If Your Company Needs First Aid, Don’t Cry for Help.

If everyone’s responsibe, then no one is responsible.

Companies are struggling to find and hire employees. For every two job openings, there’s only one person looking.

So what should you do about? Yes, you.

Who’s leading the charge?

The first thing to do is look around your firm and ask yourself, “Who’s leading the charge for people?” And don’t say “HR” just because it stands for “Human Resources”. Truly, what
individual in your firm lives the importance of developing the company’s people? I’m always impressed when I speak with CEOs and Presidents who make people a significant part
of how they spend their time. When the person at the top is focused on it, the impact flows down throughout the organization.

And the reverse is also true, when key people at the top of an organization aren’t seriously concerned about the talent in their organization, that sentiment is usually felt throughout the
organization as well.

If everyone’s responsible, then no one is responsible.

It reminds me of a first aid course I took years ago. The instructor drilled it into our heads that if ever you need help, you don’t just call for help or say “We need help!” or “Call an ambulance!” Instead, you’re supposed to get a specific person’s attention, give them clear instructions, and get them to call for help.

The moral of the story is: If everyone is responsible, no one is responsible. And no one calls for help. Nothing gets done. The “clinical” term is diffusion of responsibility.

Likewise, if your firm needs help with developing its people or having enough potential successors to your incumbent managers and leaders, is someone in charge? Is someone responsible? Or is everyone in charge? Is there diffusion of responsibility?

How about you?

Bottom-line, someone needs to take the lead on this critical issue.

If no one has yet to take the lead, how about you?