Nimbility

The word “nimbility” is not in the dictionary. I know because I invented it 15 years ago in a presentation to a client about how to become more nimble in their ability to hire the best talent. A Google search today will find that other people are using that term, but I probably can’t cry foul or plagiarism.  It is just a logical conclusion reached independently by people who never allow a conventional vocabulary to interfere with communicating an idea. Nimbility is different from nimbleness which is a little too passive for my tastes. Nimbility implies an active attempt at moving more quickly toward a solution. Nimbility is the product of a nimble mind that brings ideas into the real world in order to make immediate impact without stumbling and fumbling through a bureaucratic morass. It is the opposite is stumbility and fumbility. It is cutting through the crap to untie us from red tape.

In its original context, I had to put my engineering brain to work on solving the problem of a two week lag time between the end of a recruiting campaign and extending an offer to someone. If the interview process had taken several weeks, it was quite possible that the time between interview and offer could be up to a month. For rare technical talent with both availability and interest, that was an unpardonable sin. There were some aspects of the process that were totally under the control of the local East Coast office, but all offer approvals had to be signed off by the division head on the West Coast. It might as well have been on a planet in a different galaxy. By actual count, an offer proposal had to go through 23 inboxes before being approved. No offers were ever denied at this highest level so this fact bullhorned the message that it was simply a show of importance and not for any decision making prowess on the part of any executive.

Corporate staffing is beleaguered with administrivia. Some aspects of the hiring process need to be carefully administered because of compliance reasons, but for the most part there are two categories of bureaucracy that highlight totally unnecessary time wasting: Micromanaging details of the process and lack of authority to act at the front lines. Both of these problems indicate a lack of trust, or training, or both. The solutions are simple but not easy.

• Methods Development – In any situation in which there is an expectation of timely results, someone has to define the objective and describe in detail the key steps to get there. Nimbility requires that the definition of the stages toward completion does not dictate the process of executing these steps in boring and gory detail, but allows for the freedom to make choices necessary to expedite the process. To insure that flexibility does not go rogue, the definition of a major deviation to the process must also be delivered along with the approved protocol to let everyone know where the line is drawn for out of compliance actions.
• Training – If that dusty bookshelf and its first cousin the unopened electronic document could talk, they would tell you that Nimbility advocates are their only friends. The process needs to be drilled into recruiters and other key players like soldiers training for combat. Their action/reaction time must be automatic and questions referred to an immediately available reference, the documented methods. Periodic spot training as a refresher course and feedback analysis keeps this a living, breathing, dynamic process.
• Delegation – If there is a prescribed protocol and trained experts to carry out that plan, Nimbility demands that the authority to make decisions be made by those at the lowest level. Responsibility to deliver results and accountability for actions can be bound together at this level since the consultation of subject matter experts went into creating that protocol. Informing all other stakeholders comes automatically if the methodology is sound. The bottom line is that if recruiters or other personnel at this level can’t be trusted to make such decisions, fire them and hire some who can.
• Transparency – Nimbility has no secrets. All decisions are made in the glaring light of truth and all stakeholders, including the candidates that are the reason for this process, can have access to information relevant or important to them. Of course this part has to come with a no-fault clause that mistakes are visible as well. Corrective action provides meaningful feedback to the process, not an excuse for public verbal scourging for failure. Sometimes things just don’t work out… C’est la vie! Get over it and move on.

Even the best recruiting operations can be improved. Bottleneck removal and bureaucratic red tape are the enemies of Nimbility, so attacking the problem areas will reduce turnaround time, trim expenses, improve morale, and facilitate a positive candidate experience. How much Nimbility do you add to your organization? Are you the solution or part of the problem?

 
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