Finding The Best Talent

Bob Poline is a Real Estate Recruiter for over 41 years specializing in placing professionals in shopping centres and mixed-use projects worldwide. The Retail People Magazine had the opportunity to interview Bob and shared his insights when hiring the best talent for the organization.

BOB POLINE

President BOB POLINE ASSOCIATES, INC.

When hiring new talent, the interviewing company will always start with high expectation levels.

The list below is a great place to begin. Reviewing this list, the best candidates will have ready answers to all points raised in this article. Proper preparation provides for perfect presentations.

Focusing on key required attributes with an effective evaluation process is paramount. Here are the essential criteria for picking a successful candidate:

Integrity – Perhaps the most fundamental attribute. It fosters trust which drives productivity.

Emotional Intelligence – The capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. Emotional intelligence is the ability to improve the connection between how we feel and how we act.

Passion – A person’s passion sets the tone. It creates positive energy and fosters highly motivated teams.

Empathy – The ability to tune into others is so critical. Another fundamental trust driver which creates positive energy and motivates others to strive and thrive.

Flexibility – Those who can roll with the punches are more successful. They adapt to varied situations and the needs and demands of other team members.

Judgement – A good employee makes sound and timely decisions. Balancing problem-solving with long-range strategic thinking is the ultimate goal.

Vision – A visionary employee who clearly and passionately communicates his or her vision can motivate others to act with passion and purpose, thereby ensuring that everyone is working toward a common goal. The result is that everyone contributes to the organization’s forward momentum.

Positive Attitude - A positive environment will yield a more engaged and productive workforce. Inspiring confidence and enthusiasm are exceedingly impactful.

Self-Awareness – Strong candidates are aware of their own strengths and weaknesses. They do not hesitate to admit if they do not have the answers or do not have the experience with something. They also rely on members of their team and their complementary skills. Strong employees are humble and happy to learn from those around them.

Accountability – A strong candidate holds themselves, each team member, and the team as a collective accountable for their actions. This inspires others to do the same, resulting in higher-quality work. To hold the team accountable, employees understand that they must equip their team with the tools to do their job effectively and efficiently.

Nothing drives a company more than an inspirational, supportive, empowering team member. A strong individual can make a large difference in how a company operates and how the members of a team can work together toward the same goal. With strong leadership, a workforce can expect employees to be happy with and fulfilled by their work, and for there to be a level of trust among coworkers. Strong key employees connect a team through a common purpose and build relationships in the workplace that allow for effective communication, more creativity, and better problem-solving skills.

MECS+R BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2020-2022

MECS+R is proud to introduce our Board of Directors for the year 2020-2022. Let’s hear out what they have learned in 2020 and what are their expectations for the year 2021.

Eng. Wail M. Balkhair

MECS+R Board President SAUDI ARABIA

2020 Learnings

Whatever the challenges: (1) Define/re-define your goals according to the situation, (2) Think/re-think your methods to get there, (3) Stay positively focus.

2021 Expectations

Heading towards new methods of retail, as what we learned from 2020, there are always better and more efficient ways to do business. Those that learned their lesson, will prevail.

Kamel Shaban

CEO, SOLO MECS+R Board Vice President UAE

2020 Learnings

Plans don’t always go as planned and 2020 has shown us how the companies have to be dynamic in different aspects and has proven how important online channels are.

2021 Expectations

My expectation is the market will start recovering from the second quarter of 2021 as the vaccine is being distributed and the fear factor will start to get eliminated.

Juby Jose

Head of Marketing & Specialty Leasing - Dalma Mall MECS+R Board Treasurer UAE

2020 Learnings

The dynamics of the retail industry can change at any time. So it is best to be prepared and geared up for the storm because we know the storm will pass by. 2021 Expectations

There is always light at the end of the tunnel. I’m very optimistic about overall growth and spike in the retail sector and the reason for believing so are many.

Alessandro Gaffuri

CEO & Founder, CELS Group MECS+R Board Member UAE 2020 Learnings

We have learned that regardless how confident we are about the future, efficiency is key to strive and survive. 2021 Expectations

The increase in online sales in the past decade and the recent boost due to Covid restrictions, might have finally awakened some mall owners, developers and managers. It is never too late to discover the right way to get out of a tough situation. Following the online giants is not the answer, creating favourite meeting places for the community is the only choice for malls to survive. Places where good food, art, entertainment, and edutainment have the same power of attraction of shopping related activities. 2021 might seem as tough as 2020, but it is time to think and plan for the future.