Avant Healthcare contributed our insights to the February "Talent Strategies" e-book, developed by MM+M. Read our post below, and please click here to download the full issue.

The principal job of agencies like ours is to bridge the gap between how our clients are operating and their customers’ behaviors. This is the business of ideas. And ideas come from people. Recruiting and retaining good talent is existential to any agency.

The pandemic forced a reckoning of the integration between our professional and personal lives. It also made many question whether the journey for the next title or next promotion is actually worth the sacrifice that is often made on the home front. It’s painfully obvious that “work” has to work for our talent as well as our business.

I welcome the opportunity to reimagine the grand bargain that we make with our employees. It starts with treating people as people and not assets whose value is solely defined on an excel spreadsheet. It also has to be centered on a shared understanding of core values — we’ve abbreviated it as H4S. 

The first H is for “Healthy” — growth is key to any firm but it’s short-sighted to view it as strictly financial. Our jobs should never take away from the health of ourselves and our families. 

And in doing so it’s important that we act in an “Honorable” way, honest with our clients and colleagues. What is the point in having to deal with classless behavior and unnecessary workplace politics? With a healthy and honorable environment our people can stay focused on helping our clients achieve the best results. 

In this business we also must be “Hungry” for the next challenge and adventure that we take with our clients. At the same time, it’s important to remember that not one person makes or breaks a team. Remaining “Humble” and the recognition of the strength of people working together is far more important than individual accomplishment. 

Lastly, being “Smart” is about remaining relentlessly inquisitive to help our clients succeed. I wholeheartedly believe that centering any business around a shared set of values will not only create an atmosphere that attracts good talent and allows them to stay and flourish — but also drives value for both our employees and our clients.