Sell the Journey: A Better Way to Close Your Skills Gap

Every company I work with eventually hits the same wall: the skills gap. The people who can do the specialized work are scarce, expensive, and know exactly how valuable they are. They have options, they make good money, and to a large degree they get to make their own rules. So the natural response is to open the checkbook and try to win them with a bigger number.

I’d urge you not to. When I’m interviewing someone with a hot set of skills and the conversation is all about money, I walk away. Here’s why: people you hire for more money will leave for more money. They’re not committed to you—they’re committed to the highest bid. Get into a bidding war and you’re not competing for talent; you’re feeding the very problem draining your organization. The person who comes to you for a raise today is gone the moment a competitor offers another one tomorrow.

So what do you compete on instead? Your journey. Look for the people who buy into where you’re going—who understand your goals and want to be part of them. Sell what’s genuinely special about your company and the road you’re on.

When I say this, a lot of owners get stuck. They think a “journey” has to mean building the next Amazon or Apple. It doesn’t. Your journey is simply being who you are, defined by you and no one else. Say your aim is to be the best new-construction residential plumber in your area. That’s an honorable journey. You pick the area. You set the limits. There’s no peer pressure and no one else’s scoreboard. Then you sell that vision to the people you hire, and they get to buy in or not. The ones who do are aligned with you from day one—you all know where you’re headed, and the only conversation left is how to get there together.

This matters more than most leaders realize, especially with younger workers. Many are worn out by big corporations—the bureaucracy, being just a number, never seeing what part they actually play. They’re looking for a smaller operation that’s growing, or one that gives back to its community. If that’s you, say so. It’s a genuine advantage.

That still leaves the skills gap itself, and here’s the counterintuitive part. Stop hunting for the exact, ready-made skill set. It’s far easier to find a person with strong character and train them for skill than to find someone who already has the precise skills you need—and hope they also have the character. Character you can’t teach; skills you can. And don’t overlook the people already on your payroll. Take the good employees you have and make them great. Give them new skills, offer more opportunity, and deliberately raise their value to the organization. You solve your skills gap and your retention problem at the same time.

But none of it works if your people can’t see the point. When I start with a company, one of the first things I check is how many employees actually understand the strategic vision—and, more importantly, how they personally help make it happen. Almost always, the vast majority don’t. The reason is simple: companies talk about vision in vague, general terms and never tie it to the individual. They don’t connect what a person does every day to how the organization succeeds and what that person gets out of it. Draw those three dots together—daily work, company success, personal benefit—and you supercharge your workforce. That’s people and profits pulling in the same direction, and it’s the whole game.

Four Ways to Close the Gap Without a Bidding War

1. Walk away from money-only candidates. If a skilled prospect is only talking dollars, take it as a signal. People hired for money leave for money. Compete on your vision and your journey, not on being the highest bidder.

2. Define your journey and sell it. Write down, in plain terms, what your company is trying to become—no Amazon required. Put it in front of every candidate so the people who share it can opt in and the rest can opt out.

3. Hire for character, train for skill. Stop holding out for the perfect, pre-built skill set. Screen hard for character and integrity, then build the skills you need in-house—and grow your existing good employees into great ones.

4. Connect the dots for every employee. Don’t assume people see the vision. Show each person, specifically, how their daily work drives the company’s success and how that success benefits them. That link is what turns a job into a mission.

The skills gap won’t close by outspending your competitors. It closes when the right people—people of character who believe in where you’re going—can see exactly how they fit. Sell the journey, and the talent follows.

About the Author

Clark A. Ingram is the Founder and President of People Profits, LLC, which focuses on the three greatest human capital problems affecting organizations: employee turnover, chronically open positions, and skills gap. He consults with a spectrum of companies and has consistently reduced turnover by more than 40 percent in the first year and achieved staffing at more than 90 percent. His new book is Churn: Proven Strategies to Overcome Failing Conventional Talent Management and Achieve Zero Turnover 1.