When in doubt, don’t hire, keep looking…

It doesn’t matter how sophisticated you think your company is.

It is the capabilities and commitment of its employees that ensure its success.

Without the optimum level of capabilities, knowledge and motivation, performance will suffer.

The only unique and sustainable source of competitive advantage in your business comes from the inspiration, knowledge and efforts of your team. Now that is something to be concerned about. Attracting, maintaining and strengthening the human capital base of your company.

But this is far from being an easy task, isn’t it? Introducing and integrating new recruits can be a challenge. We need to:

1- Use the proper tools in the assessment process.

2- Understand the applicants’ ambitions and personal motivations.

3- Ensure coaching is used to facilitate a rapid integration of new recruits.

That doesn’t mean we are not going to make mistakes and hire the ‘wrong’ people with unfortunate implications for the organization and for the employee.

But usually things are worse if we feel pressured into filling positions quickly.These decisions are not always easily rectified. It is much better not to hire until a thorough assessment of each candidate’s suitability has been completed. Does this sound a bit extreme to you? Well, let’s consider these facts:

· Each employment decision can add to, or subtract from, the overall quality of your workforce.

· As a manager, thing about your ability to continuously generate greater levels of added value from each employee. It really depends on what each new recruit brings into the business, doesn’t it?

· With the increase in employment protection rights, it has become more difficult to correct mistakes in employment decisions once a person has been offered and has accepted a contract.

· Employees who fail to perform or fail to meet behavioural expectations of managers can and will have a detrimental effect on the performance of others.

· The process of correcting a hiring mistake can be difficult, prolonged and very costly to all those involved.

· Employing new and better qualified members of staff to replace those that are unwilling or unable to adapt to new requirements is often the only effective long-term strategy for improving the operational performance of functions and departments.

‘if you can’t change people, change the people’

Now let’s think about this in the context of a networking group, like a BNI chapter, for example. What is easier? ‘Hiring’ or selecting the right person or helping him or her to see the benefit of moving to greener pastures? The process of letting him/her go can be painful, long and exhausting for the whole chapter.

Sometimes that is the only way to bring about a stronger work ethic and increase the performance capability throughout your company or your chapter.

Can you recall a hiring mistake? What do you do to minimize hiring mistakes in your company and in your chapter?

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