There’s always been a lot of information out there about hiring and working with teams for big companies, most of it completely useless for small and entrepreneurial businesses. If a small business owner, you perhaps, needs advice on hiring her first employee, or managing just a few people — employees, contract workers, or virtual workers — in a small business environment, those big-company techniques just don’t apply at all.
I’ve found that there are two essential intangibles needed in small business teams, things that are more important than the job skills or experience of the people in the teams. It doesn’t matter if your team is 20 people, or just you and a virtual assistant, make sure your team members have these two attributes. They provide the rock solid groundwork that give you a greater chance of business success.
Here are the two most important things every small business team needs to have:
1.) Support for the owner
You’re out there with your neck on the line every day, with your name on the door, and first and foremost, you need people who really support you, who watch your back, and who make sure things don’t fall through the cracks. There are plenty of people with skills, talent, and experience out there, but your business is small and doesn’t have room for attitudes or prima donnas. If someone you’ve hired doesn’t really make you feel totally supported, if they make extra work or stress for you, something’s wrong. When hiring or thinking about whether someone is a good fit for you, ask yourself, “Could/does this person really support me?”
2.) Shared values
You need people who share your values and philosophies, and really want to see you succeed — people who add to your company culture. If your business is spiritual, you’ll want to have people on your team who value your spiritual way of doing business. If your business is working with animals, you’ll want to have people on your team who share your philosophies of caring for animals. It will drive you crazy if they don’t, and you’ll find much of their work lacking because of these differences.
Make sure your team, whatever size it is, has these two areas covered. Everything else is secondary.
Get my free special report "5 Power Shifts You Can't Succeed in Business Without" when you sign up for my PowerSmarts list.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
This is outstanding advice, Marcia. I’m not currently in need of assistance or addendum team members, but when that day rolls around I’ll be thinking back to this post!
Both issues you’ve addressed are paramount and I can plainly see how choosing the wrong person/s would be very detrimental to my business.
I couldn’t tolerate working with someone, for example, that didn’t treat every single business contact with dignity and respect. Exemplary interpersonal skills would be a definite requirement. I also couldn’t work with anyone who maintained a cavalier, nonchalant demeanor. Willy-nilly and wishy-washy won’t cut the mustard for me!
Loved this topic!
Melanie
Thanks, Melanie. I’ll have to say I learned this the hard way, in the trenches, and by conversations with other business owners. Mistakes made here can be painful for years.