Talent Search Strategies: Why Casting a Wide Net Works

The Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Industry Advisor regularly shares a collection of industry news and thought leaders that catch my eye. This was once again the case on the first Monday of March when it shared an article originally published in EHS magazine by Senior Editor Adrienne Selko. In a training and engagement piece titled, “Call It What You Want, but DEI is Really a Talent Strategy,” Selko writes of an author who has just published a new book, “Essential.” As I appreciate the writings of others, I applaud Selko for her succinct overview of the work of Christie Smith, PhD, former vice president of inclusion & diversity at consumer electronics giant Apple and founder of The Humanity Studio.

Intent on always writing with an audience-first focus, I’m sharing elements of Selko’s article and Smith’s book which seem easily transferable, even essential, for equipment dealers and the ag industry overall. Perhaps you’re part of an expanding equipment dealer needing to shore up service teams, a growing tech firm who snags a huge client requiring added staff, or a shortline manufacturer expanding a product line and facing a skills gap — any one of these scenarios is not only likely but could leave a company in a world of hurt if unprepared to cast a wide net for new workers.

Is it time for your team to rev up its talent search tactics?

Smith cautions that this is hardly the time to move away from inclusive recruitment. You’d almost think she knows, as we all do, how very real the struggle has been for equipment dealers to find, attract, train and retain techs, and more so now, IT/tech-minded staff to keep up with the increasing demands from customers and manufacturers to keep up or close up. Casting a wider net is key to gaining and maintaining a competitive advantage.

“When we look at the skill scarcity as well as the half-life of skills, combined with the economic impact of low employee engagement, we are at a crisis situation in the workplace,” contends Smith. Zeroing in on a business’ revenue and growth goals, the article draws attention to the demographic changes happening across the country, and the diversity that comes with newer generations. Selko adds that these groups are the fastest growing segment of fractional workers. She points to Smith’s observation and inquiry: “These are workers who are fine with not joining a major corporation and are building their own companies,” Smith says. “Are companies going to risk their competitive advantages by ignoring the values of diversity, equity and inclusion and not attract these workers?”

With an emphasis on ways leadership struggles with how to manage its talent strategy, Selko notes that Smith offers “a framework to revitalize leadership skills,” and shared other insights and recommendations Smith presented in her book.

Wherever your dealership or ag business is in the recruitment arena, Smith’s wisdom seems well worth the share. Here, then, final thoughts from Christie Smith, author of “Essential.”

Reflecting on 40 years in the workforce, Smith recalls how often she was challenged to make a business case for diversity, equity and inclusion. To that she offers: “If you have humans in the workplace, and you need humans in the workplace, that’s the business case. When I was at Apple, as a DEI officer, our mission statement was that it was everyone’s job to bring everyone in. That was a necessity to be able to bring in the largest pool of talent that we could get.”

“We need leaders who are more human and can manage the complexity of all these issues with the humans who are in their organizations,” according to Smith. She addresses the value of keeping employees engaged once they are on the payroll, which is becoming an increasing area of focus in an era when so many employees in that fractional worker segment are inclined to develop independent businesses to get out from under the often stifling and inflexible, corporate confines. Emotional maturity, she contends, often sorely lacking in leadership, has been shown to be another reason employees leave to seek greener pastures.

Selko identifies the value of Smith’s work in concise and impactful fashion, writing: “The book discusses a leadership flywheel built around emotional maturity that has leaders suspending self-interest and having a mindset of absolute service. And part of that service perspective is being able to see the context in which employees join their companies and understand their needs. Compassion and empathy must come into play.”

“While companies consider these soft skills, I would call them power skills,” says Smith. “And we need to use those skills to make sure that we architect teams that enable people to live up to their highest potential at work.”

In an industry certain to see its share of challenges in 2025, ag industry insiders can learn and leverage these lessons to bolster their teams by engaging smart strategies to secure talent for the road ahead. I’m grateful to have come across these words of wisdom, and for the opportunity to share it for the “How to Find and Keep Talent” file to help equipment dealerships and related ag industry businesses strong.