Leadership in Hiring the Right Team

Do you have to hire people in your organization? Are you hiring people and then realizing that they might not be the right fit? Are you going through a swinging door of employees only be to exhausted constantly trying to bring on the next replacement?

Hiring is a tough business. Bringing on the right people can make or break your team and your organization. Without the right leaders, team members, and employees your organization can be slow, unproductive, and inefficient. It is imperative to hire well so that you can make your organization function as effectively as possible. So makes a person the right one for your team? Here are a few guidelines:

• Competence - make sure the person that you bring on has the right skills, background, and experience to be able to do the job right away. If you are hiring for a leadership position make sure that they have the experience already doing the work that you are asking them to do and/or the appropriate skills to learn the right competencies quickly.
• Integrity - the right person will have a strong character, integrity, and do the right thing even when the going gets tough. There will be ups and downs in any job and/or leadership role and they must have the moral aptitude to perform well even through the valleys.
• Fit - the right person fits into the culture of the organization as well as the pay scale that the organization is willing to pay. There is a congruence between the organization's long term goals and the growth desires of the individual.
• Perseverance - the right person has the perseverance and resilience to make it through when the going gets tough. If they are committed, focused, and disciplined they will continue through as any issues arise and work through it with open communications, transparency, and good conflict resolution skills.

When hiring take your time (if at all possible) to ensure that you are getting the right person in the door. If you hire someone and realize ultimately that they do not fit the needs of your team or organization it is better to make a decision to let them go quickly. I do really stand behind the old adage of "Hire slow, fire fast." At the end of the day the efficiency and effectiveness of your organization relies on the quality of people that you have. Make sure you take the time to hire the best possible team that you can.