Now, you’ll often hear it said that people are the most valuable asset in a business. And I can tell you, I wholeheartedly agree. Because you can have all of the fancy marketing, a lovely website and a great shop with fantastic products.
But if the people in the business are no good, then ultimately it is not going to be the success that it could be.
Now, when it comes to hiring staff, I am a great believer in recruiting for attitude, not skills and this is something I talk about in my book, The Six Minute Entrepreneur. In really simple terms, if you get the right person with the right attitude, they can develop the skills that you need.
Taking this approach, however, does mean that you need to be prepared to invest in your people, you need to develop their skills and support them through the process.
So, if like me you think that hiring for attitude is the way to go, today’s tips are going to help you to develop those people to achieve their full potential.
Let’s get started!
Tip number one, create a development plan.
I want you to think of this like a roadmap. Nobody likes going on a journey if they don’t know where they’re going, or at least not many people do! The first thing that you need to do is describe where you see that member of staff ending up. What you see is their end goal. You might want to come up with a short, medium, and some long-term goals so that they can see the bigger picture, but also have some achievable milestones to work towards.
Whatever you do, you need that destination and you need them to buy into getting there. Once the destination’s clearly agreed, you can then work on a plan that moves you towards that goal.
Now, tip number two, provide opportunities to learn.
It sounds obvious, but if you want people to learn, you’ve got to give them the opportunity to learn and learning can take loads of forms. There’s formal learning, things like e-learning, and professional qualifications but don’t underestimate informal learning. That’s where people grow the most, job shadowing, mentoring, picking things up in the job.
I love the phrase, every day’s a school day, because I honestly believe that you can learn something new every single day.
Tip number three – have regular check-ins.
Developing people is not about launch and abandon. If you do that, you’ll almost certainly fail and the chances are, you’ll only find out when it’s too late. So to keep everything on track, you need to build a support network around that person. The network should provide a platform for feedback, both positive and developmental.
You might be directly involved in that, but you might also involve other people such as line managers, colleagues or working groups. However you do it, encourage a culture of open communication so that staff can ask questions, share ideas and seek guidance.
Now, an extra point here, you’ll be amazed at how shorter, more frequent check-ins often work better than longer formal ones. They just maintain momentum and make feedback easy to give because it’s in more manageable chunks.
Tip four, empower your staff.
Now, this one’s tough for the control freaks out there. I’ll admit it, in the early days of running my business, I found this really hard, especially when I didn’t think a member of staff was the finished article. But as any parent will know, sometimes you need to let the kids challenge themselves even if they risk failing.
If you’ve ever watched a toddler learn to walk, you’ll know that they have to fall a few times. Without those hiccups, they’d never get up and running. It’s the same in business so give your staff the power to make decisions. Let them take on projects and responsibilities that stretch and test their skills. Don’t expect perfection, explain to them it’s all part of the learning process, whatever the outcome is.
And yes, I know all of the control freaks out there are totally freaking out at this one, but trust me, you need to develop the skill of letting people develop or you’re going to end up limiting your own potential. Because the truth is you can’t always be everywhere at once and do everything for everybody.
Now, tip five, big one here, lead by example.
If you want your staff to develop and grow, you’ve got to walk the talk yourself. Be open to learning and be a great role model for them. Over the years, I’ve spent hundreds of hours learning new skills, being coached, talking to mentors, seeking out information. I know that I’ve still got tons to learn and I wake up every day hungry to learn something new. Whether it’s about business, crafting, parenting, fitness, fashion, I mean, the list’s endless and every day is a school day.
As a leader and an entrepreneur, I almost take this behavior for granted because it feels like part of my DNA but I sometimes need to remind myself that if I want other people to take on their own development journeys, I need to show them that I’m on one as well. So in simple terms, I’m saying, I’m on the same journey as you, because if it’s good for me, it’s good for you.
So there you have it, five tips to help develop your staff. Now, as I said at the start, recruiting for attitude, not skills, does require a different type of investment. Often that’s one that’s more focused on time than money but I would much rather go for someone with the right attitude and the potential to grow than an oven-ready skill solution without having the right mindset.
Not only is this approach often more cost-effective, it’s also really rewarding because you get to see people grow and achieve their full potential.
Thanks for watching, hope you found it useful. I’ll see you next Thursday!