Specialty Retail Blog

Hiring and placing people in the right positions is one of the important keys to success in any business. The hiring process we implement as part of the Winning@Business® process is designed to put the right people in the right place at the right time.
Sounds good but what the heck does that mean?

Too often, without a well fashioned hiring strategy, plan and implementation process you end up with the wrong person.  That wrong person not only costs you in lost time and money but the lost profits and customers due to substandard work can be devastating as well as irrecoverable.  The short tenure of the wrong person puts you right back where you started. Why does that happen way too often?

The reason is that most businesses hire for experience and fire for fit. In other terms, the resume, prior experience and presentation of the individual are the keys to the hiring decision.  That will assure that you have a person that is best at getting the job but not necessarily one who is best at DOING the job.
Basically every job requires both traits and skills to accomplish it. Most employers tend to hire based on skills which is a great idea of you are looking for a life and death occupation like a brain surgeon. One reason that a brain surgeon can be hired based on skill is that the long and rigorous path to become a brain surgeon has vetted the traits required long ago.

To promote a better hiring process and hire for fit, focus on traits.  Traits are natural abilities and likes. This is personality and talent. Traits are the precise reason that even with all the coaching, training and practice I could benefit from, I will never be a player in the NBA.  That would be sending a duck to eagle training camp.  That is one aspect of what I mean by fit.

The second aspect of  job fit involves the others on the team. The hiring process should be a combination of identifying the skills and traits of the individuals and matching that to the needs of the organization. When the team members mesh well and can work together, the employees are happier, more motivated and the workplace is a wonderful place to be!

Obviously there are many other important aspects to hiring the right person. Understanding the critical parts of the process and designing the procedures that are required for the situation you face will lead to a long and profitable relationship. Hiring the first person that responds to an ad or your merchandise manager’s cousin’s wife may not be a good choice at all.  Don’t hire a duck if the job requires soaring like an eagle. The cost and effort to do it right the first time is minimal compared the cost of making a mistake.

The new picture of business, at least for the next year or so, seems to be one of closings, cutbacks and trimming. The obvious approach would be to cut back like everyone else but there may be a better way. For many years we have been faced with a scarce labor market. In fact, one lament I hear all the time is, “It is hard to get good people!” That time is past! Good people are being let go and put on the street in droves.

One result from years of a tight labor market is what the army terms ROAD Warriors. These are Retired On Active Duty Warriors, people in your organization who act like they are doing the job but in reality lack the drive, commitment, ingenuity and desire to always find new and better ways to serve your customers.

This new economy presents the opportunity to root out and replace ROAD Warriors with people who are committed, motivated, inspired and willing to work with everyone on your team. The challenge is how to go about the hiring and replacement process. Replacing people can be a waste of time, money and be very disruptive if you get rid of the wrong people or don’t hire better ones!

First, a management process is critical to identify those who are not committed to your success. The staff knows who these ROAD Warriors are but they are often hidden from the management. Establishing teams and implementing Winning@Business™ is a great way to identify these people.

Hiring better people requires a process to identify those who can truly do the job, not just the person who is best at getting the job. A Management One® affiliate can work with business owners to look in the right places, ask the right questions and put candidates through the right process to hire the best.

Hiring is never complete until the orientation process and job training is complete. Teamwork, communication and the creation of an environment that is exciting will help you succeed in the next year. It’s up to you!