Hire the right staff and they will not only support you in your business, they might even provide the acumen and skills to take it to the next level.

How? Well as a leader, you don’t want to be the smartest person in the room, you just need to have assembled a team who can get the job done while problem solving and delivering real value to your customers.

So how do you achieve that?

Here are my top tips on the hidden skills you should be seeking out in your dream team…

The hiring checklist

Often as a leader assembling a team, the first thing we look for is the applicant’s skillset. Yes, that’s important, but far beyond the boxes they tick on a resume of job experience are the innate attributes they bring to your team.

A solid team will pull together, complement each other well, and get the job done under your direction or even in your absence.

So what exactly are these secret skills that you should be hiring for?

Hire for attitude

You can teach skills to the right person, but you can never train for attitude. The right attitude will see a staff member take on the skills required to perform their role.

Even in the most skilled employee, the wrong attitude can be detrimental to a team of staff and also the overall culture of a business.

Hire for acumen

When it comes to your leadership team or key positions, you should absolutely be looking for acumen.

As I mentioned earlier, the owner of a business does not need to be the smartest person in the room, they just need to surround themselves with people who are suitably qualified and smart enough to propel the business forward.

That said, there’s a caveat here. Given two job candidates with similar skills and acumen, the right attitude should be the tipping point between one job applicant over another.

Hire for initiative

There’s little point having a smart employee with the right attitude who does not have the initiative to act on the behalf of the business.

And this one’s a tough one to consider. While you don’t want a lone wolf who’s going to enter your business all guns blazing to implement their ideas, you do want someone who will use their initiative to problem solve effectively in the business and on your behalf.

Hire for ethos

The ethos of any employee you bring into your business should align with your values and those of your company.

After all, these are the people who will be representing you to your clients and acting in your absence.

That’s why it’s critical to create a mission and vision for your business that all potential staff can understand and relate to.

If a potential employee does not espouse the values, vision and mission of your enterprise, there’s little point bringing them on board because your team will know their values don’t align, you will know their values don’t align and your customers will also be left struggling to understand why something just doesn’t feel right.

The importance of a team

Hire the right staff as part of your team and you can rest assured you can step away from your business when the need arises.

Hire the wrong people and you will constantly be micro-managing every element of your enterprise.

But as noted, the right staff member cannot be determined from a simple resume on paper. It’s more about whether they will deliver the right skills and the right fit for your business.

If you’re looking to grow your business, I’m available to assist with planning, goal setting, and proven strategies all focused on business expansion and growth.

You can book a discovery call directly with me below and let’s talk about your business

Talk Strategy with Clive

With more than 30 years’ experience in mentoring small to medium-sized businesses around Australia. Clive works with company owners and their teams to grow their business and achieve goals through startegic coaching.