One of the most incredible and frustrating things I could expect with my business was finding the right dream team.
It took me years to do it, which completely stifled my growth because I was doing most of the work.
I would find someone to train them. They would do well for a couple of weeks to a month, and then either they would quit, or they would slip up, and I would end up repeating the process over and over again, starting over. After a while, it became a job trying to find people to do it. Then I came to realize something significant.
It was not just them, it was also ME
Not only was I looking in the wrong places but other factors played into me not finding the right team.
Here are some useful tips to help you as they have helped me finally put the right people in place and have a sustainable business.
The tremendous benefit is now I have free time to do the things I need to do to build a better business.
Change your mindset – find your Dream Team
Changing the way you think about the situation is paramount to your success. This is utterly important because it’s so easy to become very negative when you can’t find the right people.
You start to get frustrated and lump everybody into the same pile.
I’ve done it, and I’ve heard other people do it too, saying things like “Millennials aren’t worthy, and they’re very arrogant and stuck on themselves, and they don’t want to do the work.”
If you say this enough, you will only incorporate those kinds of people into your space.
To attract the right people, you have to improve your bandwidth and positivity to “I think I will find the right people this time I’m confident about it” instead of “It’s so hard to find the right team” or “Finding the right team is impossible.” The adage is true, “What you think about you bring about.”
Where are you looking?
If you’re looking on craigslist or other like-minded sites for your employees for people to work for you, you’re already behind the 8-ball.
With all due respect to craigslist, you’re not going to find the cream of the crop there.
Craigslist does no homework for you, so you must do all your due diligence.
Chances are it’s not going to work out for you. Any site that charges a minimal fee or is free to post an ad is going to give you what you pay for … nothing.
Keep that in mind that when someone is serious about finding a job, they’ll pay to be listed, which will help shorten and legitimize the process for you.
When I posted on Craigslist, I got everything I DIDN’T want and DIDN’T ask for. I have horror stories and pure comedy stories to tell about posting on Craigslist.
I can tell you one. A woman told me she would give me an extra week’s work if I paid her upfront. I didn’t even know her, but I was not that stupid.
She explained that she had to pay for her Motel 6 room and was about to get kicked out and needed to pay her bill. It didn’t happen and was never going to happen, but that’s the quality of people you will find on Craigslist. She would have taken my money, and I would have never heard from her again.
One site I HIGHLY recommend for looking for people is Indeed. Indeed does a majority of the work, but they also make you accountable as well as you have to set appointments via video or via phone.
I love the details for people applying everything from WordPress experience to research to writing and their background and cover letters. People looking for work can’t just post anything, and they have to back it up.
When you see people via video, you get a better feel of where they’re coming from. I can’t speak highly enough about Indeed; that’s where I found my team ultimately.
Pull yourself away temporarily – find your Dream Team
If you’re too involved in your business, it’s like being in a pot of hot soup; you’re just an ingredient, and your perspective is not fresh.
You have to pull yourself away from it take a short vacation or a break to determine how you can improve. This is not just when it comes to finding people but it comes with improving your skillset and mental health.
Having a team in place will help you grow not having a team in place will keep you stagnant.
Ask people who have established businesses how they find their Dream Team
After I complained, one business owner told me why I couldn’t find the right team. She stated you never will as long as you don’t keep looking, and that’s just what you’re going to have to do.
You’re going to have to keep looking until you find the right people, and she was right.
There were many times I gave up as I stated earlier, after spending so much time training people who didn’t work out.
Still, then again, I was looking at sites like Craigslist for people taking recommendations from friends for people who just needed a job, and I was hiring people who were in between jobs. None of those people will give you the dedication that you need to help your business grow.
Be patient with your new staff – find your Dream Team
What does that mean? It means to make sure they know what they are doing.
Take the time and show them and encourage them to ask questions, show interest in them, and ask them what their goals are and what they want to do.
You certainly want to express how you can help them reach their goals, and that will make them feel more comfortable about supporting you.
Hire people who want to work in your field. This is extremely important and a mistake I repeatedly made, and I hired people who were writers and not career-oriented.
I thought I could teach the right candidates about Radio or how I started in the industry, but they had no interest in Radio, and I no longer did either.
Some of them were in between jobs and their dedication was not going to be there. Hire people who want to work in your field a lot of times that will include young people who are looking for a break or looking for a way to get to the top.
Often, when you have established a business, you can take them where they want to go very quickly.
Reward good work
If one person on your staff does a great job or all do find a way to reward them. Gift cards always work but I’ll do bonuses too. It encourages them to continue doing a great job and enables you to know that you have the right team in place.
You don’t have to go overboard or underboard but be reasonable with whatever you give them.
Find a way to ask for your respect in a nice way.
If they’re not able to make it or if they need a day off let them know they need to tell you in advance there’s nothing worse than being caught off guard. Sometimes things do happen and they need time off but if they can at least let you know in advance, you can plan communication is Key
Communication is Key
Communicate with your staff via phone or email or zooms at least twice a week ask them to send you ideas they have or how you can improve your business. When people feel like they’re a part of the business, they invest more of themselves.
As we get older, we don’t see certain things, but having a young influential staff on board is major because this helpls your business sustain itself.
There’s nothing worse than someone growing old with a business and having all techniques that no longer work killilng the business in the process. I’ve seen it more times than I have cared to see it.
Definitely figure out a way to bring talent on board that is hungry and has their ear to the street for what’s coming next. Once they bring it to you try it out and don’t think you know everything. And don’t think that your way is always the best way as I stated as we get older we become less connected.
