This business coaching blog is dedicated to employee management, a critical component of your business success and sanity.  As a business coach for a decade and a half, I have seen business owner after business owner struggle with hiring and developing the right people for their company.  I too have struggled in this regard.  Sadly, more mistakes are made and more money is wasted in the employee hiring, development and retention areas than just about anywhere else in a business. 

Now, in a tough economy, is a very good to re-assess your hiring and development practices and the quality of your current employees.  Now is the time to upgrade your "C" performers with "A" and "B" performers.  The supply of high quality employees looking for jobs is near an all-time high.  They are available to help your company improve and grow.  As I told my Growth Coach Operations Team today, we want current and future employees to have a strong work ethic, great attitude, and a high level of emotional engagement.  Otherwise, we will help free up folks so they can seek employment where it's a better fit for them...just as long as it's not here.  After all, my business coaching franchise owners around North America deserve nothing but the very best support services possible.  My employees help deliver on those promises -- by the way, I am very proud of my current team.

As a business owner, the simple truth is that you cannot reach your vision and goals without the help of others.  You can not deliver on the promises your company makes to your customers without very good employees.  Your greatest asset and source of leverage is your people – the “right” people.  People that share your company’s values, ethics, personality, culture and vision.  As leader, your primary objective is to get the right people on your ship, throw the wrong people off, and then direct the course of the ship.  Therefore, recruiting, training/coaching, developing and retaining the best employees possible are critical success factors for your company and some of your top responsibilities as a leader.  Your focus should be to develop others and create the right conditions for their success.  In short, unleash the full human potential of your organization. 

To be a more effective employer, you need to know what employees want and some basics on hiring and firing.  Here is an unscientific crash course in what your employees want based on my business coaching experience with hundreds and hundreds of small businesses.

What Your Employees Want

- To know where the company is headed and why 
- To know their roles, responsibilities and what is expected of them 
- To know how they will be evaluated and rewarded 
- To utilize their talents in the best way possible 
- To feel appreciated and valued – that their work and ideas matter 
- To be coached – challenged, motivated and held accountable 
- To have the right tools, training and authority to do their jobs 
- To contribute in a meaningful way to the company and its mission 
- To grow and develop – to reach their potential 
- To have an emotionally connected, competent manager/leader of character support their success

As an owner, are you and your team delivering on these expectations?  If not, put a corrective plan of action in place immediately.  Do not jeopardize losing your best employees.

Hiring/Firing Basics

Define your hiring needs and requirements on paper.  Hire for talent, not just resume data.  Be sure to hire emotionally engaged people, people with passion in their eyes, fire in the belly.  You want smart and hard workers with great attitudes and who are engaged and believe in what they will be doing.  Look at their track record for validation.  Also, have two people present at an interview with a candidate as two sets of ears, eyes and brains will capture many more insights.  Finally, don’t hesitate to use personal assessment tests to better understand the aptitudes, attitudes and talents of potential employees.  You want a good match.

While you should hire people slowly, fire them quickly if they do not fit your culture and can’t operate within your system. Do not let emotionally disengaged people or negative people infect your company.  Get rid of the cancer yesterday.  Do not waste time and energy trying to rehabilitate poor performers (the lower 20% that cause 80% of your headaches).  Spend your time and effort with your top performers, the top 20%.  This top 20% will produce 80% of your company’s results.  Therefore, put tremendous effort into developing and retaining the right people.  For your business to grow, you must find and develop the right people.

Are you and your team hiring the right people and freeing up the wrong people to go elsewhere?  If not, put a corrective plan of action in place immediately.

I hope this business coaching blog gave you a few good ideas and strategies on employee management issues.  Continued success and happiness.

Daniel M. Murphy
President, Founder & Business Coach
The Growth Coach
Business Coaching Franchise System