How To Hire for the Solution, Not the Problem
A new decade is on the horizon and I’m sure that hiring the perfect team member is on your list as a big thing you’ll be wanting to do in the new year. This is a great time to take a step back and answer what feels like an obvious question: how do you even find the right person?
What should you be doing?
What should you be thinking about?
Let’s break down the 5 things you should never hire a new team member to do. If you want to take some much needed time off, focus on what you do best, and avoid the inevitable burnout this year, then learn to hire for the solution and not the problem.
- Don’t hire someone to clean up your mess. This may seem counter-intuitive, but it’s true. Whenever you have a fire in your business, you need to first do your absolute best to hose it down and get it under control before bringing in the fire department. An outsider is not going to understand your mess the way that you do. I’ve been hired many times to clean up an entrepreneurial mess, and you know what? The one who did it (you, the boss) feels so attached to the way things are because they are used to it. The solution? Put on your Big Girl Boss Panties, clean it up the very best that you can, then hire someone to maintain it. If it’s a really big job, get it to at least 25% fixed and then bring in someone to finish the job the way that you want it and then maintain it. Hire for the solution.
- Don’t hire someone to do what you don’t understand. Again, this one feels counter-intuitive, but I’ve seen so many entrepreneurs get taken advantage of when they just don’t fully understand what it takes (or doesn’t take) to get a job done. Let’s take web design. This is a common project that gets outsourced because most entrepreneurs don’t want to know how to design a website. That’s fine, and I understand. However, not even knowing the basics will put you completely at the mercy of whomever you hire. I know it’s hard to believe, but not everyone you meet on the Internet has your best interest at heart. The solution? Do some research. Figure out exactly what you want and why. Learn the basics of WordPress or Squarespace so that when you’re talking to design candidates, you’re at least speaking somewhat the same language. Also, get referrals from people who are SUPER happy with the designer they chose and would go back to them for their next website.
- Don’t hire until you know why and you have a strategic plan. The number one service that comes to mind as I write this is social media. Everyone thinks they need a Social Media Manager, but when they decide to hire one they don’t know exactly what they’re hiring for. They just want someone to “do my social media for me”. Okaaaaay…. You need to know your objective. What are you hoping to gain from social media marketing? Who exactly are you targeting? What do you want them to ultimately purchase from you? How do you want them to view you? How much are you willing to spend on ads? What’s your cost per lead? If you can’t answer these questions on your own, then you need to work with someone on your strategy before you hire someone to do the work.
- Don’t expect anyone you hire to love your business. This is a hard one for me to write. For a large part of my career, I was an operations manager. I would step into the role of COO for small businesses and part of my promise was that I would love your business as much as you. But after a few years, I found that it just wasn’t possible. Unless you hire a COO or operations manager on as an employee and you are the only business they are working in, you can’t expect that, and even then it’s a long shot, and I think that’s a GOOD thing. I love my client’s businesses, but it’s just not the same as the one I lovingly created myself. You need to love your business, respect it for what it is, and hire people who can look at it objectively and make decisions based on logic and not emotions.
- Don’t hire someone to do your job. You’ve heard about staying in your “zone of genius” I’m sure. Anything that is considered your zone of genius needs to be done by you, otherwise you risk diluting your brand and your message. If you’re a coach, then coach and hire someone to take care of your admin and social media. Don’t outsource your message, your personality, or your advice. If you’re an author, don’t EVER outsource your writing. Realtors, don’t outsource your selling, and marketers should really do their own marketing. Successful hiring happens when you hire for the right roles that free you up to focus on what only you can do, so you can do it better.
Those are the 5 things you should never do if you want to hire the right team in 2020. I know that list might sound overwhelming, which is why I’m offering a free strategy session to help you choose what position you need to hire for and how to get it right the first time.
It’s for anyone who struggles to:
- know where they should focus
- know what their true zone of genius is
- be objective when hiring or interviewing
Want in? If you are ready to delegate to your right-hand (wo)man and no longer want to feel overwhelmed and burned out, sign up here.
