Solid, healthy relationships are built on a strong foundation of knowledge, trust and action. You have to know and trust your partner and you need to be willing to take action based on that knowledge. Your partner needs to be able and willing to do the same. Successful personal and professional relationships share these common ingredients. At BlueSky we refer to this recipe as “Client Intimacy.”
Client intimacy means understanding our clients at a deeper level. It goes beyond job descriptions, skill sets and experience levels that are required for an open position. It means understanding what’s not written in the job description. We work with our clients to develop deep knowledge about their organization, culture and core values. To create a clear picture of the unique blend of attitudes and behaviors that drive success within their organization. We listen to their challenges and pain points. Understanding all of these behind the scenes elements builds knowledge and trust. And it allows BlueSky to take the right actions at the right time.
It’s relatively easy to find candidates with the correct skills and experience. The bigger challenge, as we see it, is finding qualified candidates that will mesh with the client’s team, embrace their culture and support their core values in a meaningful way. We think of that ideal combination of skills, experiences, attitudes and behaviors as the “X Factor.” It’s what separates a hire that simply fills a role from a hire that fills a role and adds something unique, tangible and positive to the client’s team and culture.
For example, some client organizations value loyalty above all else. Most clients need executive presence and excellent communication skills. These critical success factors can’t be determined by simply matching a resume to a job opening. Nor can a candidate be properly screened without a deeper understanding of the client’s needs. At times, this client intimacy and the insights it creates allows us to go above and beyond what the client asked for and deliver what they truly need. At other times, we use this client intimacy to proactively recommend candidates to fill a need that the client is not yet aware of.
Creating client intimacy is a foundational goal in our approach to delivering world class results. We often say that we approach every client hire as if it were our own. This is true and at times we refer to candidates as “BlueSky Material,” meaning we would hire them ourselves. When we feel that confident about a candidate we know we are on the right track. That confidence and ability to deliver the right person for the right role at the right time all starts with client intimacy.