Frances Quinn
Odds are you didn't set out on the road to start your own business to spend your days bogged down in business admin.
You wanted to bring your skills and expertise to the world. Make a difference. Have an impact. Maybe create a little freedom and flexibility in your life.
And then you discovered the truth about running a business. Everything is on you. Every. Tiny. Detail.
Every question, every decision, every win and every failure. It's a lot.
So you start to explore bringing a team on board to share the load...
They'll take tasks off your plate they say. You can have a day off every now and then. Maybe even take a real holiday.
What they don't tell you is that for many business owners, hiring a team often creates MORE work.
First, you agonise over who you should hire. What tasks and responsibilities should you give them. How will you find the right person (and know they are right?).
When you've hired someone, you realise that all the stuff you wanted to give them is firmly embedded in your head. Every question and every decision still needs your input.
Then, once you finally get to a point where things are running kinda smoothly, they get another job, and you're back to square one. Or worse, they stick around and continue to derail your progress.
As is turns out, hiring someone didn't deliver on the promise of making your life easier at all - quite the opposite.
Any of this sound familiar? I've been there too.
But it doesn't have to be like that. I've successfully hired and trained dozens of team members over the last few years, and I'd like to share with you my top 3 tips for building your dream team.
#1 - DON'T HIRE SOMEONE LIKE YOU
When looking for the perfect person, we often tend to choose someone we gel with. We want to like the people we work with, and we instantly bond with people who are more like us.
Instead, hire someone who complements your skills. Someone who is great at the stuff that you don't like and aren't good at. You might not instantly 'connect' with them, but you will form a strong and valued relationship once you harness the yin/yang of your skillsets.
After all, you aren't in business to hire and pay people to be your friends. You are there to assemble the right team of skilled resources to amplify the impact that you have on your customers, your industry, and the world.
#2 - VALIDATE SKILLS
When recruiting, design a test that allows candidates to demonstrate the foundational skills that will ensure success in their role. For example, if attention to detail is important, conduct a 'spot the difference' exercise or get them to proof a document with known mistakes in it.
The process doesn't end there. Once they have commenced the role, continue to test and validate their skills. Conduct reverse training, have them document tasks, and quality check their work.
It's good to delegate tasks and decision making, but it's equally important that you don't completely abdicate responsibility for those tasks. You are still responsible for the overall success of each function and the business, so maintain a close enough understanding and visibility that you can spot when things are headed off track.
#3 - CLEARLY DEFINE SUCCESS
Don't assume that the expectations you have in your head match the understanding your team members have in theirs. One person's 'good' is another person's 'excellent', so specificity is key to making sure that you have alignment.
Setting clear expectations goes beyond setting quarterly or monthly targets. Defining what a successful end result looks like for each task you delegate, providing clear, step by step instructions, setting decision making boundaries, confirming when and how to escalate if an issue arises - these are all examples of setting clear expectations that will enable your team to succeed.
Not only will this create alignment and understanding, it will also ensure that you minimise avoidable questions, mistakes and rework, and it will give your team room to shine and exceed your expectations.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Few businesses can succeed without a team, so mastering the skill of hiring, training and empowering great team members is one that no business owner can afford to avoid. These 3 tips should be a good start! Let me know how you go with them...
