A Disruptive Event Is Taking Place

CEOs looking for talent should pay attention.

To say there’s a lot going on in Washington right now is an understatement. If you’re a CEO looking for an overview of all the disruption promised by the new Trump administration, head over and read Paul O’Brien’s takeaways from a week on the Hill in Startup Economist.

But no matter who you talk to, it’s clear that the private sector sees the promised disruption as positive:

• Recession concerns are waning.

• Planned M&A activity has skyrocketed since September.

• Small business optimism is at a peak not seen since 2018.

While many are feeling good about these macro change-ups, there are also more immediate ways CEOs can seize the moment. One of those is in recruiting.

Since I first started training CEOs, I’ve emphasized the requirement to constantly, proactively scout for new talent. If all you do is sift through resumes that come to you, you’re not going to get a crack at the best talent. It’s like trying to cook a gourmet anniversary dinner for your spouse with just the stuff that happens to be in your fridge. The expired teriyaki sauce and wilted lettuce isn’t going to cut it. You’ve got to know what ingredients you need for a great meal, then go out and get them.

In pursuing this mission, though, CEOs face a problem: The really good people are rarely available. They’ve got their pick of jobs and don’t stay on the market for long. This is why I encourage CEOs to look out for disruptive events that shake up the talent pool. A classic example is a big layoff. The opportunistic CEO knows that following a layoff, even the talent that remained employed will likely be much more open to talking to someone new about a job offer.

Which brings me back to the new administration, where one of the largest layoffs in American history is poised to happen.