I am preparing for 6 weeks of travel and conference speaking/leadership retreats. As I prep and tailor my presentations for my clients one thing has become clear. Every client requests that I deliver practical tools that will make a difference in the audiences’ ability to attract and retain talent or embrace the #futureofwork.

That’s not a problem. I’ve got more models and simple, practical and effective tools than you can shake a stick at.

The challenge that I see over and over again is the leader’s willingness to accept that the old ways of hiring and retaining talent don’t work for the new workforce.

🔹 A workforce that’s empowered. They know there are more jobs than people and that the balance of power has shifted.

🔹 A workforce that’s increasingly picky. They know what they want, what they don’t – and they are willing to vote with their feet.

🔹 A workforce that (led by Gen Z) increasingly has a different relationship to work. Instead of seeing a job/career as a way to provide security, buy a house and educate children, increasingly people are relying on side hustles to do that – and using jobs to gain experience to help them with those side hustles.

I see some leaders who want to put their heads in the sand and deny that these changes will be permanent. They are waiting for a recession so employees will ‘get back in their box’.

I see others who are fearful of change. The old ways were comforting in their simplicity. The new ways are much harder.

Change is scary. Some leaders have been extremely successful using methods that worked at the time and they are loathe to change. Will they continue to be successful?

Many leaders are fatigued (just like their teams are) and find it difficult to muster the energy to change.

I get it. All of it. I’ve felt most of it myself.

And yet, the simple truth is that those leaders who #embracethefuture and are willing to step into this new paradigm and try on new attitudes and actions will be the ones who win the War for Talent.

Only after this happens will they be able to apply the myriad of practical tools that can help them build and retain a #futurefitworkforce.