Creating a Power Team
The best part about owning your own business is that you get to be your own boss- you call the shots. But you know better than anyone that its hard graft; you have to put in a lot of time and effort to make it successful. Business people destined to succeed understand that they do not have the capacity to do everything on their own, so they hire people better than they are in specific areas.
The decisions you make as you build your power team should not be taken lightly- your team is one of your business’s most valuable assets, one that will heavily contribute to your level of success. We’ve outlined our key steps for hiring and organising your power team, carefully curated to ensure the longevity and prosperity of your business.
#1- Work out what’s missing
If you’re a small business owner, then you are inevitably not financially able to fill every position immediately. What is your greatest need? Determine what your business needs most to move to the next level, whether that be book-keeping, marketing, customer service etc. Prioritise hiring for the role according to your business’s unique necessities.
#2- Write a killer job description
A weak hiring process is likely to turn into a very expensive mistake. If you don’t nail the job description, you run the risk of hiring someone that is not ultimately compatible for the role. Back to square one, you have wasted precious time and money recruiting and interviewing whilst the work is still not being done. To avoid this, write a thorough job description including your desired traits, ones that align with your business’s vision and mission. Also ensure you have a clear idea of what you can offer an employee, outlining this in the job description i.e. what you can offer in terms of salary, commission, office culture, promotion opportunities and so on. Once you have drawn up a solid job description, discuss it internally with your existing team to ensure you are all on the same page.
#3- Learn how to interview
It is an often understated fact that interviewing is a skill that must be practised and learned like any other. This is your opportunity to learn as much as possible about the candidates before you make the decision of who to hire. View the interview as a ‘sharing session’, with both yourself as interviewer and the interviewee needing to gather enough information to decide on each other. Ask open-ended questions to draw the person out, as you’ll learn the most from listening to their answers and observing their body language. Jot down your questions based on the resume ahead of time to ensure you don’t miss anything out.
#4- Hire for attitude
Skills are what you need to weed out the promising candidates from the recruitment pool, but attitude is what you use to select the right person from the qualified candidates. Keep this mantra in mind- “Hire for the smile, train for the skills”. You can train a candidate up but it will be much harder to transform their work ethic. Attitude is something you can assess during the interview process.
#5- Think twice before hiring friends and family
Small business owners needing to grow their team quickly often look for immediate help from amongst their friends and family. While they may be hiring on the basis of trust, there may be absolutely nothing in terms of validated skills and attitude. It is undoubtedly quick and easy to hire family and friends, but it is much harder to disentangle from them if you feel the need to fire them from the position, which may complicate your personal relationship down the line.
#6- Write down your processes
If you have a specific way of doing things, put them in writing so that whoever takes the job has a clear blueprint to follow. As the candidate becomes more familiar and comfortable within their role and with the process, he or she should have some latitude to refine it and make it more efficient.
Following these steps will ensure you hire the right candidate, but it shouldn’t stop there. Continually evaluate your team’s performance, perhaps with a meeting at least once a month. Check on progress, but also try and gauge individual team member’s morale and alignment with your brand’s purpose and values. Equally, you should regularly evaluate your personnel needs, because the need for more team members is inevitable as your brand grows. This way, your power team will stay powerful.
