In a small business, assembling the right team can help business owners sleep better at night. After all, these are the individuals who are making sure the business is running smoothly when the small business owner isn’t present. However, assembling a fully-functional team is oftentimes easier said than done and mistakes are commonly made. To help you build the best team of individuals for your small business, AdviCoach reviews four mistakes a small business owner should avoid when assembling a team to run your business.
1. Employing Similar People
Studies show that we tend to associate with people who are similar to us. In our personal lives this makes total sense, but when arranging a skilled team to run your business, it’s important to break this habit and look for a variety of individuals. In your small business, you want to hire as diverse of a team as you can.Hiring team members with varying world views and experiences can bring different skills and proficiencies to the table, helping your business operate more efficiently and creatively. The ideal small business team should be made up of varying personalities that complement one another. When teams have overlapping work styles, this could lead to employee clashes which can be a detriment to the work environment and business’ bottom line. Employing people of varying work styles can help the team work together effectively and more creatively – ultimately benefiting your small business.
2. Ignoring Skills Gaps
The best small business owners know their unique strengths and weaknesses and focus their energy on their strengths and hire out for their weaknesses. The same should go for hiring for your team. Recognizing the specific tasks and duties you need your employees to do will help you identify the qualities that job candidates need to possess to excel at the job. Similarly, it’s important to look at the current skill sets of your existing team members and to hire out for their weaknesses as well. Does your small business continue missing out on small details associated with daily tasks? Then you should specifically be looking to add an employee to your team who is detail oriented. Ignoring skill gaps in your small business team may lead to important things slipping through the tasks, which can damage your business’ sales and profits.
3. Hiring for Personality
Although hiring an individual with an exceptional personality is an added bonus for small business owners, it shouldn’t be the primary factor an employee is brought onto your small business’ team. Small business owners who hire an individual for their personality rather than their skills oftentimes are missing the bigger picture. Business owners should be hiring employees who excel in whatever their position is and have proven experience that mirrors what they’ll be assisting your small business with on a day-to-day basis. We’re not advocating for small business owners to hire bland individuals, but an individual lacking a personality shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for small business owners. After all, they’re being hired to help your business excel and profit, not to become your best friend.
4. Rushing the Process
When a small business owner is searching for a new employee, oftentimes all they can focus on is how badly they need to fill the vacancy. You may view this open position as a vacuum sucking time and resources out of you and your existing team. However, if you rush the hiring decision and process, this can be costly to a small business. Small business owners shouldn’t rush the hiring process if they aren’t finding qualified or optimal candidates. Don’t settle for just an “alright” candidate. If nobody wows you yet and the job opening has been out for substantial time, consider revisiting the job description and how you’re distributing the open position. This may allow you to get the job out to a new crowd of qualified candidates.
Call an AdviCoach Today!
Are you struggling to assemble the right team to run your small business? Do you constantly find yourself committing these 4 fatal team-building blunders? Contact an AdviCoach today to help you identify your small business’ hiring problems so you can be better equipped to find the right candidates to fill your business’ team.