People

If you ask most thriving businesses today what their most important and valuable asset is, they will likely say, with little hesitation, people. It’s true that great people, a company’s employees, help grow those businesses through ideas, talent, innovation, leadership and hard work. Great employees understand a company’s vision and mission, and can precisely execute to that company’s standard of quality, or above. Great employees allow a competitive advantage for the companies they work for. They contribute to that business’ sustainability. Great employees can also help attract other great employees.

Finding, hiring and keeping great employees, however, it not as easy as it sounds. It takes resources. It takes insight and sound leadership. If you don’t have the very best people, your business can suffer, growth can be delayed and potential limited.

Finding and Hiring Great Employees

Finding and hiring great employees can be a difficult, time consuming and frustrating task. When you get the right one it’s like finding gold. Conversely, if you make a ‘bad hire’ it can set you back years of progress. Following are a few tips to help find and hire great employees.

1. Know what and who you want. Be clear in your job description and the requirements as well as your expectations. Treat as if you would in choosing a spouse or life partner, and Do. Not. Settle.
2. It’s a numbers game. Look everywhere you can to find the most qualified people for the job. This includes online and offline. Through social media. Among your personal networks. In industry trades and elsewhere.
3. Interview diligently. Execute background checks. Call referrals. Consult public social media sites. Try to match values and personality traits with your company and the job. Match those that will thrive under your management style.
4. Be Patient. Your best candidate is out there, somewhere. Sure, it takes the right timing and, in some cases, luck. With the right plan, you will find them and when you weed through to the right one, it will be worth it.

How To Keep Great Employees

When I look back to the several jobs I’ve had over the years, the primary reason for it eventually not working out was that I was either not challenged any longer by my management team or simply found another, better opportunity. Following are a few tips on how to keep great employees once you’ve found and hired them:

1. Compensate fairly. Match the right job to the talent, education and experience appropriately.
   
2. Challenge and motivate for progress. Keep employees engaged in the job, in the future of the company, in the opportunity to get ahead in the industry. They are a part of a team with individual roles and responsibilities that are important to the whole. If that team wins, everyone wins.
   
3. Foster professional development, learning and growth. Encourage employees to be the best at their job and the opportunities ahead that they are interested in growing into. Support continuing education and professional development to do this. The more they know and are up to speed with contemporary ways of performing at their job and producing results for the company, the more your business will benefit from it.
   
4. Encourage employees to use their strengths. Each employee will bring to the team his or her own unique set of strengths. Some of these strengths and talents might be completely unrelated to their job yet their contribution to the team can add to great achievement and success. Identify and reward that. And, it’s likely to pay dividends in sheer productivity and output.
   
5. Identify and support employees with management potential. There are other opportunities that may sway your best employees and managers. Plan for succession. It will happen. Be prepared and minimize your risk accordingly. Identify those who show management potential. Cultivate a culture of growth, satisfaction and longevity.
   
6. Replace those that no longer support productivity and growth to your standards. It’s a tough decision to make but holding on to a bad employee could delay and slow your company down more than you know. Make an effort to replace employees who are not productive and/or meet the standards for growth and output that is in line with the company mission and vision.

Most successful businesses cannot do it with one or two people for too long. Before you know it the requirement for top talent grows, and responsibilities are delegated. Find, hire and keep the best employees and your business will thrive.

About the Author

Angelo Biasi is General Manager of SMART Marketing Solutions, LLC, a leading full-service integrated marketing company in Florida and New York since 2001. He has helped create and execute marketing plans and integrated marketing solutions for companies such as Playtex, Bic, Rogaine, Tauck, and over 35 colleges and universities, to name a few. Angelo has an MBA in Marketing from the University of Connecticut and teaches Marketing at New York University where he has for over six years. He has been quoted and/or featured in USA Today, Mobile Marketer magazine, Mobile Commerce Daily, Luxury Marketing magazine, BNET TV and Business Currents magazine, to name a few. For more information or to learn more, email him at abiasismartmarketingllccom  (abiasismartmarketingllccom)  , visit www.smartmarketingllc.com, call him at 239.963.9396 and follow him on Twitter @angbiasi.