6 Ways to Delve Beyond Recruitment; and Build the Right Team for Your Business Entrepreneurship needs skills, not fancy RESUMES
By Rahul R
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If you are an entrepreneur for the first time this year, the second half of 2018 looks promising as far as throwing opportunities once considered impossible is concerned. Now, in this scenario, with differentiators, being the criteria, it is vital that you surround yourself with the right entrepreneurial people.
Surrounding yourself with the right entrepreneurial people refers to a scenario wherein you are in a position to build a team (or teams) to drive growth for your business; apart from meeting the right people and networking at industry events. Here, it is worth noting that team building is not merely conventional recruitment; it extends beyond the Human Resource (HR) function realms; it is about making the right connect voluntarily with individuals who you can look up to at all times.
In this regard, Entrepreneur India lists 5 tools using which you could smartly build a team to drive next-gen change through your entrepreneurial venture. Note that the points listed below do not refer to that of treating employees and family (and such); and these are not interviewing tips as well:
Mastering the art: Conventional recruiters today tend to view the exercise of recruiting team members as merely for the sake of deriving financial benefits and as a monotonous activity. Now, team building deserves to be considered as an art considering the fact that the passions of multiple people are being explored through creative ways. Remember that your business (entrepreneurial venture) is not merely your dream, it should reach your team members; in case this is not happening, ensure to perfect your dream first before considering adding members.
Use the law of attraction to your advantage: When you meet potential team members, communicate to them your entrepreneurial passion and the way forward (as you see it). Give them a list of real-world problems which you are trying to solve or which have already been solved through your venture.
Obtain feedbacks from hopefuls about the direction in which you are heading, and then evaluate their interest levels. If hopefuls are attracted to where you are heading to, after following this approach, get them on board. Here, the key is to turn your team members into internal entrepreneurs themselves so that they contribute wholesomely whilst working towards common objectives.
Communicate, do not convince: While meeting potential future team members, always ensure effective communication; even the minutest objective of your venture needs to be communicated. Also, ensure that they contribute to this conversation. Here, evaluate their skillsets accordingly (through conversation again) and do not convince them to join your mission.
Rather, motivate team member candidates to voluntarily accept your working terms. In this scenario, they would be self-convinced to join your team. Be open to questions and criticism; do not fret over lost time in case people refuse to join you; initiating communication is the key.
Master the art of fair work allocation: When you have recruited what you believe is the right team to collectively drive entrepreneurial traits; it is vital that you divide work equally amongst your team members. If feasible, do not micromanage your team; divide work tasks based on skillsets of team members; not on experience levels determined through face-value from RESUMES.
Offer challenging assignments whenever possible, in place of mundane tasks; so that you get to evaluate the skill levels and competencies of your team members. Here, remember that before resorting to this exercise, your skills (as an entrepreneurial leader) should be upto mark. Fair work allocation ensures that team members stick together; and do not desert you randomly.
Weave an unseen thread: Merely motivating team members would not suffice; it becomes a mandate to weave an unseen thread to keep people together and act as a cohesive unit; cohesion works even in the corporate scenario and even massive multinational firms are now inviting experts to help with team building.
Brainstorming sessions : A very modern and corporate term which has become relevant with multinational companies recruiting more and more professionals. Sessions with the team known as brainstorming.When you have your team, keep everybody involved during decision making; open yourself to contributions and then evaluate accordingly to achieve maximum inclusion. When people are involved, they naturally function better as a team.
