Lessons in IT Transformation: Technology Expert to Business Leader

Recruiting/Retaining/Developing

I always marvel at how much companies are willing to invest in mergers and acquisitions. These are high-risk endeavors that often do not pay the dividends that are hoped for or expected. These same companies seem unwilling to invest in what is arguably the only real tangible differentiator they have—their people.

To me, an organization's most important asset is its people. Investing the time, effort, and dollars to identify, recruit, develop, and retain your team is the most important investment you will ever make. I always love to hear from HR people that it's dangerous to invest too much in people and make them more marketable because you may lose them. The surest way to lose people is not to develop them and provide them opportunities for growth. Only once in my career did I lose someone because I helped him develop to the point that he outgrew what I could offer him. And God bless him for it! People only owe us to give 100 percent when they are in our employ. They have no obligation to be tied to us for life! I have, however, seen many people leave companies because they were underutilized or not given opportunities to grow, learn, and stretch their wings. I have worked for not-for-profit companies where I could not provide the same level of compensation that other larger local companies could. But I gave these people the opportunity to broaden their skills, their experience, and their contributions. Over the years I haven't lost too many people ...