If you want to become a fast growing company in this New Economy - then you
need to hire and manage team members effectively.
Here are the 4 Typical Hiring Questions That We Are Asked By Our Coaching
Clients:
- Who do we hire?
- Where do we find them?
- What should we pay them?
- How do we retain top talent?
While these questions are important, there are two issues that must be
addressed first:
- Alignment
- Transformability
What Is Employee/Organization Alignment and Why You Need It?
Alignment addresses the passion and skills the person brings to the
organization and their fit within the company. Alignment has three
components:
In selecting an employee, gauge their passion for the work and for the
challenge it represents. Identify the skills that are needed to support the
continuing fast growth of your company. It could be marketing, sales,
operations, or financial skills.
Lastly evaluate how the person will fit into your organization. Fit
essentially is how well the person will cope with the "way work is done
around here" with the personalities, the pace and the customers.
Now, take note that addressing the alignment issue without considering
the transformability issue will likely result in hiring the wrong person.
What is Transformability - And Why You Should Look For It When Hiring New
Employees?
Transformability is hiring the person not for the job as it exists today,
but as it will exist tomorrow.
Remember you are getting ready for a new phase in your business. This
means, your employees will have to adapt to new ways, new ideas and new
roles as you start to experience fast growth.
You want to hire for the job as it will likely exist 12 months from
today.
Why?
Because, we are talking about a fast growth company and one of the
characteristics of a fast growth company is: Things change fast!
Think about the last time you changed jobs. While we all like to believe
that we hit the ground running fast, most of us took time to assimilate into
the new job, to the way work gets done, to what is and is not acceptable
along with a myriad of other issues that pop up in a new, fast growing
organization.
Now consider this: You just started feeling comfortable in your work
environment. You come to work the next day and the job has changed to keep
up with the fast growth. Now, you need to use new skills and knowledge.
Everything is different. This is a fact of life for fast growing companies.
So, How Should Fast Growing Companies Hire for the New Economy?
Think about how the job will look 12 months from now. Think about the
skills that will be required. Start looking for job candidates who fit the
future, not just the current job description and requirements.
When talking with candidates, tell them what the job is today. Explain to
them how you expect it to change over time as your company continues to grow
in this New Economy. Let them know that you will fill the job position as it
will likely exist in the future. This way you are being honest and your
future employees will know exactly what to expect.
You want to hire the candidates that are excited and energized by the
idea that the job will change and not only will they have a chance to grow,
but they will be expected and forced to grow within your organization.
Fast-Changing Job Requirements Are Not For the Faint of Heart or
Bureaucrats!
This kind of job ambiguity isn't for everyone. But if you consider
alignment and transformability as you start the hiring process, you are
being honest with yourself and your future employee. The probability that
you will hire and retain the right employee increases significantly and so
do your chances of becoming a company that sustains fast growth in the New
Economy.
