About the Guest(s):

Toby Barnes is a seasoned expert in talent acquisition with over 32 years of experience in the field. He has held significant roles at prominent organizations like Rolls Royce, Google, Transport for London (TfL), and Travis Perkins. Toby's career spans public and private sectors, covering companies of various sizes, from startups to those with over 300,000 employees. Throughout his career, he has facilitated growth through strategic talent management and has deep insights into automation and the integration of technology in recruitment.

Jeff Lackey

Jeff Lackey is the host of the podcast "Growing Your Business With People" and the founder of JKL Advisors. Leveraging his extensive background in HR and recruiting for major corporations, Jeff provides invaluable advice to CEOs on optimizing their people strategies. His career includes significant stints at CVS Health, where he utilized advanced analytics and tech to enhance the recruitment process.

Episode Summary:

In this enlightening episode, host Jeff Lackey engages with talent acquisition expert Toby Barnes to discuss the intersections of HR, automation, and business growth. They dive deeply into how CEOs can effectively integrate their HR and TA leaders into strategic discussions, ensuring that talent acquisition aligns seamlessly with overarching business goals.

The conversation unpacks several key considerations, such as understanding the market availability of talent, the importance of nurturing personal connections during automation, and the critical role of authentic leadership in maintaining company culture during transitions. They also elucidate how automation can enhance efficiency by removing mundane tasks, allowing employees to focus on more meaningful work. The poignant anecdotes about lessons learned from high-stakes hiring decisions and strategic pivots in well-known organizations serve as invaluable guidance for those at the helm of growing companies.

Key Takeaways:

Integration of HR in Strategy: CEOs should involve HR and TA leaders early in strategic planning to align talent acquisition with business goals efficiently.

Value over Cost in Hiring: Evaluate the ROI of new hires in terms of long-term value rather than short-term cost, particularly for strategic roles.

Leveraging Automation: Use AI and automation to eliminate repetitive tasks, thus allowing human capital to focus on meaningful, engaging work that drives business growth.

Authentic Leadership: Ensure leaders embody the company’s values genuinely to maintain cultural integrity and employee engagement.

Tailored Candidate Experiences: Customize recruitment processes to fit the target profile, ensuring automation enhances rather than replaces the human touch.

Notable Quotes:

"If you're making decisions around automation, make sure you don't lose that cultural strength, that legacy knowledge." - Toby Barnes

"You need to bring Ta HR people officer in right at the beginning of these things." - Toby Barnes

"The person we're bringing in to do this could actually put something like $500 million on the bottom line in their first year." - Senior Executive at a Tech Company

"Think really hard about what you're gaining in terms of the way the human capital you have, the way that intellect can be used better." - Toby Barnes

"It's not just about efficiency, it's about meaningful work." - Toby Barnes

Resources:

Google Careers

Rolls Royce Careers

Transport for London (TfL)

Paradox AI

Surveil

Sevenstep RPO