Blog #256
Stop hiring people who can simply do the job. Instead, focus on finding people who have already done the job a dozen times, excelled in their positions, and who can push you to new heights. Now is an unprecedented opportunity to hire great talent to join your team.
I realize this experience-focused path may contradict traditional thinking. When teams are smaller and growing, for example, rarely are there enough resources to cover all the bases. As a result, leaders usually have someone in charge of this accountability or that task, and as the organization grows, they tend to be on the lookout for who “could” do the job – who could figure it out, who could get the company to the next level, etc. When businesses experience growth and personnel resources are limited, they often continue the pattern of ‘who can do it’ versus who is the best fit or can do it extremely well.
I get it! This is just where we have to live sometimes, but it should not become the status quo.
When the financial resources allow for it, stop looking for people who could just “do the job”; I encourage you to shift your thinking and focus on finding people who share your values. Look for individuals who not only could do the job, but have done something similar and did it well. Seek out individuals who can take the organization to the next level. Search for the best of the best. This thinking is particularly powerful at the senior leadership team level. Candidly speaking, this can be a monumental shift in organizational thinking and the delegation of responsibilities.
I see this happen frequently in marketing positions. The owner/leader has a good idea of what they want, yet they end up promoting a tactician to implement the owner’s best guess of marketing strategy. Owners want results and clear outcomes, but they do not always want to get deep in the weeds with the execution of it all. It is not uncommon to feel like success is a moving target, with the “head” of marketing reacting to the owner’s directives. I believe this reactionary stance is a result of having someone there who could do the job, but is not a true expert.
Conversely, when someone has clear expectations of what needs to be done and strives to achieve those results, the outcome is different. You want to have a person in that position who has a clear plan to generate the leader’s desired outcome. This person pushes for a defined budget with specific expectations of the targeted return. They also encourage the entire team to look at things differently and they challenge the status quo. Their core values fit with those of the organization and its leaders.
I believe this is part of the evolutionary journey all small businesses need to take.
Because of the COVID chaos and the expanding number of unemployed individuals, there is an opportunity: as some organization contract or right-size, others are realigning and rebuilding their structure. There is an abundance of amazing talent, which brings with it a huge opportunity to fill available seats with highly experienced people.
Without question, having the right people on the team is integral to a company’s success. Having those talented people who execute in outstanding ways will take the organization to the next level.
Are you a leader interested in hiring great talent for your organization? Do you want to learn more about acting on this kind of amazing opportunity? Contact us today to find out how!
Keep Smiling,
Kris
