CEO TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT: 5 HIRING STRATEGIES FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

Have you ever hired a wrong fit person? They interviewed well, spoke well to the position and their resume, and you thought you found the perfect match. But, when they actually started working on your team they didn’t pan out, even though on paper they measured up. Why are you hiring the wrong employees?

As a small business owner, your ability to hire the right team members is everything. Looking for and hiring self-motivated, self-managed employees must become second nature. That is why I am sharing my hiring strategies for small business owners, so you don’t end up hiring the wrong employees. Massive results are around the corner if you hire right – I guarantee it.

Closing the Gap With CEO Training and Development

Close the gap between your hiring strategies and the right employee. If you desire self-motivated, self-managed employees, your hiring strategies have to follow suit. How do you measure creative thinking, innovation, and resilience? I can tell you right now that it isn’t with traditional interview methods or tired hiring strategies. There are dangers to hiring all the wrong employees – wasted time, unfinished projects, team disruptions, confused clients, the list goes on.

“Are you hiring all the wrong employees? If you desire self-motivated, self-managed employees, then your hiring strategies have to follow suit.”

The truth is, in my time as an entrepreneur and business owner, I haven’t always gotten small business hiring right. But, in hiring wrong, I have learned that there is a silver lining. It is being honest in setting and fulfilling your expectations. If you do, the hiring and CEO training and development strategies that I am about to share come naturally and will guarantee your success. The question remains: What is your truth? I want to share my truths with you, my 5 hiring strategies for small business owners if you are looking to grow your business and hire right.

3 Hiring Strategies to Avoid

The logical place to start with CEO training and development strategy is at the beginning. Like I always say, work backward once you set your goal. What hiring strategies should you avoid? The goal is to avoid hiring the wrong employees and instead, hire the right ones. Let’s talk about three hiring strategies to avoid as a small business owner.

1. Calling it QUITS after one Interview. It is not just standard protocol. The bottom line to implementing the right hiring strategies is to interview more than once. As a small business, I believe in a combination of phone, face-to-face, group, and follow-up interviews.

Get creative and switch up the format! It is the only proven hiring strategy for small business owners to get authentic with the right employee. First impressions mean a lot, but they are not everything.

2. Reviewing a Resume and NOT Checking References. A resume is a piece of paper, a glimpse into who someone is in short-hand, and it is carefully crafted. While serving a purpose, it should not be the end all be all for how a potential employee measures up. References mean more, so invest time into treating them that way.

Take time to check their references! Not everyone will have something fantastic to say, or say the same thing at all, but a pattern will emerge. Is this the right kind of employee for you? This is by far the easiest hiring strategy for you to implement as a small business owner. And, it will work to avoid hiring all the wrong employees.

3. Hiring Someone who JUST wants a Job. First, think of yourself. As an entrepreneur, did you ever settle for just wanting a job? Like the thousands of small business owners I have worked with, your answer will be no. You chose this path, a path filled with creative thinking, innovation and resiliency, but also a path founded upon passion. Do not just settle for someone who just wants a job. You will end up hiring all the wrong employees and you deserve all the right ones!

5 Hiring Strategies for Small Business Owners

Growing your business goes hand in hand with hiring self-motivated, self-managed employees. If you are hiring the wrong employees, it’s time for a change. Shift your hiring strategies so you can be honest with yourself and with the team you hire. Every tip that you will learn today is one that I have utilized in my own business, and they represent another step in your CEO training and development! If you hire with authenticity, depth, and transparency in mind, you will build a great team destined to grow your business to new heights. Here are my 5 hiring strategies for small business owners looking to grow their business and hire right.

1. Truth over the Myth. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. We are not looking for the perfect employee (a mythical creature at best), but for workhorses. Be smart by taking a dose of reality. If you take control you will end up hiring self-motivated, self-managed employees, instead of hiring the wrong employees. One of the most important hiring strategies for small business owners is to hire based on truth over myth.

An entrepreneur’s dream is to hire someone that is doesn’t just put the work in, but also gets the work done! The right hire is an employee that fits into a team that is persistent in chasing results. Because, at the end of the day, who you hire is an extension of you. If you are hiring as a small business owner, then you are looking to grow your business and hire right. Hiring strategy #1 is to check their track record for truth over myth.

