The Resourcing Services team deal with multiple clients and contractors daily. As one of the largest IT contracting services organisations in Ireland, we are often asked opinions on a contractor (whether they would be a good fit), their performance (of course), and what extra benefit they might bring to the role.
On the contracting side of the business, our contractors ask us how an organisation might enhance their CV (nothing says success like a great project on the CV), how the organisation treats contractors (as a valued team member or tool to get the job done), and the duration of the contract.
As advisors to our clients and contractors alike, we often encourage individuals to reflect upon their perceptions. For example – when moving house, some people may perceive it to be extremely stressful when others view it as an exciting, fresh start. An identical situation can be perceived completely differently depending on which way you perceive it to be.
When assessing a contractor, we would always invite our clients to consider the following:
- What is the current perception of your organisational needs?
- How do you feel about this change? (Is it positive, negative or creating stress?).
- After identifying your current perception of a situation, what can you do to move this towards a “solution-focused” outcome?
When reviewing this exercise with clients, we sometimes see either additional requests come to light or a scaled-down version of the request. Regardless of the outcome – reflection upon your perception is key. This approach is also vital when seeking organisational wide approval. With multiple stakeholders, it is worthwhile understanding what the perceptions are and how you can steer these towards the same outcome you are moving towards.
With great power…..
We understand that organisations move fast and there are times when there is no time to reflect – it’s all action, action, action! There is a huge amount of responsibility on the leaders within teams. We are often too busy to reflect on the course of action that we take. It is a case of jumping and hoping you land on your feet. This is never a winning strategy long term. In the most extreme case, organisations often make the wrong hire in the wrong place or follow an incorrect strategy.
If you have limited time (which many of us suffer from), a straightforward planning session will help. We facilitate Discovery Sessions for clients with a clear need to see the long term strategy. This session can take place in your offices or ours. Our expert team cut through the noise, asking the questions that are most likely to reveal the real gaps in organisational structures, which will empower our team to source and place the best contracting resources to suit the client needs.