My best mistake: What I’ve learned from the shoe shiner I didn’t hire

I’ve been thinking lately about a shoe shiner at LaGuardia Airport. Although I fly in and out of New York almost every week, I rarely linger. But while I was stuck at the airport during one of this winter’s many snow-induced delays, I opted for a shoe shine and struck up a conversation. While talking about current events, this shoe shiner spoke eloquently about many of the good things that businesses do to help society and that, in many cases, businesses "get a bad rap". He also spoke, however, about the need for business to continuously focus on building trust, improving society, and the need to address the complications arising from income inequality. He was balanced, fair, charismatic, and masterfully transitioned from small talk to the big picture.

We talked for a good 20 plus minutes and then my flight was called, and I rushed off. As I settled in for the flight, I realized that I hadn’t given the shoe shiner my card and I became angry with myself. This man is a hard worker, extremely thoughtful, and good at engaging with people. He’s the kind of person who would connect well with our people and our clients. I missed an opportunity to probe more about his interests and possibly recruit him to PwC or another organization that could benefit from his skills because I was moving too fast. Although I’ve since returned many times to La Guardia, he hasn’t been there.

While I’ve been kicking myself over the shoe shiner that got away, I am making steady progress in another unconventional recruiting arena: the Subway sandwich shop in my Boston neighborhood. The owner, Denish, works long, hard hours at his franchise. I’m impressed with how well he and his wife – who happen to live above the store – manage their business. Denish is also great with my kids, and we’ve struck up a friendship, given our frequent visits on the weekends. As it turns out, Denish has a degree in accounting (and his wife has valuable skills in software development). I’ve told him we are ready to bring him in to interview at PwC whenever he’s ready. His business experience, work ethic, people skills, and accounting degree make him an exceptional candidate for us—I only hope we can convince him to choose PwC.

Clearly, I’m not the only one looking for talent in new places. In PwC’s most recent CEO Survey, 92% of U.S. CEOs said they use multiple channels to find talent, 85% said they actively search for talent in different geographies, industries and/or demographic segments, and 80% said they look for a much broader range of skills than they did in the past. At the same time, skills shortages are a significant worry, with 78% of U.S. CEOs concerned about the lack of available skills (up from 70% a year ago).

The reality is that the talent is out there—but it’s often in places we don’t expect. As leaders, we all own the responsibility for recruiting the best and most diverse talent pool possible. If you reach out, you may be surprised—or even wowed—by the talented people you encounter. And if you happen to meet a talented shoe shiner at La Guardia Airport, please let him know I’m still looking for him.