Talent gaps are everywhere in organizations, and there’s a new approach from neuroscience that can help you and your organization win the war (yes, it’s a war) for talent.

I’ve been learning from Dr. Paul Brown for the past two years about the brain science of people-practices in organizations. Dr. Brown is the Professor of Organizational Neuroscience at Monarch Business School in Switzerland. I heard him speak at a keynote presentation at the CoachSource World Coaches Forum outside London in September.

Here’s what he shared: We’re hiring for the wrong things when we focus primarily on knowledge, skills, and experience. We are really hiring energy, not individuals. We are hiring the unique ways a person uses information, energy, and relationships to achieve outcomes.

Yes – energy! Our brains generate 25 watts of power, and our bodies generate 95 watts of power. That means your brain generates 26% of the energy of your entire body!

As Dr. Brown shared, we should be learning how the person can use their energy, relationships, and their information (knowledge, skills, experience) to “delight the organization and help the organization achieve its purpose and impact in the world.”

For example, what might we learn from candidates when we ask, “How have you created and sustained relationships that have a positive impact on people, customers, the organization, and the community?”

Let’s get out of our comfort zones and start having brain-based interview conversations that create talent solutions instead of just trying to fill a talent gap. I want to hear your ideas to win the war for talent through brain-based people practices. Let’s talk!