Building a Successful Business Starts With Building a Successful Team

If you asked a business owner to outline their main challenges, I am in no doubt recruitment would be within the top three. The problem? A key part of building an effective business is building an effective team. 

In fact, in order to really accelerate your growth, you need to be able to rely on the team around you to perform to a consistently high standard and retain business for the long-term, whatever sector you operate in. 

However, finding people you can trust, who share the same company vision as you, is a real challenge, but, for me, the following has been crucial to success:

Fill the gaps

When growing your team, take the time to analyse what valuable skills and talents are currently missing. As much as you may not want to admit it - what personal weaknesses, or those of your team members, could be strengthened? 

Are you lacking a salesman that is confident in approaching others? Or is there new tech in the industry that the knowledge of a young upstart could bring to the business?

Understand how each new hire will benefit your business and make sure you are not hiring just to have extra bodies in the room as this will cost you both time and money in the long run.

Know where to look for talent

The accelerated growth of digital platforms has provided a multitude of ways to source new talent.

Whether you choose to advertise on job boards, deal with recruiters or use a more innovative tactic, it is all about finding the right method for your business.

When putting together an advert for the job, make sure to fully sell the position and outline your work culture to receive interest from appropriate candidates.

It is also wise to use your LinkedIn connections to their full potential. There may be an individual that is perfect for the role and accessible without hefty recruitment fees. LinkedIn is the fantastic platform to reach out to potential candidates, view their job history and get in touch with previous employers.

Learn to communicate

When welcoming new members of the team, it is vital that part of your induction process involves regular lines of communication. 

Having a regular check-in or talking beyond discussions of to-do lists can bring great new ideas to the surface, or will give someone a chance to help in an area they may not have known about otherwise. Remember it is also a two-way street and team members need an avenue in order to relay their own feedback too. 

Keeping an open line of communication will also encourage team members to share and create a more productive workflow, also providing you with the opportunity to ensure your new team members are right for your business culture and dedicated to helping your business grow.

Set the right goals

Setting realistic goals for both the short and long term enables your team members to understand what they are working towards, whilst outlining the clear vision of the company.

Positive reinforcement for individual team members will also help them to realise their value, whilst providing the opportunity to celebrate milestones and ensure all team members have the individual opportunity to shine.