This week, I want to help you understand who your next critical hire is going to be and when you should hire them.
So first of all, let’s define:
What is a critical hire?
Well, it’s somebody that is going to relieve you from having to do things that are keeping you in the weeds.
In other words, they’re going to give you maximum leverage so you can focus on the strategic and that which is most important for you to scale your business.
That could be things like supporting your team in certain aspects. It could be some functions that are taking too much of your time and you need to get off of your plate.
As you’re growing your business, you have to look more narrowly.
You can’t do it all.
You can’t go a mile wide and an inch deep. You’re going to be working a lot still, but you’ve got to get rid of some tasks.
Stay focused, otherwise you’re not going to be able to move your organization forward.
So, who is this person that you’re going to bring onboard?
It’s going to be someone that has a proven track record of doing what you need done. They’re going to be a great cultural fit for your company. Maybe they will have experience in your industry, or maybe from outside of your industry so they bring a fresh perspective. But regardless, they’re going to be able to get the job done and not have to get trained up.
Will they have to be onboarded? Of course, but they need to have a proven track record of doing what you need done.
Now, the timing. When do you hire this individual?
Well, probably yesterday. I find most business owners wait too long to bring somebody on because they wait until get to a point where they just can’t do it anymore, and they’re feeling the pain of being stretched. And then they make a hiring decision that might be ineffective.
They might hire somebody that doesn’t have all the skills and abilities and attributes they need because they’re under so much pressure just to get that person onboard.
So if you’re starting to feel a little bit of overwhelm or if you’re finding yourself getting stretched a little bit thin, it’s probably time right now to start identifying the skills, abilities, and attributes of this ideal critical hire, this critical role, and start canvassing. Start recruiting for this individual now.
It may take some time to get them. You don’t want to find yourself in that time crunch where you just have to get a body, anybody in. You want to make sure that you’re super excited about the person that you’re bringing onboard, they’re a great fit, and after a bit of training and onboarding, they’re going to be able to do what you need them to do so you can now focus on the strategic.
Now, one final little note.
When you bring somebody onboard, your time is not going to be freed up right away.
You’re going to be training them. You’re going to be checking in with them. They may be job shadowing. They are going to be taking up a little bit more of your time, so you’re going to
have to work through some of that discomfort, knowing that on the other side of that, after a month or two, or three, they’re going to be fully functional on their own.
You can now be relying on them as a strategic asset and an awesome team member in your business.
I’d love to hear your comments around critical hires and timing. Feel free to share in the comments below.
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