There is so much stress involved in hiring the right person for the team. I am a very strategic person. This is especially true when hiring new people to our team. It’s one of the few areas I have such a strong voice in how it’s done and I am slow to add people.
Still, I’ve made plenty of mistakes.
If you get stressed about hiring the right person, I have a suggestion which may help.
I have done this with great success in hiring several staff positions for our team.
Build the job description around the person.
It’s that simple.
Set an overall vision for what you’re trying to achieve — hire the best person you can find — then build the job description — with the person’s help — around the person you hire.
If they excel in administrative tasks, then the job description may have more administrative tasks.
If they excel in creative tasks, then the job description may have more inventive tasks.
Find people around whom you believe you can shape a team.
This is true whether they are paid or volunteer.
This approach allows you to hire for character, competence, experience and fit with the team. In fact, I think the culture fit may be most important. But, this approach doesn’t limit you to finding an exact replica of a clearly defined, narrowly focused job description.
Here’s the deal. I ultimately just want a strong team. I want people who share an overall vision with me. But, I don’t want to script how they accomplish their specific part of the vision.
This way of hiring allows me to be a leader instead of a manager. It frees people to be leaders instead of employees. It helps us achieve more than a rigid structured environment ever could.
And, I best of all — it makes for a much happier team.