Holistic HR

If you lead a small firm with half a dozen employees you're probably doing your own human resources work and recognize that you don't have people to waste, so you better get the most out of hem. If you're a leader in a large firm you probably have an HR department to worry about things for you but you still really don't have people to waste, so you should consider doing as much HR on your own as you can if you feel they aren't helping you and aren't responsive to your needs.

Of course, if all your human resource issues are working out fine, you probably don't need any of the advice in here, so carry on.

But for those who are still doing hiring and firing as it was done 10 years ago, take note. The name of the game for Creatives is not "resource management" or even "personnel management," but instead, "talent management." Your focus needs to be on gaining, retaining, and developing your talent to meet your firm's particular needs and reduce the costs associated with high turnover and wasted talent.

A discussion online last week in Business Week explored the concept of "holistic HR," getting away from the stovepiped components of managing people and instead integrating those to maximize the use of your talent. Says the author,

Human Resources is no longer about hiring, firing, and managing benefits. Top companies are realizing that a holistic approach to what has come to be called "talent management" -- one that aligns a company's goals with succession planning and employee career objectives -- can produce big cost savings.

So what are some things on which you should focus?

Well, whoever's doing HR for you, whether it's you or a division in another part of the building, needs to be very familiar with the company's goals and with your particular needs when it comes to meeting those goals. They need to get you the specific information you need about applicants so you can see if they have the specific creative talents you need Keyword-based resume review programs are going to have trouble doing that.

Then you need to consider how to develop the talent once you have it. Rather than always looking outside for leaders you need to consider growing your own from the inside, and that means identifying career paths for those who want to remain on the purely creative side of hings and for those who want to be leaders.

Once you've got talent and you're developing people you need to keep them. Why spend the time and money on them if they're going to your competitors? Look at what it takes to keep them engaged and satisfied in their work, or you'll lose them to someone with a more exciting offer.

Above all, make sure you have people who are adding value to your firm. Hire carefully, and if someone isn't developing or if your needs change, look at what you can do to help them adapt. If they can't, or don't want to, then it may be time to part company.

The bottom line to take away from the Business Week piece is that just as leading Creatives has its own unique challenges, so does managing them The HR side of your business adds value just as much as the direct work you do for clients IF you do it right.

So, do it right.