Stop Recruiting. Start Attracting.
Dec 21, 2025
73% of CEOs cite talent attraction as their top challenge.
And yet they continue to try to sell the sizzle instead of the steak.
They recruit people with all kinds of enticements; the sizzle of sign-on bonuses and rewards and…the list goes on.
I see it constantly. Companies invest thousands in recruitment campaigns, sign-on bonuses, and hiring specialists. Meanwhile, their culture holds the back door open for a faster exit than they can bring them in through the front.
Most organizations treat hiring like fishing with a net. Cast wide, catch what you can, hope some of them stick around. Then wonder why turnover keeps spinning like a revolving door.
They could instead attract with the meat of the matter–think steak–like culture alignment, meaning engagement, and development opportunities.
Here's what Steve Cadigan, LinkedIn's first CHRO, told me on his Work Positive Podcast episode: The future isn't about hiring for what people know. It's about hiring for what they can learn. He said, "In a world changing at unprecedented speed, you're not building companies anymore—you're developing people."
Your culture is either a Work Positive magnet that attracts top talent through development opportunities or a Work Negative repellent that uses them. There is no neutral.
What’s Bigger: Your Front Door or Back Door?
Leandro Cartelli shared research on his Work Positive Podcast episode that dramatically displays how a Work Positive culture closes the back door: If you have the right cultural fit, you reduce turnover by 20-30%. But here's the flip side—every time someone leaves, it costs you $240,000 on average when you factor in lost productivity, hiring costs, and training.
So what's the solution?
Stop obsessing over recruitment tactics. That’s sizzle.
Create a Work Positive culture that makes people want to stay. That’s steak.
Here are 3 steak-strategies:
Future-back thinking creates clarity that attracts visionary talent. When people can see where you're going and why it matters, they want to be part of it.
Personality intelligence helps you attract the right cultural fits, not just the right resumes. Skills can be taught. Values alignment is attracted.
Trust keeps the door open. When people feel trusted to achieve results, they forget about the back door.
Design a Culture-First Talent Strategy
Alison Jones told me on her Work Positive Podcast episode about how to design a culture-first talent strategy. She said, "Character traits must be rooted deep to produce lasting behaviors." You can't recruit your way out of a culture problem. You have to grow your way out.
Here's an uncomfortable truth many people leaders don't want to hear:
If your culture is dysfunctional, your best talent strategy is to fix your culture first. Otherwise, you're just pouring water into a leaky bucket.
The data is clear. Companies with Work Positive cultures outperform the rest by 115% in financial performance. They also win Best Places to Work awards not because of perks, but because people actually want to work there.
Your 3-Step Steak Recipe
- Warm Up the Grill: Ask Your Current Team What They'd Tell a Friend
If someone asked your team members, "Should I work there?" what would they say? Find out. Then fix what's broken before you talk with one more candidate. - Prep the Meat: Build Culture Before Your Candidate Pool
Stop posting jobs. Start posting your values in action. Share real stories. Show how people grow. Demonstrate that you develop humans, not just employees. Authentic cultures attract authentic people. - Cook as Preferred: Focus on Retention as Your Strategy
When people stay and thrive, they become your best attracters. They bring others like them. They tell stories that matter. Your retention rate IS your best attraction strategy.
The Work Positive Bottom Line
Top talent wants more than a job. They want a place to become who they're meant to be.
If you want people who bring their best, you create a Work Positive culture that grows people over goals. Work Positive culture-first companies don't have to chase talent. Talent chases them.
Stop selling sizzle. Start serving steak.
A Work Positive culture grows people and profits.
If a top-talent candidate asked your team, "Why should I work here?" what would they say? And is that the answer you want?
Got some burning questions? Ask Dr. Joey here.
Taken from Dr. Joey's newest book, Do Another One Thing: Another 15 Experts Share Their Secrets To Work Culture Success
Subscribe to the Work Positive Newsletter
Get the latest blog, podcast, and other resources weekly that help you Work Positive.
We detest SPAM and guard your information carefully. Unsubscribe any time we violate your trust.
