“Team” is the most powerful word in business. A hard-working, dedicated, and effective team is integral to the success of any business, and they are never easy to build. Business team building can be tough, check out these three steps.
There are three steps to business team building, and it all starts with the hiring process. Before we dive into our three tips, take a moment to consider how important the hiring process is and the opportunities it presents. Hiring people is the only area in business where you have near-perfect information.
When the hiring process is executed properly, you will know nearly everything there is to know about your candidate’s professional life (and in the digital age, a fair amount about their personal life as well). In no other aspect of business life will you have so much information at your fingertips.
That said, when you are ready to begin building your business team, keep these three tips in mind:
Clarify the Position
Before posting a job listing or beginning the interview process, you must know what it is you need. Be specific! It’s not enough to say you need a communications expert. What kind of communications? Public relations? Social media? Digital content? Email communications? Understand and clarify what exactly it is you need.
You Can’t Talk to Everybody
As an entrepreneur, you are busy. You are building your business from the ground up and juggling a dozen responsibilities at once. Though a great number of solid resumes might come across your desk, you don’t have the time to interview everyone who submits an application. Don’t be afraid to be picky. Meet only with those candidates that most closely match your company’s needs.
Testing, 1, 2, 3…
Once you think you’ve found your ideal team member, test them thoroughly before making the hire. This may be as simple as conducting multiple interviews and having the candidate complete a writing sample; or as complex as bringing the candidate on as consultant or contractor before hiring them full-time.
Again, you are more than justified in being picky. It’s important that you make sure your candidate is up to the task, is a solid fit for your company’s culture, and that they are the kind of person with whom you are comfortable making a long-term investment in.
Lastly, what happens if you follow these three steps, but your candidate lets you down? Don’t hesitate to fire them and move on to the next person. In order to run a successful business, you can never settle.
