The Talent War

Mike Sarraille is CEO of EF Overwatch, an executive search and talent advisory firm. He is also a senior leadership instructor with Echelon Front. He is a former Recon Marine and US Navy SEAL officer, with more than twenty years of experience in Special Operations, including the elite Joint Special Operations Command. Mike Sarraille is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Stanford University, and Texas A&M University.

George Randle is managing partner at EF Overwatch, and the head of global talent acquisition at Forcepoint, a cybersecurity company. He has more than twenty years of experience in talent acquisition for Fortune 100 and Fortune 1,000 businesses, and served in the US Army for twenty years. He is a graduate of Missouri State University and Yale University.

Whether you realize it or not, the winning formula for any business is to attract and retain the best people, and use them wisely. The world is changing, new technology is emerging, and the marketplace is evolving, but to survive and thrive, you really only need to focus on one key resource — having people who will figure out a way through, under, or around any obstacles you face.

To excel today, you have to have a robust talent acquisition and development plan that looks something like this:

1. The war for talent. The Special Operations communities in the armed services are one of the world's most effective magnets for great talent. They are obviously doing something right, and businesses would be crazy to ignore how they attract and develop their talent. Learn how to attract talent the way Special Operations do and you'll win the war for talent.

2. Preparing for war. The only way you can win the war for talent is to have a great talent acquisition and development plan. It will need to have four solid components:

3. Going to war. Make the hiring process a decisive battlefield where your organization gets ahead. Set up a Talent Acquisition Plan that applies the best principles which Special Operations have acquired over the years. Remember that character is always best revealed at one's limits so incorporate pressure tests into your talent acquisition and development plan. Make your people your true competitive advantage.

1. Whether you realize it or not, the winning formula for any business is to attract and retain the best people, and use them wisely.
2. Have a Talent Acquisition Plan, so you can make your people your true competitive advantage.

The Talent War is a good book about business leadership. Authors Mike Sarraille and George Randle both have years of experience in Special Operations Forces, and they make the point the best talent wins as much in business as it does in war. Technology is great, but it's people who figure out the answers to whatever challenges you may face. Whoever can attract and keep the best people will always win over the long haul.

I particularly liked their points that you should hire for character, and then upskill the people you get. They also point out Special Ops challenge their people right from the get-go, and believe that it's in the crucible of high pressure situations that good people shine through. The idea of combining training with challenges appeals in a business setting, but it's hardly ever done.

Business books written by ex-military personnel are a genre in and of themselves, but this book is very practical and down-to-earth. As HR guru Tom Lokar notes, "Why is talent so important? Because it can change the business trajectory. Few things can change the trajectory like building a great team." Win the talent war and everything else will follow.