The perception of high unemployment resulting in an easier process of finding the right talent is the wrong way to approach our current economic environment. There is a good chance your company has fewer resources to source and assess talent, just as your CFO requires that less investment in talent acquisition is the imperative of the day. The reality is more talent is streaming and directed at your organization with fewer resources to manage resulting in a inefficient process and poor results.

And though there are many highly qualified executive talent on the market seeking opportunity today, we have to wonder and desire access to those asked to remain and guide their companies through our current economic condition.

Your company requires executive Q Talent - either today or at some point in the future and if you want to successfully compete through quality execution, you need quality executive talent to make it happen. So what do we do to source, assess and hire.

• Align executive Q Talent needs with your business model needs - short and long term
• Invest in internal/external resources to help source executive Q Talent relationships
• Put programs in place to source executive Q Talent relationships ahead of demand - build a bench so you are ready to move when the conditions are right

Today is the greatest time to source and establish executive Q Talent relationships.

Realize it and make the investment today to insure your success tomorrow.

For executives, depending on our networks is still the best way to find an opportunity, however they do face dilemmas in networking to find the right opportunity.

• Companies are barraged with resumes and executive profiles from all directions
• Companies are understaffed in HR and in the Executive ranks to effectively deal with the flow
• Companies are working to manage costs and do not rely on external staffing resources as much as they have in the past

Companies face a different set of dilemms when searching for executive talent.

• Their perception that talent is widely available causes pause and loss of quality talent they meet
• Reliance on management resources to source and hire executive talent puts a strain on day to day execution and limits talent reach
• Managing the talent delivery process is a consultative process that requires time and skill - would you turn over a valued executive selling process to someone who has not sold much in the past?

Dealing with these dilemmas successfully require that executive talent and companies create a complete strategic plan to solve the dilemma before executing.

Executive talent should build a plan to network just as they would plan to sell, build or market a product. If you are an executive in Finance of Human Resources, partner with executives with selling. marketing and development skills to create your strategy before executing.

Companies in need of executive talent need to quantify the value of hiring by time and skill. Be specific and realistic. If not sure if your parameters are realistic be willing to bring in a consultant to help test your thoughts and then listen. Don’t get caught up in your own answers, remain open, listen to your tests and react accordingly. The same way you run your company.

These are unique times and require we search for opportunities and executive talent in new ways, not always different from processes successfully used in the past just different from our high flying, low unemployment, we can change the world days. Those days will be with us again and until they are be prepared to solve the search dilemma differently.

Every visitor and there are thousands daily is a user, buyer or influencer of Dell product. In Dell’s rush to find value by sqeezing cost out of the supply chain through short cuts, inexpensive off shore support and pride at beating vendors out of ‘almost’ every cent of profit, the company has commoditized itself to low profit margins and a shrinking base of buyers. Today it appears the company faces the opportunity of their corporate life - position value as a service and thrive. How will the company respond?

The market wants service. The buyer wants to know they will buy a product that works well and will be fixed quickly when it doesn’t. Dell believed and practiced these principles in the early 90’s but somewhere along the path managing costs became the mantra. And not just Dell, a number of companies manage profits this way, and while profit margins shrink customers leave.

I write for two reasons. One, I’ve used Dell from the beginning and sadly based on the issues described above am leaving for a more innovative, trust worthy and yes ‘expensive’ product. And two, maybe someone will read and pass along…I doubt it and have no horse in the race, I just want to see Dell succeed and believe they have an opportunity if they grab it now - not later, now.

I heard the phrase ‘running hot’ used for business the first time in 1998. We had started an internet ASP, had a great name and had acquired a large number of eye balls - visitors. Uniquely we were charging and receiving money for our solution. A Board Member suggested it was time to run hot, that is to bring in more investment dollars and increase the spend on marketing and sales.

Venture money was available but required a detailed plan on how exactly the money would be spent and how we would increase revenue with a specific date to become profitable. With the plan in place we were successful at ‘running hot’ we took the company International. At times, borrowing dollars to fuel growth works.

Our government is borrowing and investing large amounts of money intended to drive and rebound our economy - ‘running hot’. Our deficit is rapidly rising and unlike the Venture inestment that is written off due to failure, the dollars the government borrows must be repaid. And so they may, at least we all hope so. The elephant in the room is the question, exactly how do we pay the debt back? What is the specific plan? As business leaders we must ask the question just as we would for our own businesses. And if the answer is not complete or if it doesn’t make common sense we should react accordingly and fire those who put us in this situation.

Our ethics problems run much deeper. The leaders of the financial system are not the only ones, they simply got caught. Look to our politicians for instance, they are barely trusted at the congrssional and senate level and our President has won a popularity contest that may or may not hold. We’ll see as we judge the ‘ethics’ of his administration…in hindsight of course.

