How Purple Unicorns Will Enhance Organizational Development

Dave Sayers, Senior Director of Talent Development, at Cortland

If you stay up at night thinking about how to take Organizational Development programs and put them in your company — you’re not alone. While every HR extraordinaire wants an Organizational Development strategy in the organization, not every organization is equipped for an OD professional focus. And sometimes, you can rack your brain thinking about how to institute programs to enact change and create greater effectiveness by improving and reinforcing strategies, only to realize that employees are not ready for what an OD structure has to offer.

But as Walt Disney most eloquently shared, “You can design, create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality. “

So, when thinking of Organizational Development, think of people — people with resiliency to help you achieve success.

Every organization is looking to hire the best, brightest, and most talented employees. If you’re like most of us, we rely on a top-notch recruiting team to perform profile searches, screen hundreds of resumes and interview many candidates for a “pre-screen.” All in the hope of finding what can be affectionally referred to as a “Purple Unicorn.”

But what is a ”Purple Unicorn”?

This ideal and perfect candidate (and employee) has the right set of skills, qualifications, and experience for the role. This perfect-job-fit person with fantastically relevant work experience has a treasure chest brimming with applicable skills, a thirst for knowledge, and a vision to improve their role and potentially the entire organization.

Do they exist? Yes. They are just hard to find. In recruiting, it can feel harder to find than a gold Pokémon card.

Most of these top-tier talented individuals are very good at what they do, are already receiving what they need, and are competently comfortable with where they are in the workspace. They normally are not looking to make a change, and when they are finally ready to seek their next adventure, they are gone before you know it.

Companies must do two distinct things to thrive in this space. Attract new purple unicorns by doing more than recruiting and keep the purple unicorns within your organization by helping them develop to the next level. While there is no perfect science, I’d like to share six techniques you can do to help you grow and keep your “stable” full of purple unicorns.

Because there’s so much goodness to share, we’re going to break up this article into two parts. Part one will be about attracting Purple Unicorns, and Part Two will be about ways to develop your existing Purple Unicorns.

Part One - Attracting Purple Unicorns

Create Constant Awareness of Your Business

Awareness of your organization to the public, not just to candidates, makes a difference. What you do, what you value, how your employees are treated, and how you make an impact in the world can make a difference in attracting talent. Top talent wants to know that the organization they will work for makes a difference, and they want to know specifically how they can make a difference. When you market these things, your company stands out.

Consider What They May Be Considering

Technology puts job postings right at the fingertips of candidates, and with so many jobs to look through in various tech platforms, candidates will quickly review a job description to see how the job could be a fit. Because these postings are so quickly reviewed, challenge your traditional job posting and take the time to read it through the lens of the purple unicorn. Are you showing a list of tasks and duties that show the day-to-day, or are you adding curiosity, a sense of purpose, a challenge to resolve, and a path for growth?

Invest in Preboarding before Onboarding

We’ve all been there. We’ve found the ideal candidate, made the offer, and they’ve accepted! But remember this — even though they may not start for a couple weeks — the working relationship starts now. Purple Unicorns are being identified and sought after, and yes — it will happen. They may say yes to you and then get a very attractive offer from your competitor. And, before you know it, you’re right back to square one.

Develop a preboarding plan that encompasses your desire for the person to start with your company. This includes giving a representation of your company brand and values and showing your appreciation that they selected to come to work with you. A telephone call, a thank you card, flowers, a video breakdown of your benefits, a “Get to Know You” form or a little company swag can go a long way.

Give them the information they need to help ensure by the time their first day starts, they are already connected to the company vision.

Part Two - Oeveiopiny Purple Unicorns

Last month, we reflected and shared the importance of how building a great Organizational Development program starts with having the right employees to in which “develop.” In our last article (found here), we shared different ways to attract Purple Unicorns to your organization. 

Make Onboarding a Celebration

An employee’s first day at a new company can feel exciting and refreshing but can also become strenuous and downright nerve-racking. Keep in mind what that new employee is

thinking. This is even more so for a purple unicorn because they don’t have a need to move jobs as often. Just remember, during that car ride to the work location, they are asking themselves questions like...

• “I can do the job, but will the team like me?”

• “How well will this new job treat me?”

• “Will I be greeted when I arrive?”

• “What will my first day be like?”

• “Will I meet my supervisor today?”

• “Will the company be prepared for my start?”

• “Who will I meet with?”

• “What do I need to learn?”

Let’s put their minds at ease, so they can be their best self by celebrating their first day and then sprinkle more opportunities to celebrate them throughout their first 30 days. Here are some ways you can celebrate.

• Could you play a video from your owner, CEO, or department leader?

• Is the hiring manager available for your associate for a meet and greet?

• Can your new associate orientation also be equally a new associate celebration?

• Could you create a follow-up from your orientation with references and links to helpful resources and perks?

• Do you invite your new employee to post their new role on LinkedIn?

• Create a thank you card, and hand deliver.

• Can you decorate the office space where the new associate will be?

• Can you cheer people into the workspace when they arrive on their first day?

• Can you give them a tour of the office space and introduce them to more of the team?

• Can you involve other associates or teams to support the new associate on their first day to share more about their benefits options, set up their laptops, etc.?

• Can you share a message or photo with the team or organization to celebrate their 1st day?

• Can you plan lunch with the team to start building relationships and cohesion?

• Could you prepare an agenda for what their first day or first week will look like?

• Could you share your journey and what it is like to be a part of your organization?

Make Joining the Organization the Right Choice

High-engaging employees will want to capitalize on making an immediate impact. While this is extremely critical for their success, what’s equally important is that they are provided with a roadmap to success in their current role. No one, especially purple unicorns, wants to be left to their own devices without connection with their manager or the right training. Start by having a roadmap of what you want them to accomplish. This roadmap should identify people to meet, resources to review, and processes to be in the know of. Everything starts with proper training.

Map out their first week. Start with the end in mind by asking yourself what you want them to accomplish. Design n their first-week onboarding according to that answer. Then, do yourself a favor and map out their second week. Again, think about the end of the week and what you want them to accomplish.

Then, think about the next two weeks. At that point, you will have a full 30 days planned with at least three main goals to accomplish.

Create Loyalty through Engagement

Everyone appreciates recognition in their own way. This doesn’t need to come from celebrating every moment, but it can come easily from touch-base meetings, so they can share their own successes. This can come from what some call 1:1’s or check-ins and can be formally pronounced in setting specific goals and setting milestones. This can also happen by getting them involved in company teams, projects, or events. This allows the ability to give ideas while collaborating across departments.

And, to top things off — there’s nothing more critical than taking the time to get feedback you’re your Purple Unicorns. Surveys at career intervals allow you to hear from these employees at key times that impact their choices —allowing you to create actionable steps to keep your stable full.

Develop a Plan for Growth

Keeping Purple Unicorns engaged is what it’s all about, and by having a performance review process that includes identifying their growth potential and stellar performance (9 boxes), you can develop individualized plans for growth that support your succession plan and build your bench strength. You may have heard this statement before “Annual Performance Reviews are dead. “

So, there you have it! Easy accomplishable items for every HR extraordinaire can use to ensure that the humanity in Human Resources and Organizational Development is at the forefront of the many processes, procedures, and design elements we can normally spend our time on.

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