How do YOU find and hire the right players for your company?

That’s the question that was posed at a CEO Roundtable I attended a few weeks ago.  A challenging topic for sure. While hiring the right people can certainly difficult, especially for the small mid-market, there are methodologies and assessments out there (as well as some great new websites) that can make it less than a crap shoot.

It could have been a very productive and engaging session.  Instead, it became a disappointing dialogue about all of the problems with finding and hiring and very few solutions, as if there were a “magic wand” for hiring that would make all of their problems go away.

Wouldn’t that be nice?  Wouldn’t it be great if everyone had their own fairy godmother with the ability to grant your wishes?

Sadly, there are no magic wands or fairy godmothers (or genies, for that matter) that will make running a business and hiring the right people easier.  But that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to fail.  There’s another kind of “magic” – a magic I’ve seen over the past 20 years that uses structure and discipline to get the results you’re looking for – and won’t turn your business into a pumpkin when the clock strikes 12.

You can have that kind of magic too!  Here are three things that every leader needs to know about running a business and being a great leader.  And hopefully once you get your head around these…you’ll begin to be open to what’s really possible and experience your own kind of magic!

1)      Running a business requires discipline.  The type of discipline that Jim Collins talks about in “Great by Choice”.  A 20 Mile March backed by good preparation and an unwavering focus on the goal.  No fairy godmothers, no magic wands, no pills or magic potions are going to help you.  If you’re not willing to roll up your sleeves, set goals, assign accountabilities and measure and follow up, you won’t be successful. There are no short cuts. You have to do the work.

2)      You set the tone. Mastery requires 10,000 hours – that’s 3 hours a day for 10 years.  Not chump change.  And you as the leader should be the model for the behavior you expect from others.  People follow leaders who have vision, but that’s not enough.  They need to trust and have faith their leaders that their leaders are in the game with them, alongside of them, and pitching in.  And when problems arise, a great leader will look in the mirror first, not whine and complain and point fingers at others.

3)      There are answers.  The good news?  You don’t have to re-invent the wheel.  There are tools and systems that can make the job easier and will give you a better chance of succeeding. You just have to know where to look and what questions to ask.  For CEO’s who are struggling with hiring, TopGrading and the Objective Management Group both have some great resources and a solid approach that will up double or even triple your success rate. It’s not a dunk shot but their tools will give you a framework so that you’re practicing the right moves as you work your way towards mastery.

We don’t have magic wands, but we’re got other practical, robust tools that are guaranteed to increase your business success. So, if you’re interested in creating your own magic…

Don’t forget to sign up for our upcoming “Scaling Up” workshop too to get your ready for a successful 2018!  For more information on this One Day Planning event or to register, check out this link here!

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