How Do I Find Good People?

Many business owners who have employees complain they “can’t find good people”.  That comes out in several different ways.    One way is that the owner feels compelled to make all the decisions, or check all the work, and coincidentally, feels like he is out “fire-fighting” all the time.  Another way is that none of their people are good enough to promote into a leadership role. 

Another way that comes out is the number of very small business owners that fear hiring – because they heard so many horror stories from their business owner friends.

This scenario is manageable. 

If you have these concerns – remember the numbers of big businesses that manage to operate and grow successfully.  It can be done.  In fact, it is THE SECRET to making real money in business – and doing it in a way that can create free time for the owner – if you set the vision to have a business that works without you.  Yes – there are challenges that require attention.  But the strategy for hiring people can be extremely successful – if you approach it with the right mindset.

First things first – if you want different results – you need to do things differently than you have been.

This topic is very big – much bigger than a single article.  But a very good place to start is a very clear picture of what kind of an organization you want.  And then commit to creating that kind of organization.  In fact, if you are the owner, you could consider this your most important job.

For example, do you want to be the superman with all the answers?  Or do you want to have people who can do things better than you?  How do you want your customers treated?  Do you want team members back-stabbing?  Or supporting each other?  A great organization can be built step by step.  Or it can be done by how you feel.  (It just takes a lot longer that way.  And statistically, most don’t get there that way.)

So, a good step is to document the culture you want.  Along with that, what criteria you choose to hire for becomes critical.  Hiring based on experience alone often brings people into your team who learned the wrong ways.  It is harder to un-teach methods than it is to teach people with open minds.  It is also really hard to teach personality and integrity (if those are important to you).  So, hiring for character is more important than hiring for experience.  We use a 14-Point Culture Statement to help sort through the kinds of people we want. 

Another great way to help your team members succeed is to think about what specifically you will be paying them to achieve.  And how will they know that?  A documented organization chart with roles & responsibilities, policies, procedures, and standards of performance are great places to start.  Regular meetings to ensure we are all aligned and on track is a great way to hold to those commitments.  Once you have those in place – it is so much easier to teach what you do want – and what you don’t want.  And then manage the gaps by holding people accountable to the plan.

None of these are actually hard to do – it’s just that very few do them – so we hear all those horror stories of not being able to get good employees.  It is not just about learning how to do them – it is about actually doing them – consistently. 

And oh-by-the-way … it is much easier to start these steps before you build a team than after you are too busy fire-fighting.  It almost never gets done at that stage.  Often, the owner chooses to stop growing because “it can’t be done” and lives with the hassles.  Working way too many hours for too little money. 

Do you want to know your key focus area to help grow your business? Try our 3 min Assessment Quiz at https://stevechiama.nextlevelassessment.com/?source=LI_Event - 6Steps

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