In a Dscoop.com session designed to prepare leaders for Edge Rockies, Claudia St. John, founder and CEO of The Workplace Advisors, tackles one of the most pressing challenges in print today: how to find and secure talent.
Rather than focusing only on recruiting tactics, she reframes the issue. Hiring may feel urgent, but long-term success hinges on something deeper — the systems, culture and leadership behaviors that shape whether employees stay and perform.
Claudia begins by grounding the conversation in labor market reality. The workforce has changed permanently, she points out. Demographic shifts, lower birth rates, early retirements and evolving employee expectations have created a structurally tighter labor market. Waiting for conditions to “go back to normal” is not a strategy. Instead, companies must compete more intentionally for talent, and that starts with clarity about what they truly need.
Claudia encourages leaders to move beyond generic job descriptions and rushed interviews. Instead, she emphasized defining success before posting a role: What outcomes does this position drive? What competencies truly matter? What behaviors align with company culture?
By tightening screening processes and aligning interview questions with performance indicators, companies can reduce costly mis-hires and increase confidence in their decisions, she says. Leaders who invest time upfront to assess candidates with greater accuracy ultimately save time, money and disruption later.
Still, recruitment is only half the equation. Claudia makes it clear that many organizations overemphasize sourcing while underinvesting in leadership development. Employees may join a company for opportunity, but they remain because of culture, clarity and connection.
Strong onboarding, clear expectations, feedback loops and empathy-driven supervision dramatically influence engagement. Organizations that train supervisors and build healthy communication habits gain a retention advantage that compounds over time.
This session underscores the big-picture point that hiring smarter, leading better and building cultures people want to belong to are operational imperatives. Her insights serve as a roadmap, reminding leaders that sustainable growth begins with how they value and develop their people.
