challenge. And, in many ways, COVID-19 has made it even more challenging. Losing in-person interviews and face-to-face contact can leave you struggling in some ways. Building rapport and trust is slower and more difficult. Once someone new comes onto the team, getting to know them and making them feel a part of the whole is a much slower process.
But the pandemic and the shift to a more digital worklife has also created some perks. Namely, it has given us an opportunity to embrace a new way of building our teams. That is, choosing from a widely diverse pool of candidates that wasn’t necessarily available when we were focused on hiring locally.
Sure, you have to figure out how to foster camaraderie and team connections in the virtual world—meetings in the boardroom, conversations around the water cooler, and heading out to lunch together are hard to replace—but you can still build that if you’re intentional about doing so.
It’s about leaning into what this shift in the world of work has given us: an ability to build diverse teams and hire from a more diverse talent pool.
Diversifying the Channel
To take it one step further, we’re hiring with a focus on diversity and equity for all positions.
There’s been a “great resignation,” during COVID-19, but we’ve done a damn good job of finding top talent that takes diversity into account. And I’m proud of that.
I’m also proud that my daughter can look at my team and picture herself there one day.
The moral of the story? Surround yourself with the most capable people, and that goes beyond race and gender.
If you’re still looking in the same old places and using the same methods you always have, well, you’re really missing out.
Let’s learn from our mistakes, figure out a new way forward, and then go all-in to create it.
Let’s do this.
Kevin