My client John was chomping at the bit to grow his business.
So he got right to it. He posted openings, conducted interviews, and filled four positions.
Mission accomplished, he thought, and then…
…all hell broke loose!
You see, John didn’t anticipate how things would go once he filled those openings.
Any onboarding process for their first day on the job and beyond? Nope!
Any training process? Nope!
Any systems in place to provide operations manuals, benefits paperwork, and other critical materials?
Any projections to determine the break-even budget for each new hire?
Any milestones or clearly-stated goals for the new employees?
Nope! Nope! Nope!
No wonder it didn’t go well.
John used to be a ready-fire-aim kind of guy.
He got an idea (“We need to hire more people!”), and he acted – without clearly defining and aiming at the target.
In this case, he rushed to hire people immediately when, actually, he should have aimed to build a productive, smooth-running team over time.
When hiring, you have to consider not only what it takes to find and hire the right people, but also what it takes to integrate those people into a productive, smooth-running operation.
That requires careful planning and aim.
John and I worked together after that disaster.
We created a financial model for his business and future hires.
We set milestones for the next new hire to be successful.
We planned, well in advance, when he should start searching for his next hire – so John wouldn’t be scrambling to fill positions that should have been filled yesterday.
At first, John resisted this “extra work.” But he grew to see it as an investment. And by setting clear goals and aiming squarely at them, John grew excited and bullish about the business.
He knew what it would take to succeed. He knew how and when to invest to reach his goals.
Now John was all about ready, aim, hire!
If your process, like John’s, needs work, check out this quick training with some tips on building a high performing recruiting and staffing business.
Until next week,
Mark
