Entrepreneurial Leadership

The best way to improve the performance of your team is to make the right choices when adding or replacing its members.

When I begin looking to fill a job opening, I begin with self-talk, to put myself in the right mind-set for hiring. I tell myself: It’s a privilege to meet people who want to work with me. I’m looking for someone to work with for the next ten years. I will find someone with whom I can develop mutual trust.

MISTAKE #1: HIRING YOURSELF

MISTAKE #2: HIRING THE RÉSUMÉ, NOT THE PERSON

But what you’re really selecting for are qualities you won’t find on a résumé—brains and heart. They’re at the root of a person’s ability to confront unexpected challenges, to demonstrate wisdom and judgment, and to develop into an invaluable part of your team.

If I had to choose one over the other, I would go with brains (raw capacity, curiosity, the ability to learn) and heart (character, drive, integrity) and figure that a person who possesses them will be able to acquire any skills needed to get the job done.

MISTAKE #3: FAILING TO DO IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS

the interviewing team often has no clear strategy for what each is trying to discover. Without a plan, they cruise through conversations on autopilot, asking predictable questions and getting canned answers: Where do you see yourself in five years? Which project have you enjoyed working on most? What do you see as your main strengths and weaknesses?

One of the best interview techniques involves listening carefully to questions the candidate asks, then asking yourself: What is this person looking to get out of the job? What are her concerns? What does “winning” look like for her?

You, too, should expect to be interviewed by qualified candidates.

MISTAKE #4: LAZY REFERENCE CHECKING

“What type of job would you not hire this person for?” or “How does this person choose between competing priorities?”

“Is there anything else I should know when considering him for the job?”

Involving the team doesn’t mean everyone gets a vote. After all, you’ll be ultimately responsible for the team’s output.

When deciding what to pay your new hires, get it right. Pay too little, and they will quickly become dissatisfied and/or resentful—and quit for a better opportunity. Pay too much, and they’ll be happy for a while—but soon may feel they’ve traded away their freedom for financial security.

Organizations made up of people who chose their jobs based on the highest salaries are miserable places to work—full of petty jealousies and politics, and hostile to new hires.

Instead of making it all about the paycheck, entrepreneurial leaders help team members find meaning in their jobs and feel invested in the purpose of the organization by using specific tools: access to senior management, titles, public credit when projects go well, and learning opportunities, whether through formal programs or informal mentorship.

MISTAKE #7: MAKING IT ALL ABOUT THE MONEY

MISTAKE #8: NOT ONBOARDING PROPERLY

When I hire someone, I start by making the new employee’s success an explicit personal goal. By the end of ninety days, I want the team to wonder how they got along before the new person joined, I want the new employee to marvel at how much she enjoys the job—and as the manager, I want to be excited about how much the new employee might develop and contribute in the future.