A lot of business owners or division leaders I’ve talked to are frustrated because their employees are treating the positions they’re in as just a job. There’s a mediocrity to the way they approach the task at hand. So what can you do about that?
There’s a lot of different things that need to be done, but first I want to challenge you as the leader to realize that you created this monster. You allowed this to happen, and it began with the hiring process, how you brought people onboard. I see this all the time – the hiring process is horrible.
Oftentimes, the company’s culture, core values, and purpose are not properly articulated. When we hire people, we want them to fit into our company’s culture. But if it’s not clearly defined, you could easily end up hiring the wrong people who just don’t believe in the vision, the values, or where the company’s going. In that case, it’s really hard to keep them motivated. Almost impossible, actually, because they don’t believe in what you’re doing.
So we’re going to look at a few tips on how to bring in the right people. Follow this simple checklist:
1. Articulate the core values, purpose, and culture of your company. Hire heavily based on that.
2. Before hiring for a position, create a clear job description with the tasks, accountabilities, and goals that you expect the employee to perform. A lot of times the reason people are mediocrely performing is because there was no clarity to begin with in terms of expectations. So again, it goes back to you as the leader. You need to fix it starting with the hiring process.
3. When you’re interviewing someone, give them multiple assessments. Reach out to us if you would like more information on this topic, as we’re experts at choosing and facilitating assessments. We can help you take a closer look at how qualified your applicants are before you bring them on.
So those are three things to look at. Obviously, there’s a lot more to this topic, but that’s it for today. Be sure to take action on these items! Go out and start interviewing in a different way, and you’ll find employees who are passionate about and believe in what they do instead of those who will just end up treating the position as a job.