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Four Lessons to Winning the Talent War

Sridhar Ramakrishnan
Founder & CEO-Milibo
Friday, July 26, 2013
Sridhar Ramakrishnan
Milibo, headquartered in Tracy, California is an invitation only network of top echelon of technology leaders and professionals worldwide for richer learning, mentoring, and business opportunities.

In Silicon Valley, not a day goes by without some mention of the “war for talent” that rages as companies (startup and giants) outdo each other in their quest to hire the best. But if it is a war we are interested in winning, should we not start by listening to that age-old master Sun Tzu? Here is what he said:
“One hundred victories in one hundred battles are not the most skillful. Seizing the enemy without fighting is the most skillful.”

An example of an organization that wins the talent war “without fighting” is America – yes, the country. It is remarkable that the most productive nation in the history of mankind was engineered not by attracting the wealthy, the powerful, the intellectual, or “the best and the brightest” from foreign lands. In fact, America conspicuously eschewed the elite as Emma Lazarus reminds us in the inscription on the Statue of Liberty "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" America was slowly and painstakingly built over generations by attracting the ordinary “doers of deeds.” Indeed, Alexis de Tocqueville attributes America’s success in attracting immigrants to its shores to its twin promises of equality of opportunity and inequality of outcomes. Labor and effort are lauded and rewarded, not pedigree or titles.

Here are my key takeaways for organizations seeking to attract talent based on the story of America.

Lesson #1: Promote Autonomy & Decentralization

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