Porter Bilger & Associates, LLC

Talent. Talent. Talent.   No mater what type of organization you have – it all comes down to people.  And in today’s world, the people around you need to be more entrepreneurial, innovative, and adaptive to change.   While working with Start-up companies the last 5-years, our team saw clear characteristics which always put a company or organization over the top.  These characteristics included:

• Creators - the ability to forge a path and develop the process vs. following one.
• Flexibility – the wiliness to quickly adapt and change course as needed.
• Passion – a deep respect and passion for the pain and/or problem they are trying to solve. 
• Broad business experience – individuals who are good generalist, worked in an entrepreneurial environment, as well as in different types of organizations.
• Rapid assessment skills - the ability to sort thru information, experiences and data points, understanding a situation, business, or organization quickly.
• Highly developed communication skills- vital skills to get the support, cooperation, and compliance of clients, members and/or various personalities.

When building a team, coalition, or a group of advisors – look for these characteristics.  This is a time for all effective organizations to be surrounded by entrepreneurial talent who have these experiences and traits.

I was having coffee with someone the other day and our conversation began to focus on the fact that companies and non-profits in our region of the country are reluctant to engage talent outside their organization.   The conversation turned to the fact that there seems to be a mentality within several organizations that “we can do it ourselves.”    Is this a financial issue?   Is this a control issue?   Or is it a trust issue?

Financially, outsourcing has proven to be cheaper in most cases.  So, is it a control or trust issue?  Maybe.   The bottom-line though, is that outsourcing enables organizations to tap into talent you may not be able to otherwise afford.   In addition, outsourcing often results in bringing expertise and innovation into your organization.

 As a starting point, you should consider outsourcing if a task is:

• repetitive (HR services, accounting, etc),
• requires an expertise you don’t have on staff, 
• project based, or
• requires a lot of time away from your core business.

  So, look outside.   The sun will shine on some amazing talent.

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