5 strategies to assure effective execution of the Hire the BestTM Solution: Part Five of Five, Network using our Hire the Best™ A-Player Attraction System.
In our 5-part series, we’re examining the Hire the Best Solution™. If you missed parts 1 through 4 find them here: Sustainable Profitability | Sweet Spot | Innovation | Lean & Mighty The next step? Hiring A-Players.
What does it mean to hire an A-Player?
It means keeping your team as small as possible while delivering BIG IMPACT. It's possible with A-Players. Hiring top talent for your business may cost more, however in the long run, an A-Player produces 9-12 times the work that warm bodies produce.
While researching for How to Hire the Best, I identified 4 important qualities an A-Player seeks in their roles:
While A-Players are everywhere, they are hardly ever actively looking for work. They are employed. So, you must always be on the lookout for A-Players and build relationships with them. If you wait for an opening you are too late.
- A-Players are seeking a career, not a job. They want opportunities for advancement. This means REAL opportunities for advancement that you lay out for them, with clear goals and opportunities to reach those goals. Any business can say, “We offer opportunities for advancement” but very few lay out a clear trajectory for an A-Player to advance, much less tie that to pay increases.
Take the time to lay this out. Present it to your candidates during the interview. Make it stand out. Scratch and sniff on neon orange paper is good (I'm only partially kidding about that!). I teach the ins and outs of how to do this, while balancing the cash flow needs of a growing business in my How to Hire the Best System™ on-line course. - A great boss and co-workers. If you know why your employees like working for you, share this everywhere–your website, social media, job advertisements, in your lobby, etc. When our clients start with us, we survey their employees to discover this for them. It becomes a great tool fo use as you develop your recruitment marketing.
Similarly, if you have a team of A-Players, show them off every chance you get. Share all the good things about them in social media. Share their accomplishments in your company newsletter.
A-Players hang together! Like attracts like. Sharing your A-Players and what they are up to is the best way to attract more team members like them to your business. - Interesting work. A-Players like challenges and problems to solve. Bring it on. We do our best when we are stretched just outside our comfort zone. Don't be afraid to challenge them.
- Work-life balance. Work supports life, not the other way around. Respect their family and life commitments outside of work. Discover their interests. Support their goals. For a great example of how you might go about doing this, check out what Core Growth Strategies is up to in our Great Place to Work Spotlight.
For more on Hiring A-Players, be sure to check out a past blog, “ASK DR. SABRINA: HOW DO I KNOW IF WE ARE ATTRACTIVE TO A-PLAYERS?”
More details available in my book, How to Hire the Best.
(Contractor Edition coming Fall 2019!)