Are creative staff really the key to a brighter future?

Do you have any chance of attracting them to your company?

It can be difficult to remain positive when you read the trade press this week. The first few headlines I came across were:

· Meat exports cancelled because of EU exit confusion

· Tulip jobs at risk after M&S contract loss

· Bakkavor closure puts 160 jobs at risk

· US-UK food standards war breaks out

With the Brexit vote looking shambolic, as I write, it makes you wonder what’s next for the UK and of course what’s next for the Food and Beverage Industry. So as I was pondering this mighty question it struck me that the business decisions we make now, in spite of the uncertainty and negativity, are key to future success. What appears to be missing in the current political arena are vision and creativity and that's something we need to see in business.

Can you trust your staff to do and say the right thing when it matters?

Isn’t there a saying, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’ and I do believe that’s what is missing right now. After all, it’s easy to be successful when times are good. But what type of staff do you need to carry you through a fire storm? What kind of people do you need when there is a PR disaster? How certain are you that the teams you’ve employed will do and say just the right thing exactly when it’s required?

In testing times it’s tempting to cut corners.

Yet how much will that corning cutting cost in the long term? Take the example of KFC. They faced an incredible scenario a few months back when the logistics company that delivers the ingredient they rely on fails to do just that. Imagine. ‘Er, yes we do sell chicken but right now we don’t have any.’ It was completely bizarre. This all happened when KFC gave their distribution contract to the company that offered the cheapest solution.

If that is not bad enough, DHL had really piled on the rhetoric when they won the contract saying that they would set a new industry benchmark when it came to servicing KFC. If only they’d had a crystal ball. Within just a few days of starting more than 50% of KFC outlets had closed because they had no chicken to sell. Where was the vision from both parties?

Business decisions often have human consequences

If this wasn’t bad enough KFC made light of it and DHL blamed traffic. Meanwhile consumers are left to find alternatives. It’s not exactly the recipe for success. DHL have let more than 200 staff go after this debacle. Therefore weak strategy impacts humans, you can’t just put it down to experience.

In another scenario what do you do when a contract with a market leader like M&S is terminated out of the blue? To whom do you turn when the foodstuffs your manufacture contain unnamed ingredients that lead to a vulnerable person’s death?

These are the kinds of headlines that cause us to feel threatened and under pressure.

Of course this is just the time when you hope that your hires will prove themselves. This is where you need experienced people who are creative enough to think outside the box. They need to be knowledgeable and empathic enough to see things from the other side. Honesty, trust and sincerity are key components. Consumers understand mistakes but it’s the prevarication and also the smoke and mirrors tricks that make consumers exit stage left.

It’s obvious that right now the UK is on the cusp of profound change

Even the notion of democracy is being scrutinised heavily, so no pressure. We are experiencing profound upheaval but what are we going to do? Put our head in our hands or carry on? We obviously cannot carry on regardless of the political turmoil but what we really cannot do is wait around any longer for something to happen. As far as the Food and beverage Industry is concerned we have to make the good things happen ourselves. Problem solvers and those adept at thinking outside the box will be key players in our post Brexit/ hanging on by our fingertips/ not quite Brexit and our ‘to hell with it, let’s just go, Brexit.’

Will you find visionary and creative people to fill your next role?

If you are thinking of making a hire in the coming months perhaps it’s a good idea to think carefully about the kind of issues a potential candidate might need to face.

· What are the short, medium and long term challenges for your business?

· What do you need to do to retain consumer interest and confidence?

· How will you drive innovation in every aspect of your business?

· How will you reflect the constantly shifting consumer patterns and desires.

Have you considered just what your job specification needs to say this time around or are you just relying on what’s gone before?

Certainly now is where competition for the very best staff just got really challenging. Today it’s important to attract the very best talent by providing the kind of roles that will truly reflect company need and also provide the kind of challenges top calibre candidates will be looking for. If you need help doing this we are here to help.

Attract the top 1% of marketplace talent into your business

To keep abreast of the continuous changes in this sector and take advantage of current opportunities you really need to have the highest quality staff on your team. Therefore if you want to find out how you can attract the top 1% of marketplace talent into your business please call for a no obligation discussion on +44 7793 526078 or Click Here to schedule an appointment directly with me to suit you.