MARKETING HOW-TO
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PROSPECTS WI GIVE YOU THEI Before They Give You Their Money
3. Set Up to Fail
Many CEOs think that throwing money at the problem will solve it. They hire a very senior person to come in and whip the business into shape. This approach is usually a big flop due to a mismatch in the earlier outlined steps. Also, if their expertise is not relevant to your business stage, they can actually whip you in the wrong direction by applying strategies that don’t actually solve the challenges you currently have. Solve this by putting together a Training and Development Plan that they are responsible for. They have to prove themselves from day one, and you give them direction to build out what we call a Service Management Blueprint, which they’ll use to manage your business. (That way, even if they aren’t a fit a few months in, they’ll still have delivered ROI.) It’s the most scrappy, innovative approach I know of to develop a leader who you can trust to run the business for you. Then you can sanely and profitably scale your business. Onboarding When they start, create a job description and a 90-day Training and Development Plan that has week-by-week benchmarks to hit with supporting materials and resources. However, the onus is on them to also ask for the support and materials they need to be successful. With these two resources in place, you no longer have to manage the person. You can manage the agreement without needing to be “mean” or lowering your standards. Ongoing Development To deliver the maximum ROI for the business, they’ll need ongoing skill and leadership development. As the CEO, you might consider if you have the time, skills, and expertise to do this on your own. You might have someone else on your team with more operations expertise support them, or you can invest in outside training and development. But to confidently invest in them, you need to evaluate that they are a great cultural and competency match. Others who follow this approach free up their time and bandwidth for rapid, profitable service growth. This role allows you to leave whenever you choose and have a company that can profitably run for weeks without you. Operations Director Training and Development
OUR BOOKSHELF
‘IT’S JUST MY N How to Use Your Personality t
Take a type two personality, for instance. A type two personality will be easygoing like the Mississippi River and take pride in their ability to support themselves and others. Type twos tend to be agreeable and insightful. They’re meticulous and pay close attention to every detail. If you’re a type two, you can utilize your eye for detail while keeping in mind your load capacity, as you might be eager to please everyone. If you have an employee like this, you may put more emphasis on their work-life balance. A type two is easy to overload, as they will say yes almost inherently. Left unchecked, a type two may burn out quickly, which could destroy the quality of their work and productivity. You have to handle a type two much differently than you would a type three, for instance.
In business, managers need to understand how to work with people from different backgrounds and varying personalities. The best trait a manager can have is the ability to recognize different personality types and use them as strengths as they expand their business. Carol Tuttle has broken down how to do this in her new book, “It’s Just My Nature!” Much like the acclaimed Color Code or Myers- Briggs test, Tuttle has developed a system to identify different personality types. These “energy profiles,” as she calls them, match the ancient four elements which are air (type one), water (type two), fire (type three), and earth (type four). Tuttle describes each personality type through physical attributes, examples in nature, and natural human behaviors.
Have you tried hiring this role in the past? What questions do you have about hiring and developing this person?
–Mandi Ellefson Founder, Hands-Off CEO mandi@handsoffceo.com
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