Building a GREAT Team

I don’t know if you’ve been trying to hire a great team member lately, but they seem to be scarcer than a unicorn and it’s only going to get worse as demand continues to grow. What you need to do is develop the team members you have and to mentor new ones.

Your duty as an owner of any business is to grow your coworkers. If you see and treat your team member as they are today, you’re missing the boat. You need to see them as they can and should be, and treat them accordingly. You do this with a shared purpose, clear expectations and goals, and constant communication so they feel like they’re a significant part of the company. If you’re treating your staff like employees were treated twenty years ago, you’ve got a problem. People today don’t want or need a dictator in their face, they demand someone that sees their potential and will coach them to achieving it. They want to be part of something bigger that has significance above just making a profit.

But that’s just the beginning because, in order to attract and retain excellent staff, you need to create an environment where they feel cared for, valued, respected, recognized, and loved like a family member would. You need to realize that every person in your organization makes up your business family. You simply can’t treat them like a number. They are human and have the same issues and emergencies that you do. This is what your team members yearn for and is so lacking in the real world. It isn’t just about money, although you need to pay them a competitive wage. When your staff comes to work in this environment, they will bloom, your business will thrive, and no one will be able to steal them from you.

For the indifferent people that you’ve got now, they need to be given the opportunity to step up or step out. If you need to replace them, stop hiring people for their ability and start hiring them for their attitude and potential. Owners hire people for what they can do and fire them for who they are. You’re better off to start with someone that values the culture and environment you run your company with and train them to be who you want them to be.

Understand that before your customers will ever feel amazing about doing business with you, your team has to feel amazing and valued working with you. Do this and you’ll show your community just how AMAZING your business is!