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BY REBECCA OLSON
Finding the right people to help grow your business is a daunting task.
Some of you may have had the opportunity to read Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great. Collins writes about getting the right people on the bus and getting the wrong people off the bus. He provides valuable insight into the hiring practices of a number of successful companies.
Having a company populated with bright, enthusiastic, talented, hard-working, ethical employees would be nirvana for any business owner. Hiring the “right” people can absolutely make or break your company. But, often we are moving so fast that we don’t take the time we should to think about the hiring procedures and training that needs to be in place. If you haven’t done so already, put that bus in neutral and think about how you go about hiring the “right” people.
The first step is deciding who the “right” person is. My partner and I decided early on that we needed to have a clear focus on what qualities we wanted the individuals we employed to possess.
We also needed to know what skills they had to have and what skills were going to be teachable. After all, how will you know when the right person sits down in front of you if you haven’t taken the time to determine what qualities, values, behaviors, and skills you are looking for?
We decided we would focus our hiring efforts on individuals who share our beliefs and values in regard to customer service, integrity, responsibility, work ethic, and motivation. Once this was decided upon, we communicated this information to everyone involved inside and outside our company by incorporating those values and beliefs into our written material and marketing efforts.
For those of you who recognize the value of working with others who share your values and beliefs—the hardest part is finding them. How do you find the right people? I’m not sure there is one answer to this question.
We were fortunate early on in that our first few employees came to us looking for positions. By industry word of mouth, they knew we had started our own business and wanted to work with us. Since that time, by networking with others in our industry, developing a relationship with a small employment agency in Minneapolis, using additional placement agencies, and via our local community newspapers, we have hired a group of 47 individuals who are relationship builders as well as customer service experts. They are, in every regard, the “right” people.
How do you know when you’ve found them? Most of us who have started companies think we know instinctively who the right people are. And, while I have had to trust my instincts on many occasions as a small business owner, I have learned that I can’t rely on them for making hiring decisions.
I’ve made some mistakes and been taken in by a charming personality with a nice suit. Those mistakes have resulted in having to perform new searches and do more training—additional time-consumers at a time when I had no time.
What I’ve learned from those experiences is that, while I still listen to my voice, I don’t let it over-ride the facts. My process now includes reviewing resumes, checking past employment history, calling references, doing background checks, as well as communicating clearly with prospective candidates our company philosophy, and our ideas of customer service and integrity.
Last, but not least, listen to your prospective candidates during the interview as you ask them about who they are and what values they bring to the table.
Defining the position you are looking to fill, what attributes the individual must possess, and your expectations now and in the future are integral to your success in finding the right person. If the position covers several areas, which is common for most small businesses, then you need to make sure they have the capacity to wear many hats or sit in many seats.
Outline your expectations clearly so that the prospective employee has all the details with which to make an informed decision. We have all applied for jobs that were ultimately not what was advertised. I’ve learned from those days, and always try to remember what it was like to be on the other side of the interview desk.
Involve others from your company in the hiring process. For the last few years, we have had three individuals from within the company interview the candidates separately. This has worked out very well and all involved feel more invested in the prospective employees’ success within the company. In addition, the new employee feels a sense of kinship with these individuals since they were obviously involved in their hiring.
Once you have the right people, don’t stop there. On-going training and communication must follow for them and your company to continue to grow and evolve. Get feedback from them whenever possible and then follow up on that feedback in a time frame that makes sense. If you take too long to respond you will get less feedback over time and it will eventually stop. Once communication has stopped flowing, the slow creep of rumor and innuendo about what is going on within the company can make productivity grind to a halt.
Sharing our values and beliefs with those we hire and consistently reinforcing them has proven to be a successful formula for us. If you have chosen the candidate based upon your stated expectations, communicated the company’s philosophy and direction, put them in the right position, and empowered them with the appropriate responsibility, you will have gone a long way toward creating the type of environment where your employees, yourself and your company are allowed to grow and prosper. Now, shift your bus back into gear and move forward to success!
Rebecca Olson co-founded Evolving Solutions in 1996 after spending the previous 10 years at a Minnesota-based IT consultancy, where she worked closely with the company’s president. She has grown Evolving Solutions into a $45 million data-on-demand expert. For more information, visit http://www.evolvingsol.com.
(This article is reprinted from the Summer 2005 edition of Enterprising Women magazine. Copyright 2005 Enterprising Women Inc. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited, except by express permission of the publisher.)
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