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“I would say that my passion is having people surprise themselves by what they’re capable of. And if I can be present at least a little bit for some of that internal dialog, that’s a privilege and a thrill for me.” Seth Godin

The 5 Keys to Building Your DREAM Team

Key # 3: Build Your Business to ATTRACT the Best

This chapter focuses on the importance of building a business that your ideal candidates want to work for...that has a great reputation as a desirable place to work.

 

Hiring top talent requires more than effectively marketing the open position. It requires that the owner has built a business that attracts the types of candidates that will help take the business to the next level. It’s important to keep in mind that your ideal candidate is probably happily working for someone else, which isn’t to say they won’t move to your company, but rather to suggest you have to present a compelling reason for them to take the risk to change jobs. They have to see in you and your business a better chance for their career development than where they are currently working.

 

If your goal is to take your business to the next level, then you have to hire top-quality people that will get you there, which means you have to proactively define and create a business that attracts these quality candidates. Sitting back and reactively building your business won’t attract this level of talent. Average businesses attract average employees.

Imagine how much easier it would be if you had people talking to you about working for you even before you post a post.

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The 5 Keys to Building Your DREAM Team

Key # 2: You Have to MARKET Your Job Openings

In the previous chapter, we discussed the dramatically greater lift a top-quality employee will deliver to you and your business than an average candidate (one with low initiative and skills) candidate. In chapter two, we are talking about how to build a top-quality team.

 It can be challenging to find those people who will help you take your business to the next level. The search process begins with the following:

  • Developing an inspiring vision and purpose for your business
  • Establishing the roles and responsibilities of the position, both now and in the future
  • Identifying the personality traits and technical skills needed
  • Attracting candidates with a compelling and engaging job opportunity write-up Many business owners do not truly appreciate the value that superior team members can provide their business. Owners will work to fill a vacant position without giving careful consideration to its roles and responsibilities. Typically, they also do not think about what characteristics would be ideal for that position.

This chapter looks at what you must do to attract top talent, because they are most likely happily working for someone else.

The 5 Keys to Building Your DREAM Team

Key # 1: The Importance of Building Top-Quality Teams

 Many business owners do not truly appreciate the value that superior team members can provide their business. Owners will work to fill a vacant position without giving careful consideration to its roles and responsibilities. Typically, they also do not think about what characteristics would be ideal for that position.

The tendency is to post a position as soon as it is vacant without giving much thought to ideal characteristics and potential responsibilities. Owners often tell me that they don’t have time to analyze the job requirements – they know the technical skills required but not personal traits such as integrity, good communication skills, being a team player, and being a strong decision maker. They’re trying to find a clone of the recently departed employee.

In their book “Leading Organizations, Scott Keller and Mary Meaney highlight a study by Human Resource Management Associates (HRMA) found that high performers are 400% more productive than average employees. Those results suggest that a team of top-quality employees will complete their work four times faster than a team of average employees given the same assignment.

Initiate Positive Change

 Why is it that some people don’t like change?

Or, more to the point, why is it that some people won’t make a change even when gains would clearly result from making the change?

You and your sales team undoubtedly encounter clients with this kind of counterintuitive behavior. For example, think of prospective clients who stayed with their current supplier despite your superior alternative. What gets in the way of their making such a positive change? On a personal level, we’ve all seen colleagues or family members avoid making a change that would clearly be in their best interests. Why don't they take action?

The Importance of Empathy in Building GREAT Teams

Americans by the millions are going back to work, so it's especially important that we discuss a key leadership skill. Whether you're a leader in a large organization of a business owner, these days it's especially important that you treat people with empathy and understand that there may be more at play with with each of your employees than your realize. People are dealing with more stress-inducing incidents than prior to the pandemic, and you as their leader must understand that fact.

Simon Sinek, a best selling author wrote "We must all try to empathize before we criticize. Ask someone what's wrong before telling them they are wrong." This blog post highlights why that attitude is important as a leader, and is essential if your goal is to build a GREAT team.

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How Good Are Your Leadership Skills?

On the evening of December 26, 1776 General George Washington led 2,400 men across a treacherous ice-packed Delaware River to capture 1,000 British and Hussein soldiers encamped in Trenton New Jersey. This monumental victory came at the end of a calamitous year in which his army had been soundly defeated in several battles in New York and had been forced to retreat to Pennsylvania. His men were poorly equipped, poorly clothed, stricken with disease, nearly at the end of their enlistment, hungry and demoralized. But, all that changed with the victory at Trenton.

 This monumental victory in America’s fight for independence points out two significant lessons that business owners need to learn.  

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Want Your Business to Run More Smoothly? Processes Are the Answer

Separately by 400 years, two incidents involving huge ships illustrate the importance of knowing the fundamentals and having processes in place so that people don't just assume.

The first incident happened in Stockholm on August 10, 1628 and involved the world's most powerful naval ship. This ship was the pride and joy of the Swedish king and was built to defeat countries that threatened Sweden. The king's joy when the ship was launched was short-lived. Advance 391 years and a ship departing a east coast port encountered a very similar problem.

This blog post highlights what is believed to have been the causes of these incidents and draws parallels for business owners to keep in minding as they grow their businesses. You'll have to read more to learn about these two ships and what happened.

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Don't Lose Sight of the Fundamentals

Early in the morning of September 7, 2019 the Golden Ray, a massive car transport ship – 2 football fields long and 17 stories tall, departed the Port of Brunswick, Georgia. The Golden Ray was continuing its journey to deliver over 4,200 trucks and cars to the Middle East. Before departing 285 Hyundai Accents and Kia Fortes were unloaded from two decks and 335 Kia Tellurides were loaded onto three decks. The additional cars added 411 tons of weight.

 The morning was mild and waters were calm. At 12:45 am the harbor pilot guided the Golden Ray out into the channel. At one point the narrow shipping channel bends to the right, but when the harbor pilot tried to turn the floating parking lot, the ship didn’t turn. He continued attempting to turn, but suddenly the Golden Ray turned over on its side. 

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