Leaders x On-demand talent: The top 10 scenarios

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Jem Hecht

3 min read
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There is no question that leaders are facing into more change and disruption than ever before.

With this comes the need for greater team agility and the ability to augment your team quickly and easily.

More leaders are embracing the concept of a blended team. A blended team involves two components: the core team of employees who deliver “always on” capabilities and capacity, and the talent bench who are engaged on-demand as required.

These are the 10 scenarios that we most commonly see leaders tapping into their talent bench and accessing on-demand talent.

Your team is at capacity
When a team is stretched to the limit, leaders will bring in an extra pair of hands to help deliver important priorities. This ability to flex up in peak periods preserves the team’s wellbeing and ensures that critical work is delivered. 

You’re looking for a specialist skillset
Leaders will often need specific capabilities some of the time but not all of the time. On-demand talent is the perfect solution in order to access deep expertise and specialised skills when they are required and leave them on the bench when it’s not.  

The project is outcome-based
If paying for results rather than hours suits your project or budget, a fixed cost project can be appealing. On-demand talent will scope the needs, identify clear milestones and deliverables and provide a costed proposal.  

You need variable skills
Sometimes a project or piece of work needs different skillsets at different points in time. The work might need a human-centred designer up front, a project manager through the middle and a copywriter towards the end. Access to on-demand talent helps leaders to access the right skills at the right time.

A permanent headcount is not the right solution
When headcount additions aren’t feasible or necessary, on-demand talent delivers results without increasing your long-term commitments .They very clearly step into a space that is distinct from employment and deliver services that are invoiced.

Access to non-traditional talent pools
There are a growing number of highly skilled professionals who cannot be attracted through traditional recruitment processes. These professionals work as on-demand talent want to be “accessed”, not “acquired”. They have typically worked in-house for many years, gaining deep experience and are now embracing the concept of a portfolio career.  

There’s a gap between roles
It can take some time to fill a vacant position. Where maintaining the role and recruiting for a replacement is the right option, the process often stretches beyond the notice period. This increases the pressure on other team members or can cause a delay to important projects. In this scenario, on-demand talent will pick up the most pressing priorities. 

There are budget constraints
When your budget doesn’t stretch to cover a full-time salary or consultancy fees, a gig-based approach offers a more affordable and flexible alternative. On-demand talent costs are typically a fraction of those changed by big consulting and, depending on the cost structure of the project, can even be more affordable than a salary. This is because on-demand talent have deep expertise and experience and can deliver in a shorter time frame, not bogged down by other internal commitments.

You need a fresh perspective
On-demand talent have a unique perspective as they are constantly stepping in and out of multiple industries and organisations. They can introduce new ideas, offer unique insights and share perspectives that might not otherwise be generated within the team. 

You have immediate resourcing needs
When time is of the essence, on-demand talent allows you to resource and start projects quickly. Whether you are tapping into your own professional network, or using a platform like Werkling, you can quickly identify talent who are available. After you book in a meeting to dig into the scope, on-demand talent typically turn a proposal around in 1-2 days and as soon as they have your green light, they can get to it.

 

Today’s pace of the change demands organisational agility and nimble teams and the ability to augment their teams and access to on-demand talent is essential for leaders. 

To learn more about Werkling and how we can help you access experienced, trusted and affordable on-demand talent for your immediate priorities, head here, or contact us directly at hello@werkling.com.