When you are looking to build a dream team for your business, it can be stressful, expensive, and extremely time-consuming. It can be tempting to keep old team members and hold off on hiring new ones to try and find the perfect fit. Both of these mistakes can be damaging to the long-term success of your business. Building the ideal team can take time and patience, but the following tips will help you to ensure that your business remains successful.
Out with the old…
Letting go of an employee is never an easy process. In a perfect world, every team member that is hired in your business would become a valuable asset to the team. Unfortunately, there are times when an individual may not be the right fit for your business. If a team member begins to display any of the following actions, it may be time to consider finding a replacement.
- Bad Attitude: Snide comments, eye-rolling, negative gossip, and passive-aggressive actions are all actions that can be considered a bad attitude. A team member that disrespects their coworkers or boss will not have the best interest of the business at heart.
- Lack of Engagement: An unfocused employee that is not mentally present will not be able to give their best performance at work.
- Dishonesty: This can involve refusal to accept accountability or outright lies, and can be harmful to your team and the success of your business.
- Poor Performance: While a new team member may need some time to “get in the groove”, if they consistently show an inability to meet job performance expectations it may play a factor in bigger problems down the road.
In with the new..
If you are looking to expand your business or replace current employees, you want to do everything you can to ensure that you are hiring high-quality employees. Here are some suggestions to help the hiring process go as smoothly as possible.
- Listen to your team: Trusted team members often have good insight into how your business operates and can grow. They will usually be able to help you decide if a new team member is fitting in well or if a member is performing poorly. Communication is key.
- Follow your gut: Instincts exist for good reason. If something about a potential team member isn’t giving you a good feeling, it may be a possibility that there is a bigger problem you will have to address in the future. While it is not the best idea to make a rash decision based upon a gut feeling alone, it can be a factor in guiding your decision.
- There is no such thing as perfect: It may take time and training for an individual to develop into the team member that you are looking for. An ideal employee is one that can grow and learn well. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to find the “perfect” fit, as it is likely that someone can be trained to be a great asset to your team.
There is not an exact science to building the ideal team for your business, but there are proven strategies that can help guide you along the way. By holding current team members to a high standard and exercising judgement to the best of your ability with prospective team members, you can ensure that the hiring process will go as smoothly as possible.
For more advice on the hiring process and managing business growth, contact our team for a consultation.