Building Your Team

Every business owner relies on so many people to make his/her business a success. Sometimes in the day to day we forget about our advisors and our employees. The following ten tips are to help you build and keep a great team.

1. Hire people to fit the job, don't design the job to fit the people. This is a mistake many business owners make especially when hiring the first few employees.  Just because you have a great rapore with someone doesn't mean they are the best employee choice.
2. Hire a team player BUT in many cases this person must also be able to work independently 
3. Employees should show initiative within the guidelines your provide
4. Don't hire a "yes" person, your business needs the very best.
5. Take a page our of Bill Gates' playbook and hire people who are better than you are. Your business needs the very best, hire the brightest and the best.
6. It is your responsibility to make sure you know what you expect from your employees ( job descriptions are good tools) and to share those expectations with the employees (regular reviews of performance as a minimum)
7. What advisers do you need? You may want an accountant, a lawyer, an IT or computer consultant and maybe a website designer to name a few. The larger your business and the more diverse your markets the more specialists you will need access to. Know what to expect from each of your advisers...make sure that everyone's expectations are the same. 
8. Do your employees have the attitude and the ability to do the job you are asking them to do? If not can you provide the training required. Attitude is another matter, there is little you can do to change an employee's attitude. 
9. Check references, for potential employees and for all advisers you hire. Ask the hard questions, know exactly what you are getting. Make an informed decision, not a decision that is the path of least resistance and work. 
10. Just because you have a good team in place don't assume that will continue, monitor, train, encourage, make adjustments as required and make sure your expectations are clearly communicated.   Also a well deserved word of praise goes a long way.