The challenge for any project or organisation is first to attract the right people and then the really clever bit is to make sure they want to stay with you for the duration of your project or remain with your company in the longer term.

The late Grahame Maher, when he was the CEO of Vodafone NZ, coined the term TEV which stands for talent, experience and values.

When Core PA director, Dave Mason, met Graham more than 10 years ago, they spoke about many ideas and insights but the one idea that stayed with Dave over all these years is TEV. Talent. Experience. Values.

The number one attribute to look for when recruiting is Values alignment. You can achieve this by adding your core values to your interview process by asking candidates values-based interview questions. Staff retention is greatest when there is strong values alignment.

Next, is talent. Real talent is a natural attribute and skill, if employees demonstrate raw talent, the chances are that they will go on to do great things.

The last is experience. If your team are aligned with your values and are talented with what you deliver to your clients, they will quickly learn and gain experience.

Try using this TEV idea the next time you assemble a project team or employ someone new for your organisation.

Subscribe to the Core PA E-News for more project management tips and advice.