Executive coach and CEO of Self Search Ghana, Sika Twum has said entrepreneurs must invest in their personal branding in order to attract the right talents to join their organisations.
Ms. Twum who was on the Citi Breakfast Show as part of the on air series for the Citi Business Festival said how start-up owners carry themselves about determines the kind of employees or business they are able to attract.
“There is something we call employer branding. Now possible employees are looking at who owns the start-up. They are researching into what the background of the owner is. For the individual who has set up his/her business, you need to look at your own branding and what is going out there about you,” she said.
According to Ms. Twum, the personal branding of the start-up owner plays a crucial part in the attraction of useful talent into his/her startup.
The Executive Coach further urged employers make a conscious effort to tap into the passion and talents, the intelligence of their employees
She argued that civilisation has evolved from an industrial age where the focus was on control and suppression of people’s potential to a knowledge worker age where the focus is more on creativity, innovation and ideas.
“Still, you have organisations where the industrial age of control is still being used. So, they are not maximizing the potential of the people they have,” she said.
Commenting on talent retention among start-ups, she said employers must focus on creating a work environment where employees are shown respect, love, and have their views listened to.
“So, if you have a work climate which is nurturing and open and respecting, people will want to stay there. Sometimes, what motivates people is not always money. Sometimes it is the relationship. And people will want to stay despite getting better offers elsewhere,” she added.
Ms. Twum said that employers must also accommodate some degree of flexibility for their employees. She stated that there has to be a degree of flexibility in the work design of employees which puts emphasis on results rather than control of talents.