There is one aspect of any business that is more important than any piece of software, any item of equipment, the best marketing strategy, or the most influential networking capacities. We are speaking of course about a good team.
A company is only as good as the team that makes up its foundation. If you want to reach success, you need to work on your start-up team, you need to get the right people. Your team facilitates every part of success, from your efficiency, the atmosphere at the office, communication with clients, and the general reputation of your company. Everything from the results you want and need, right down to whether you are looking forward to work or not. Here are the tips for building the perfect start-up team
1. Set standards, and stick to them
Now, every company is different, as is every manager and business owner. Working on improving your marketing, how you approach clients, investing in new equipment, all these vary from company to company, and so too does choosing your employees. You need to figure out what your company needs (not the industry, but your company specifically) and work from there. Then, don’t budge on these standards, don’t let them slip. No matter how much you like this person, no matter how charismatic they are, you need to be certain that they can get the job done.
Now, there are some standards that are pretty universal. Honesty, trustworthiness, industriousness, and just getting along with people at a basic level. You don’t need a Tony Robins-like extraverted figure at your accounting job, but at the same time a rainy cloud of depression and frustration with a short fuse will ruin the atmosphere at your company, and make morale plummet.
2. You want people who love to self-improve
A good team needs to be composed of people who want to work on their skills, who are hungry for self-improvement. Of course you should provide your people with training opportunities and options, but at the same time, you also need people who are autonomous, and who want and need to work on their skills. You won’t be successful if you have to nudge and egg them on all the time to improve their skills and capabilities.
3. Teamwork and morale
We already mentioned how it’s ok to have someone who is not much of a social butterfly, somebody who isn’t a life of the party. However, you are still setting up a team. This means that you want to work as a team, you need a group of people who can work together. They don’t have to be best friends (even though that can only get you benefits). However, they do have to work well together. The better your team’s personalities mesh with each other, the better you can all work. Good vibes foster creativity and hard work.
Indeed, working with people that don’t mesh with your company culture will lead to high levels of stress and just general annoyance. If it gets bad enough, you can end up with sinking morale, and even an actual psychological injury in the workplace. You can have the most talented and hard-working person in your entire industry, but if they rub everyone the wrong way, if they don’t allow the rest of your team to get their work done, you will just end up wasting your time, and this person will waste his or her talent.
4. Think your interview questions through
Interviews are vital. They provide you with real first impressions about the people who might one day work with your company. The point here is to gauge people’s personalities, check out how trustworthy they are, and whether they be able to work well with your company. In order to do this, you need to think about your questions through. Don’t stick to a script, but also don’t let this devolve into a free-flowing conversation about things that don’t relate at all to your industry.
So, you want to achieve two things here. Judge a person’s character, and figure out whether they can do the job or not. All your questions should be structured so that they move towards these points.
5. Try to meet them outside the office
A quick tip given by many professionals and employment officers centers on meeting people outside the office. Conducting interviews in coffee shops, instead of setting them up in conference rooms, can yield better results.
An employee will relax more in an informal setting, and will most likely show his or her true face. This can mean that an absolute genius who is just bad at interviews will show you how amazing he or she is in a relaxed environment. However, it can also present to you the true colors of a smooth and fast talker who actually doesn’t know what he or she is going on about.
Conclusion
And there you have it folks, some tips on how to build the perfect start-up team. Your company works only as well as your employees do. No matter how well you run everything, no matter how good your equipment is, good employees, trump everything else. So, try to create standards upon which you will choose your workers, and actually, stick to these standards of business management. Don’t let amazing talent trump poor character and a horrible personality. Avoid posing generic interview questions, and get a good feel of what these people are like outside the office.
Originally posted 2021-03-08 10:28:40.
- 5 Tips for Building the Perfect Start-up Team - July 23, 2024