Debt Prison

If you are a hiring manager, one of the most difficult tasks to accomplish is putting together a team of employees that work well together. I know because I’ve done it. After graduating from college I took on the task of operating an auto service outlet with around 80 employees. It took me about 3 years to learn how to build a team of employees that worked well together. Once you put together the right group of people, the teamwork takes care of itself.

Having a group of employees that enjoy working around each other is beneficial for many reasons. For starters it means that they actually want to come to work, because they don’t resent the people they work with. A team member is more likely to work hard - making certain these ‘friends’ won’t have to catch their slack. Secondly, your customers can sense the urgency and teamwork that your staff is providing.

Get rid of bad employees

As a manager you have to know when to pull the trigger. Getting rid of bad employees is the first step in turning your business around. Once you get a store full of bad apples it’s almost impossible to hire good people. Before a good person will apply they take a look around at your staff and ask themselves “Do I like these people that I’m going to be working with?” If the answer is no, then you just lost a potential applicant.

Bad employees will often try and discourage your best employees. Many are jealous of good workers and refuse to let anyone around them succeed. A bad employee isn’t always obvious. Maybe it’s the ‘dependable’ sales person that is nice and cooperative, yet always discourages other sales members about the impossibility of the managers goals.

Once you collect a majority of good employees they will often take care of the bad apples for you. By creating a positive atmosphere, great employees persuade bad apples to straighten up or hit the road.

What type of manager are you?

Before we get into details something needs to be said about the art of being a good manager. People work for people - not bosses. Sure you can get anybody to work for a boss. But what’s the atmosphere and productivity going to be like? If your’ employees respect you, they’ll work much harder than if you’re towering over them cracking the whip. Are you the type of person that intelligent, educated, positive people will want to work for? Are you a happy person that is easy to get along with while still demanding the utmost in satisfaction for your customers? Can you work with a variety of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, leading them in a common goal of teamwork and success? If you are a poor leader then your track record will reflect your flaws.

Hiring new employees

Learn to think like your customers. Imagine that you are the customer approaching a member of your staff. What type of person should you have representing your business? The answer will vary according the type of business you are running. But try and put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Learn to see your business through their eyes. Don’t be afraid to ask your customers what they think about the service they are receiving and even about the employees themselves. Often your customers have already done the thinking for you.

Good people know other good people. Bad people know other bad people. So when looking for new staff members start by asking your best employees if they know of anyone who needs a job. This is the best way to find great employees. Another benefit of this arrangement is that the psychological barriers of ‘getting to know’ someone new are automatically removed. Also, your best employees already know how to communicate and help train these newbies, because they are already friends.

Applications

If my best employees can’t find new staff for me then I turn to the stack of applications. When I first started managing I truly ignored the depth of applications. I gave them a quick glance and set up a string of interviews. However, by the time I resigned as a manager, I would focus tediously on the details of the application. There is more information than meets the eye.

I would notice their penmanship to determine if they cared about how their application ‘appeared’ to me. Also, I took care to note the number of misspelled words - this helps determine a person’s education and concern about the appearance of the application. When the applicant came by to fill out the application, how were they dressed? Were they acting silly or serious? These are subtle hints that help a hiring manager determine the quality of person they are considering for the job.

Does the application tell the tale of an individual with accomplishments? Someone who completes what they start? I was willing to accept a certain amount of turnover because I understood that great people don’t stay with low paying jobs long. Our business paid six to nine dollars per hour. Often we caught good people who were students at college or in between jobs for whatever reason. The benefit was that while they were on our team they did an excellent job, and often brought other great employees with them.

Steal great employees from other businesses

A sharp manager is always on the lookout for potential great employees. When I would go into another business I always noticed the employees that were working there. If one seemed exemplary I would strike up a conversation and get to know them. Later on I would offer them a job, this often worked and brought some great employees on board.

From asking my best employees for referrals - to application details and stealing other people’s employees, I never had to use a job placement service.

Put the right employees in the right positions

Having your employees work well as a team will greatly depend on your ability to maximize your employees’ strengths. Each employee should be put in the position that is best suited for their individual talents and ability. For example, in the auto service industry I would often place the males in the dirtier, more physically demanding roles - while placing the females in the less physically demanding and cleaner positions. But my main focus was to put an employee where they wanted to be.

Normally an employee wants to be in the position that is best suited for them. However, I learned to take caution when promoting someone to a position of authority. You see, everyone is not cut out for a position of authority over other employees. A manager has to realize when to promote and when not to. I specifically remember a case where I had promoted a manager that was too young and too irresponsible. Before the ordeal was over I lost my best technician and the young manager. The younger guy didn’t earn the respect of his crew members. This was clearly my fault and it remains one of the valuable lessons in my career.

Placing your employees in the right position insures that your customers are getting the most from your staff. In other words, you want to operate as efficient as possible, maximizing the staff’s strengths while minimizing their weaknesses.

Catch your employees ‘doing it right’

In order to turn a group of people into a team machine you must maintain a positive work environment. Instead of jumping on an employee every time they make a mistake - learn to praise them each time they do something correctly. Have you heard the expression ‘praise in public and scold in private’? These are words of wisdom if you can learn to master them. Keeping an employee in a positive frame of mind benefits your efficiency and your customers’ experience.

It’s very tempting to only speak to employees when they step out of line. It takes no effort on your part because this is the natural reaction. Learning to catch them doing it right takes focus. You have to make this a priority if you want to create a positive work environment.

Setting goals

Goal setting is one of the most important aspects of running a business. Make your employees part of the process. Each morning I would go out and ask my employees how much work they thought we could accomplish that day. Our goal was usually higher than what was realistic. This is alright because sometimes you’ll outperform what you believe is realistic - always setting the goals higher.

Throughout the day I would give my employees an update on the status of our production to keep them motivated. This can do wonders for a business, involving each employee in the goals of the staff and the business as a whole. At the end of the day we would discuss how our day went and what options could have been pursued to increase our production. You can’t always give your employees a raise, but you can always make them feel part of something important.

By working together employees are able to accomplish great things. With the right hiring decisions, positive managing, and goal setting - you can turn employees into a team that benefits themselves and your business.