2. Break Away from Tired Job Descriptions. And, blastoff to hiring success! As an entrepreneur, your daily practice is marketing yourself. You walk the walk when it comes to a dynamic relationship between passion and career success. It only makes sense that a new hire should meet and exceed those standards. Be specific, be clear, be detailed when it comes to what you are looking for, and the job description will write itself.

What makes your business so successful? What fantastic opportunities does this position afford? Think key ingredients, think memorable. Work backward when tackling hiring strategies as a small business owner looking to grow your business and hire right. It starts with crafting a job description that stands out from the pack, when attracting self-motivated, self-managed employees.

What has worked for me, in building 10 successful businesses, is being honest from the start. It’s one of the most crucial CEO training and development lessons, and you will be glad you took the time to be honest when it comes to your messaging and decision-making. There is nothing more difficult than changing the name of the game and correcting your course down the line. Define your culture, inspire employees that want to grow with a company, and see a change in the people that step forward. Your ability to excite the right applicant will make for a perfect match!

3. Processes Don’t Stop with You. Systems are recipes for success. You’re an entrepreneur, of course, but don’t check your systems at the door when it comes to your hiring strategies. The same rules apply. The simplest and most straightforward hiring strategy for small business owners is to be disciplined.

You are looking for self-motivated, self-managed employees. What that often means is that creative people are the answer. What that doesn’t mean is that you don’t need systems to lay the foundation for how you hire. You will end up hiring all the wrong employees. It is absolutely necessary to structure your interview process, in order to walk away with consistent data points.

To make an informed decision and hire right, you need the right setup. Decide what that looks like for you, then be consistent. In my experience, a group interview is an ideal model to incorporate all of the best hiring strategies for small business owners. For many of the entrepreneurs that I work with, there is no better way to test the waters. What you discover will be invaluable insight!

4. Vet your Future. And, do your due diligence. This is what happens before and after the interviews. When you’re looking for that self-motivated, self-managed employee to grow with your company, is a must to check work history, contact references and confirm your gut feeling about a new hire. I know I already said it, but I will say it again. Confidence is key. 

The best hiring strategies for small business owners, who are looking to grow their business and hire right, require a shift in thinking. Ask yourself these important questions:

• Change is constant. Would they agree?
• Taking the right risks can equal success. Can they convert those risks?
• I know what they are capable of. Will they perform?

And, sometimes hiring a known quantity is best. Other times, a new set of attributes brings new life to the game. It is all in how you answer the questions and vet your future when onboarding a new hire as part of your CEO training and development strategies. If you do, you will avoid hiring the wrong employees.

5. Be Honest. I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today, a leading entrepreneur and successful business owner for over three decades, without this one strategy. You cannot look for (let alone hire) a great team without first being honest with yourself and your employees. The best hiring strategies for a small business owner are the ones that start with you.

• What culture do you want to nurture?

Not just the idyllic picture, but the real goals for your business.

• What are the challenges of the position?

Not just the obvious perks, but the gaps that open doors for solutions.

• What are the breakthrough opportunities?

Not just the traditional limits, but the exponential scale for growth.

Think of this as the interview before the interview. Keep your trade secrets secret, but if you are not clear on what it will take to get the job done, then how can any employee be the right fit? The answer is that it’s not possible. The most important interview is the one with yourself. With that kind of clarity, you will find and hire the self-motivated, self-managed employees that you are looking for. Say goodbye to hiring all of the wrong employees and say hello to hiring of the right ones instead.

The Right Hire

Isn’t it time that you hired the right employees to help grow your business? You deserve the self-motivated, self-managed employees that you are looking for. Do yourself a favor and learn from me and my CEO training and development strategies. Every entrepreneur and small business owner has made the wrong hiring decision a time or two. Avoid the hiring strategies that leave you hiring the wrong employees.

If you’re looking to build a great team, put these 5 hiring strategies to work. It really is that simple. You will end up with a clear picture of your ideal candidate, and your optimal candidate will end up with a clear path to success as your newest team member. Happy hiring!

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