The 4P’s to finding and keeping great people

For over two decades in business as an executive I’ve come across the 4P’s of marketing in various organisations across multiple industries and geographies as an effective marketing strategy in an increasingly complex business environment. The popularity of this marketing model continues today – case in point – when you enter the search term ‘4P’s of marketing’ on Google you will retrieve 2.9 million search results in 0.49 seconds! In my experience in designing, leading and implementing people strategies, I think it’s time we re-tool the 4Ps in marketing for finding and keeping great people for the future world of work.

From product to passion

Great organisations understand that their people are more than just a job title or a resource to be managed. Their leaders are responsible for discovering and developing top talent by unlocking people’s passion in the execution of organisational goals. Passion in my experience is a key differentiator in unlocking people’s potential as it ignites performance, fuels ingenuity, and is a key lever in employee engagement.

From price to purpose

There is a well-known adage ‘people leave managers, not companies’ therefore talent retention has become a multi-pronged approach. One such approach is the design of elaborate compensation & benefits packages, however, these ‘golden handcuffs’ inevitably fail to retain commitment in the long term as hiring organisations often consider compensating key talent for the potential loss of such benefits. Organisations should rather focus on clearly articulating their purpose: why they exist in the world, why their customers love them and their commitment to sustainable development.

From place to progression

Deploying the right talent, at the right time, in the right place sets great companies apart from good ones. Organisations that position talent in robust career paths that are actively managed through multiple development opportunities in leveraging pragmatic and effective talent strategies understand that companies progress when their people progress.

From promotion to partnership

The importance of employer branding in attracting and retaining key talent has become increasingly important for top employers. However, the promotion of the employer brand is hinged not only on best-in-class people practices but rather on the lived experiences of the employees within organisations. People flourish in their careers when they partner with the organisation in deploying their skills and are recognized for their role in bringing the business vision alive.

The world of work is an ever-evolving organism and requires leadership that is purpose-driven, ethical and human-centred. These leaders are able to leverage strategies to ‘Discover, Design, Develop and Deploy’ talent in creating a great place to work as collectively we strive to create a movement towards a better world of work!