But these are symptoms of a larger problem. We don’t teach ethics well anymore at our schools and in many of our homes. Capitalism cannot thrive unless it is based on strong sthics and for a number of reasons we have lost ours. As executives, it is imperative we create and nurture cultures that value integrity, honesty, doing the right thing even if it means a smaller profit or the loss of a client. If we don’t the government will try to position itself as big brother regulator insuring business follow the right path. Is this path necessary? Is it the right path? We need to pay attention today and build businesses that do business the right way  - ethically.

I moved piles from under the big scales they used to weigh the cattle and from around water troughs where they drank. It was dirty hard work and became a great motivation to get a college degree and move to the city. As I reflected on that time I remembered the reward of a job completed, of seeing my work- moved piles. The job did not matter one iota in the scheme of things but needed to be done and I was chosen to complete the task, so I did and I’ll not forget the positive feeling at the end of the day. The ‘67 Camero I bought the next summer was the icing on the cake.

As executives we have important jobs that touch many people and at times we get wrapped in the importance of it all. Take a step back and remember that no matter what you do, you are moving piles. Take a look at the end of the day everyday, no matter the work and find a sense of reward in the completion of tasks. And remember, whoever is moving whatever pile, respect their work and applaud their accomplishment. They are just as important as you…in the scheme of all things that is.

The coral in the rough sea is the strongest and brightest.

My first mentor in business taught me that dealing with the rough seas head on makes one stronger, better and that is what is happening to us all. I challenge and invite all to particpate. I don’t like our situation but let’s take the challenges head-on.

Kneading the Dough. Yep, a number of people need work to make money and the numbers may increase. If you need dough - go to work and knead the dough. If you are unemployed, find a problem - anywhere and go to work solving it - knead the dough. Volunteer to non-profits, help your friends, help your church, help your schools, help your community, do what you do - find answers. The money will come. Great companies will start from ideas created and executed on today. This is a great time to work - on everything.

Knead the Dough? Find problems and solve them…the rest will work itself out.

The reality of these times affect us all and frankly now is a good time to say hello. Think about the people you frequently encounter - do you know them? Take the time to say hello by inviting them for a cup of coffee. Take the time to get to know them and in tun they will get to know you.

In the end relationships matter. Say hello today.

In this climate it is important, very important we focus on what we ‘hope’ to be certain. And we ‘hope’ for economic recovery in the near term. If this is our focus - our certainty, what can we do as executives to ensure success as the market rebounds? We are presented with a window of opportunity to increase marketshare by positively branding our companies and there are many ways we can accomplish. There is one that will and can instantly change how you are perceived in the market. Brand your company with positive, optimistic and gracious messages at your career website immediately.

Steps to take…

1. Check the stats. Ask your web team for the number of unique vistors coming to your careers page. Bet the number has increased over the past few months…and with closer examination you will discover these unique  visitors leave before taking any action. Why? Who are they? They are your customers, your competitors, analysts/pundits and interested parties in your space. Recognize that a number are future talent, strategic technology partners, distribution channel partners, market influencers and clients for your company and how well you treat them today will reflect on your relationship tomorrow.

2. Welcome them like a visitor to your home. People expect to be treated poorly when visiting a career website. Many companies do an excellent job of providing company information, describing culture, etc which is good, but this is an opportunity to build a deeper relationship of value which is accomplished with honest words and a timely response. For example, does your career site thank people for visiting? Does it describe the value you understand and appreciate from their visit? Do you provide a path for ‘conerned working talent’ to enter into a confidential relationship? Are you taking advantage of these times to create a private interactive community?

Project 6 months - 6 years from now and ask yourself the question what if? What if we would have taken advantage of the market downturn to create the private community H. Stringer wrote about in 2009? Where would we be today? Would we have identified, qualified talent, sales leads, strategic partnership leads? What if?

Creating private communities of talent has been a deep passion of mine for many years and as I have written many times was the heart of Hire.com, the company I helped create. With reported unemployment in California exceeding 10% and a 7.5% average across the United States, today is the time, maybe the best time in our history to build valued private communities of talent. Whether talent is out of work or just checking to be prepared, they are coming to your website and they are checking you careers section.

There are companies today strategically focused and executing this branding strategy that will reflect on the positive value of their execution in the near and long term while their competitors will continue to ask themselves what if, wishing they would have. Which are you?

But the business is transforming. The CEO of Heidrick and Struggles, the world’s largest search firm outlines his firms plans (here) to reduce search from 95% to 50% of revenue over the next few years. That’s about a $300m revenue drop to be made up with assessment and retention consulting work.

Based on the fact Mr. Kelley states, that 40% of executives last less than 18 months in an executive role he may have a very valid point. But maybe not. Would it be too far fetched to think we’ve just come out of Internet, Y2K, housing and whatever other bubble and execs just moved from one company to another to increase comp? Or maybe the companies exploded with their respective bubbles and the executives were forced to look elsewhere. Could be wrong, but based on our recent experience as a society and the dollars about to be poured into an expanding government sector, a long career and a gold watch may become the opportunity of high value.

And yes, Internet access and speed transforms the executive search model…in interesting and exciting ways I might add - stay tuned