The majority of start-ups begin with a single entrepreneur working alone. While in the early days a business can be run by one or two people, as the enterprise expands it will need a bigger team with a wider pool of expertise. Recruiting your first employees is exciting, but it also presents a challenge. The business has been your project for some time and the thought of inviting other personalities on board can feel uncomfortable. However, as long as you recruit your team carefully and strategically, your team will enable you to take your business to new heights of success.
Decide on Your Business Culture
Your team should be comprised of people who are aligned with your values and work ethic. Of course, they should have the relevant experience and skills, but the world’s greatest expert in your industry may not be much use to you if they are not able to work within your team. Will your workplace be casual and friendly or more formal and professional?
Find Team Members Who Fit that Culture
When you have your company culture in mind, you can start to meet with candidates and assess whether or not they are a good fit. You should look for people who are willing to go the extra mile and are not afraid of a challenge, as growing any business is bound to come with ups and downs. Many teams are put together with no thought as to how they will work alongside one another, but this can lead to a very dysfunctional team with no shared values.
Set Out Clear Expectations for Every Team Member
Every member of your team should have a high level of self-motivation and a desire to bring their best to the table. They will all have their own areas of expertise, but they should be comfortable with collaborating and supporting others when the business requires it. From the outset you need to be clear about how you will measure and track their performance and should make any limited resources or potential obstacles clear to them.
Encourage Clear and Honest Communication
There are bound to be personality clashes between team members from time to time, especially during times of pressure. This is why it’s important to encourage open communication to prevent underlying issues or frictions from festering and becoming more toxic than necessary. Regular team meetings and an honest leadership style which welcomes everyone’s opinion, whether negative or positive, will show your team their voices will be heard. Inpulse Employee Engagement provides tools to help you understand the feelings and insights of your employees so you can build a more productive team.
Inspire the Team to Share Your Vision
You started your business because you had a vision. If you can build a team who share in that same vision and are as committed as you are to its success, you have the makings of an incredible team. The next step is to break that vision down into objectives and goals with a clear plan of how each team member will contribute at each step of the journey.