The secret to the success of many entrepreneurs lies in the ability and capability of their team. No entrepreneur scaled up the ladder all alone. The entrepreneur might be the
business owner and even the face behind the name, but other underground workers played a vital role in building the business. This goes beyond direct employees to builders, contractors, accountants, outsourced workers, etc.
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A winning team is a team with the right individuals, and unfortunately, many entrepreneurs encounter challenges in trying to build a team. This is something you cannot overlook or downplay because more than 23% of startups fail due to either wrong team players, lack of resources or not satisfying market needs. To succeed as an entrepreneur, you need to hire people whose goals align with yours.
Let’s take a look at how to build a great team that would elevate your startup:
Don’t go charging into the labour market looking for employees, when you have not evaluated yourself to know what you are bringing to the table. Building a team begins with building the star player. Therefore, being an ineffective star player invariably means that you would affect the success performance rate of every other player. Evaluate yourself, find out areas you need to build on, areas you’re good at. Your values, beliefs and perception go a long way in making or breaking your team.
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Hire Action Takers Who Are Passionate
Hiring people who are not just interested in earning a salary but are passionate about their position, is a key factor. A person can only be passionate when his goals align with business goals. Therefore, if you observe that your business goal does not ignite zeal and passion in an individual being employed, don’t hire them. A lack of enthusiasm only shows that they would not be committed to their job or enjoy it accordingly. No matter how qualified they might be, they can never be the right people for the job.
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Hire People Different From You
Most entrepreneurs make the mistake of hiring people who are just like them. This is a step in the wrong direction. What you need is people who would complement your weaknesses, have varying opinions, think differently, and have different skills. This sparks up creativity, productivity, and synergy among your team members.
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Employ Customer-Minded Individuals
Ensuring customer satisfaction should not be the sole responsibility of the customer service department. Employ people who understand the value of a customer in business; people who would place your customers at the forefront of their dealings.
Adam Grant posits in his book, “Give and Take”, that there are three types of people – Takers, Matchers, and Givers. He explained that Takers work for the sole purpose of fulfilling their personal agenda, Matchers only give when they have received from you, and Givers are those who willingly serve people around them. This makes them the principal contributors to organizational success. With them in your organization, success can be termed as being about contribution/teamwork, as against personal victory. Every individual tends to become more productive in an organization where Giving is of utmost value.
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Explore The Option of A Recruiter
Inasmuch as you know and understand what you need from your employees, finding people who match that description can be stressful and difficult. This is where the services of a recruiter can be employed. Although recruiters can be quite expensive, they save you the stress, cost, and time of hiring over and over again. You can as well, employ professional networks to achieve this aim, depending on how financially buoyant your organization is.
Finally, bear in mind that building a team doesn’t end in the hiring process, but extends to post-hiring assessments. Have strategies in place for training, career development, promotions, feedbacks, etc. This will help your team members to bring in their A-game to work.
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This article was first published on 16th December 2021
chidiogo-akaelu
Chidiogo Shalom Akaelu holds a degree in English and Literary Studies, from the University of Nigeria. She is a freelance writer, editor and founder of Loana Press, a budding online publishing outlet.
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