As I'm now transitioning into the team-building phase of my business, it is timely for me to do a reflection. What lessons have I learned from my past experiences?
What are the key criteria I need to look out for, and what are the dangers to avoid?
Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry
Team chemistry is not something that can be engineered, trained, or hashed out through team-building activities. Personalities fit like a jigsaw puzzle into a team - different pieces come together and either they fit, or they don't.
Sometimes, it is not quite evident at first as team members need some time to warm up to each other, and at other times, it is very clear from the get go. Admittedly, the easiest path is to hire people I already know from before, but this is not always feasible.
For junior hires, internships can be utilised as a "low-risk" way to assess the chemistry and fit as well (aside from assessing aptitude and attitude). For mid-level and senior hires, one way would be to get to know them for some time before the actual hiring need arises, and to get feedback from trusted contacts who have worked with them before.
Inviting prospective hires to team dinners/events could also be a fun way to get the team to assess them informally as well, and see how they all interact together.
Keeping it real
An interview (or prolonged interview as I may want to do it) goes two ways. I'm assessing the candidates fit, and the candidate should also be trying to assess their fit to me, the team and the company. Once, I used to say that an interview is like sales - I no longer believe this. In a sales process, I'm trying to get the prospect to buy/take up the contract. If we conduct interviews in this way, the candidate tries to convince the interviewer that they are the best candidate, and the interviewer tries to convince the candidate that this is best job they can do. My current view is that this leads to a sub-optimal outcome.
Let's be honest - making a wrong decision in hiring is a bad outcome for both the candidate and the employer, so it's in the best interest of both parties to keep things honest.
As an employer, I now try to paint a full and honest picture of the pros and cons of working with me, and compare my company against other options out there. I try to get to the core values and motivations of the candidate, and find out why they want to join me.
Just how I try to get the best fit from the candidate, I also try to ensure that the candidate is fully informed and is making the best choice for themselves.
Can I be friends with my manager/team member?
Yes we need to have reasonable boundaries with our colleagues - but we will be miserable if we don't see them as friends (within reason). We spend a large portion of our lives at work, and we must have joy at work to enjoy life. A big part of joy at work relates to the people we work with.
As an employer & hiring manager, the blessing that I have is that I get to now shape this circle directly - hence I definitely want to make sure the people I work with give me joy and not misery (at least most of the time). Hopefully they feel joy being with me too.
The Hidden Gems, The Diamonds in the Rough
Time and again, I took a chance giving a candidate/team member a new work portfolio not related to their past experience, simply based on their attitude, abilities, eagerness to learn and the team chemistry. At times I need to have more faith in them than they have in themselves.
Pretty much every single time, they proved themselves above and beyond expectations, and in fact they often come up with novel innovative approaches as they aren't blinkered by past practices in the domain.
When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
Then when you do that, the flower does bloom. Just make sure that's the right type of flower you were looking for.
Patience, young grasshopper
Easier said than done. Rushing a hiring decision (pretty much like in other aspects of life), is not wise. Often we make poor decisions in hiring when we are desperate to fill the role, desperate to find someone who ticks all boxes AND fits our salary budget.
This happens so often in corporate environments, leading to poor fits, disturbing the team balance and causes so much damage in the long run.
Often it takes time to find the right candidate, they often come further along in the hiring process (when I've almost given up in despair), they may take time to make a decision, or they may have long notice periods. From a business perspective, another factor is the timing of my revenue growth, as I need to make sure I'm able to pay the salary for the candidate.
But once we know they are the right candidate, we need to wait.
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