One of the biggest mistakes that small business owners make is in hiring.  Too often they don’t have a clear process to add people to their team.  If the right person is hired they can be a great asset.  If the wrong person is added, or is placed in the wrong position, it can be extremely disruptive to the organization.

Putting in place a clear process for adding team members is essential to grow your business and grow your profits.

Five D’s to Making The Right Hire

• Define what your business culture is.

What are the attitudes that you want in your business? What actions are you looking for? What is the level of competency that your business needs?

• Determine the type of employee your are looking for.

Know the type of person that you what in your business. Several qualities that I look for are: are they humble, are they honest, are they learners, and are they smart?

• Describe the job in detail.

This is an area that small businesses often overlook. I know you can describe the position to the potential team member but having it written provides both you and the applicant with clarity. Using KRA’s (Key Results Areas) is a great way to clearly define if a team member is winning in their job.

• Due Diligence

When you ask for a reference check with the person listed.  In today’s world most people won’t give you a bad reference.  What you need to hear is if the reference is enthusiastic about the person.  Try to find out if this person has Linchpin qualities.

• Dinner

A great way to get to know if this is the type of person you can spend a lot of time with is over a relaxing meal.  Involve your spouse in this time.  They can have some good insights into their character.

Hiring the right person for the right position may take longer but will lower the risk of needing to remove them from your team later.

Question of the Week: What would you add to making a great hire?

Quote of the Week: “Great vision without great people is Irrelevant.” – Jim Collins