Bringing New People into The Organization - Page 3

Don’t try to recruit someone with strong skills in one area and expect they will be a star performer in another area. The biggest example of this typically applies to marketing people responding to sales opportunities when marketing positions are scarce. I have had almost zero success changing people, particularly older experienced ones, into something new. It just doesn’t work.

Testing can be useful. There are various testing services available to help you assess a potential new hire. The cost is generally in the low hundreds of dollars range per applicants. But if they help you avoid mistakes they can save you thousands. Learn about these services and try a few. Most will even give you a complimentary assessment so you get to understand the value of their work.

If you advertise a position don’t hesitate to write unconventional ad copy. Advertise for exactly what you need. The best personal example of this was when I was brought into to head a 300 person manufacturing company that had recently been acquired as a family owned business by a public UK company. While the strong family member performers were running the company their experience and skills off set the low level capabilities of most of the others in the company. As the new CEO I was frustrated because I just didn’t have any bright people working with me in any of the core areas of the company, not in sales, marketing, operations, logistics or finance. I realized what the organization needed was an infusion of “bright” people  regardless of age, gender, backgrounds or previous work experiences I was looking to add raw brain power and energy. The ad we ran in the local newspaper under the headline: Looking for Bright People was an absolute home-run. We hired three of the people who responded. They stayed many years with the company and excelled.

The best way to find new terrific people is by networking. The really good people for the most part already have positions but may be frustrated and looking for an even better opportunity and more responsibility. Your mutual connections know who these people are and can connect you with them.

Before you hire anyone make certain they have some entrepreneurial instincts and skills. These may be hard to spot but the “9 to 5ers” certainly are not hard to spot. Throughout your organization you need creative, out of the box thinkers who will put in whatever effort is required to be a difference maker. To survive as a world leader we are going to have to become much more entrepreneurial as a society. We are competing globally and things are changing at mach speed. Only the nimble, innovative organizations will make it.

Once you do hire someone new, on whatever basis the hire is made, put your understanding in writing. Avoid any misunderstandings from the outset. And don’t be afraid about changing the terms of the relationship once you both get a better feel for each other.

One final piece of advice……think about developing a good working relationship with a law firm specializing in employment law. Having them help you develop a well thought through employee policy manual may save you mucho dollars in the future. Almost all organizations, at one time or another, have run into complex employee situations that can come back to bite if not anticipated and planned for in advance.

If you would like to share any thoughts or issues about your own organization reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.