The key to building and developing a team successful
Have you ever interviewed the perfect candidate on paper, hired him / her and then it turned out to be a real disaster? Their resume was ideal for the vacancy you were looking to fill, but there was something missing. That person never integrated in the team. What if there was a way to know that beforehand?
This happens everyday to many companies, big and small. So how can we improve the hiring process to avoid this situation?
Top 3 questions to build a successful team
A simple way to help out with the creation of a successful team is to start by asking yourself 3 simple questions:
Can this person do the job?
Will this person last in the long run?
Is this person going to be a good fit for the team?
Let’s now try to understand why these questions are so important.
Can this person do the job?
This seems like a tricky question, and yes it is one. The skill set may match the requisites you are looking for, but there are other ifs and buts you will need to take into consideration. Does the candidate have the same work culture as your company? Is his/ her personality going to be a barrier with the co-workers the candidate will be asked to work with?
The only way to find out and ease the process is to GET THE TEAM INVOLVED. They can help you in the hiring process and participate in a few stages (interviews or CV screening) so that they can support and help you uncover traits that you may have disregarded.
Will this person last in the long run?
This second question is a bit more complex and can be answered by trying to understand what life goals the candidate you are interviewing have.
Does he / she have career expectations that matches with what you are offering? Does he / she want to work for a big company, but you have a small one?
You can also use retrospectives to understand how you evaluated a person that is now an important part of the current team.
Unfortunately, there is no guarantee for the future, as things change continuously in work and life, but at least understanding expectations can help you better manage them on the long run and keep the resource motivated.
Is this person going to be a good fit for the team?
To start with, you need to understand how your current team is functioning. Are you lacking some skills? Are you lacking motivation in the team? Is the team mainly made by top performers that don’t care about others? Do you need some human touch or a great player that motivates others to do their best?
Having a team of people who are too similar may be counterproductive in the long run, as it may bring the team down or worst into constant fighting over clients.
A well-balanced team is key, to keep everyone motivated. But it is not the only factor. Individual performance and motivation is another key element. Are you needs and the candidate’s needs aligned?
Think for instance of introverts. Nobody says that they can’t be wonderful sales representatives. However, will they be able to keep up the performance for a long time? Probably not. A good boss would then find an alternative path to make the person grow and blossom, presenting new challenges that are more in line with the person’s main personality traits.
A rewarding career is often made by understanding each person’s strengths and challenges and help them overcome them.
What makes a team successful
That been said, this is why personality profiling has proven to be key in business success and many companies including Fortune 500 Companies, nowadays use these tools in the hiring process.