How do you know when you’ve hired the right person? When does a mistake in choosing a new team member start to reveal itself? What steps should you follow when trying to add a new member to your organization?
I can’t say I know the all of the answers, but I definitely keep these topics in mind when in hiring mode. Over the last few years I’ve had the pleasure of recruiting, hiring and training a handful of brand-new salespeople for organizations. In each of these instances, the teams I assembled were not existing entities – they were built from scratch. The attitudes and approaches instilled in these hires were of my creation and I worked hard to construct a methodology for hiring; one I believed gave the candidates the best opportunity to reveal their talent and also ensure potential new team members had a chance to get a live look at what being a part of the team would look like.
I was curious to understand how my approach feels from the other side of the hiring table, so I asked a few people to jot down their thoughts on the process and how it may have differed from their previous experiences with interviewing for a new job. Here’s one of the responses I received.
My experience being hired and managed by Roger was very rewarding. I would say it was my best experience yet! I came in as a raw prospect, and entered an environment which allowed me to hone my skills.
The biggest takeaway was my growth as a person. I learned so much about myself! There is always more to learn and more importantly, how to apply it. My strengths were amplified. My weaknesses have been minimized. Roger’s methods facilitated this environment. He taught me to communicate better and work with my team using the strengths and managing the weaknesses of my personality. All of our interactions focused on this progress, both as a team and individually. He laid the groundwork for me to work towards my growth at my own pace. This made it easy and effective.
As a team, each of us grasped the concept of our individual personality types very quickly. Roger acted as the glue. He was our comfort zone. I believe the lasting effects of the understanding I gained of my co-workers are a great testament to his team building abilities and process. Eventually, our understanding of his methods grew to a point where we could apply the lessons to not only each other, but also our clients.
We are efficient in meetings because our individual positions can be appreciated, while also being effectively countered when there is a need. We owe this to the balance and environment Roger created. The only other ingredient was time. In those moments when I may have been even remotely uncomfortable, he was there to lead me to a better understanding. I would recommend his methods to any team.
A lot of disagreements occur from misunderstandings. Even our team experienced misunderstandings. Many (if not all) were simply differences in personality. Talent is a must for any level of greatness, but the proper alignment of that talent and management of the associated personalities can be the difference between success and failure. Roger’s abilities and methods directly translated to the success of our team even beyond the current position we are in. I believe any group or team can learn and function much better following structure and system.
Roger W Burnett 