How to Hire the Right People for the Right Roles
From: "Help! My Business is Growing" Podcast
Business author, entrepreneur, and leadership guru David Cottrell once said, "The most important thing you do as a leader is to hire the right people."
And many of the best business leaders seem to agree, claiming that hiring the right people for the right job is the secret to their success.
When your people are in the right positions, working within their expertise, they are engaged and productive, which translates into higher sales and revenues.
But many companies still struggle to get their hiring right. You can hire the best and most remarkable people but are you setting them up to fail by giving them ill-defined roles or, worse, placing them in the wrong positions?
Expect morale to drop, demotivated employees, and disillusioned team members just going through the motions, which will 100% lead to a decline in productivity - and your profits.
So is there a sure-fire way to choose the right person for the right job in your business? How can companies ensure that they have the right candidate?
In this episode of Help! My Business Is Growing, our guest Danielle Levy provides insights and actionable tips on how you can get the right people into the right seats within your company.
She'll discuss how this is crucial not only to your employee's morale but will also ensure the growth of your business.
Danielle Levy is the CEO and Founder of The Boardroom League, which helps CEOs and business owners build a trustworthy ecosystem of professional resources so they can focus on their zone of genius instead of being distracted by day-to-day business obligations. She holds an MBA, is certified as a Project Management Professional and is a Certified Online Business Manager.
In this week's episode, we discuss:
02:26 What does it look like when businesses put the right people in the right seats - and when they don't?
08:59 How do you converse with an employee struggling with tasks you gave them to do that are not in their wheelhouse or scope of expertise?
12:03 Why do many founders or leaders struggle to put the right people in the right seats? What are the barriers that prevent it from becoming easier to implement?
14:50 What are some tips to ensure a better way of hiring people? Are there specific questions to ask or preferred recruitment sites or channels? Where are the best places to find them?
26:12 What can business owners do, and what actionable steps can they take in the next week to get them closer to having the right people in the right seats?
Listen to the podcast here:
"Even though (hiring) more people can seem like a greater expense if done correctly, it actually is cost-saving, because you're bringing in professionals that know exactly what to do, rather than having to fix the mistakes of someone that's doing their best." - Danielle Levy
What does it look like when businesses don't put the right people in the right seats?
Many small business owners hire their best friend, next-door neighbor, cousin etc. While the sentiment is great, 99% of the time, this type of hiring does not serve the business as it should, leading to financial loss and heartache.
You can prevent similar situations by formalizing your hiring process and drafting a specific formal job description to make it easier to vet new hires.
How do you converse with an employee struggling with tasks you gave them to do that is not in their wheelhouse or scope of expertise?
Reaching out is a great way to show your employees that you care about their well-being and that your business also serves the individual in the same way that the individual serves the company.
One tip to avoid what could be a very awkward conversation is to have your employees perform an activity that will provide you with insights positively and collaboratively.
Ask your employees to make a grid and have them map out everything they do into four quadrants to represent:
Things that I love
Things that I hate
Things that I like but I'm not good at
Things that I'm not good at and that I don't love, but I'm learning
The idea behind this grid is that you always want every team member only to do the things they love. This exercise is a great ice breaker and can lead to a very positive conversation about how you can help your employees do what they love to do, what they're good at, and what they want to learn about.
It is a more constructive and growth-minded approach vs telling them, "you're not so great at this; let's take this away". And if you build upon that momentum with team members in the things they love, it will further grow your business.
"I treat every team member relationship like it's a partnership because I think it's important that the business serves the individual just in the same way that the individual serves the business." - Danielle Levy
Why do many founders or leaders struggle to put the right people in the right seats? What are the barriers that prevent it from becoming easier to implement?
Leaders falter when it's time to put a team together because it's not really why they got into the business.
The lack of deeper understanding regarding the technical skills needed for specific roles.
Company culture: there might be a lack of culture, or if there is, it's not a good fit for potential hires.
Changes in hiring protocols due to the rise of work from home/entirely virtual office work arrangements (no more formality to hiring and almost no one is checking references anymore).
The lack of clear communication regarding what the job entails and what the expectations are for both parties.
Despite best efforts, these are just some factors that cause bad hires.
What are some tips to ensure a better way of hiring people? Are there specific questions to ask or preferred recruitment sites or channels? Where are the best places to find them?
Encourage due diligence in both your hiring manager and the potential new hire regarding what the job will entail.
Part of the hiring process should emphasize the position and what candidates are about to get involved with, whether they are fresh grads or lauded experts in their fields.
It will clarify the job description and expectations but ensure easy and proper onboarding. Avoid situations where you made that hire, got the momentum going, and suddenly have the dreaded "I'm sorry this isn't working out for me" conversation.
"Nothing is more frustrating than making that hire, getting momentum going, then to have those conversations that it's not really working, and now we have to start over again." - Danielle Levy
What can business owners do, and what actionable steps can they take next week to get them closer to having the right people in the right seats?
Request your hiring manager to complete the quadrant mapping activity with all potential hires.
Both parties will immediately see if aspects of the job do not align with the candidate's strengths.
You can also change your mindset by hiring people on your terms.
Explain that you're not sure if it's going to work out, but you're testing out if hiring them will be helpful for your business or not.
Be transparent and professional and set clear expectations.
We go in-depth with this topic and more over at the podcast. Listen here:
To Recap:
1. Implement a formal and systematic hiring process and craft in-depth job descriptions to take you one step closer to landing the right employee.
2. Come up with a constructive and positive approach when discussing how employees feel about their position and the things they have to do.
Get to know your employee's strengths and weaknesses as well as their level of comfort with specific tasks.
3. The following factors act as barriers that prevent leaders from hiring the right people:
Hiring is not in their wheelhouse
Lack of / or mismatch in company culture
Lack of formal hiring processes, especially for remote jobs
Lack of clear communications between HR and potential new hires.
4. Include a deep dive session on what the position truly entails with all new employee candidates, as part of your hiring process.
5. Ask all potential hires to go through the quadrant mapping activity as part of your hiring process to immediately see if there are any disconnects between the job and the candidate's preferences, strengths, and more.
About Danielle C. Levy
Danielle Levy is the CEO and Founder of The Boardroom League.
A sought-after executive who has helped six and seven-figure businesses expand with clarity and efficiency, Danielle established The Boardroom League to give other entrepreneurs a Boardroom full of trusted industry professionals to help them implement and scale their businesses.
With a background in agency work, Danielle has experience in the traditional business world, as well as the online entrepreneurial space.
An Integrator at heart, Danielle believes in helping business owners build a trustworthy ecosystem of professional resources so that they can focus on their zone of genius, instead of being distracted by day-to-day business obligations.
She holds an MBA, is certified as a Project Management Professional and is a Certified Online Business Manager. An energetic mother of two boys, Danielle understands the balance of being both a hockey Mom and a successful entrepreneur.
Website - https://danielleclevy.com/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielleclevy/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielleclevy.co/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/danielle_c_levy/
by Kathy Svetina
Kathy is a Fractional CFO and the founder and director of NewCastle Finance LLC. She is a financial puzzle solver, focusing on women-owned businesses, and providing financial insights needed for a healthy and sustainable business.