One of the most frequent comments we receive here at Dave’s company is about our team. Visitors almost always remark, “Everyone looks so happy!” or, “You guys work so incredibly hard!”
These observations come as no surprise to us. Our staff is talented, passionate and willing to slay dragons right alongside Dave. Simply put, we’re all crusaders on a mission—and we didn’t get here by accident.
Dave’s hiring plan is intentional. But it wasn’t always this way. After a number of screw-ups, Dave realized he needed to learn how to properly hire. He developed a 12-step process to ensure that the right person with the right personality fills the right position. Today, he believes the process is so critical to his success, it’s included as part of an EntreLeadership Master Series lesson and is a large chunk of a chapter in his new book, EntreLeadership. Here are a few of those steps:
- Referrals
Your most successful hires will come from referrals. It’s the best way to find someone who fits your culture, improves your team and is pumped about joining your crusade.
- The 30-Minute Drive-By Interview
Start the hiring process with a quick “get-to-know-you” initial meeting. Your objective here is to mainly listen and ask a few questions. It’s a great way to weed out the crazies and sniff out the winners.
- Do You Like Them?
This is the simplest step of all. Since you’ll probably be working closely with this person, just ask yourself bluntly, Do I like them? If not, don’t waste your time. Keep looking.
- Do They Light Up?
You’ll never turn a new hire into a crusader if they don’t have passion for the job. So, when you start talking about the position, do they light up? If they’re just looking for a paycheck, they’ll never be satisfied with any position.
- Personal Budget
Each candidate at Dave’s company sends in their personal budget during the interview process to ensure they can support their family on what we’re paying for that position. You don’t want to hurt someone’s family by allowing them to take a position they can’t afford. Besides, broke and desperate people do not make good team members.
- Spousal Interview
One of the last steps you should take before a hire is an interview with the candidate and his/her spouse. The spouse will tell you pretty quickly whether the position will really work for the family.
Most companies don’t do any of these things. If you do just a few, you’ll come out ahead. If you do them all, you’ll be surrounded by champions.
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No leader should lead without these principles. It’s what your team members need to see in you, and what you want to see in them. Learn more about the EntreLeadership conferences, and put Dave's 20 years of proven business principles to work for you.
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Ramsey Solutions