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Hiring talent with entrepreneurial minds helps develop the same culture of innovation that takes a company from idea to fruition. As an HR leader who strives to hire self-starters – those that take initiative and want to see the impact of what they create – I have witnessed how these traits contribute to the successful scaling of their corporations.
Candidates discover with this work culture. Let’s face it: no one wants to feel like a small fish in a big pond where nothing they say or do matters. Part of the appeal of working for a company that is still in its infancy is that you can really help shape its trajectory. This environment creates opportunities beyond the job description – for each the worker and the company, allowing the entrepreneurial spirit to spread throughout the organization.
New and growing organizations need to understand that this requires scaling (*4*)a different set of skills than the initial stages of starting a company from scratch. There are 4 keys to success if you want to take what you are promoting to the next level.
1. Let go of control
Filling positions at the next level of the division often requires external employment. How to mix historical knowledge inside the company with the experience we bring from outside? The answer lies in partnerships that provide leverage entrepreneurial way of pondering people bring to work – an initiative that challenges orthodoxies, tests and experiments. Then give them a probability to succeed. Not understanding a recent methodology at the starting is not a bad thing.
My advice to recent leaders is: hire. We want people smarter than us who could tell us how to improve functionalities similar to finance and sales. Take advantage of the expertise they have gained elsewhere. Instilling entrepreneurial pondering in our employees allows each role to add more value than we could have anticipated.
2. Be smart about your strategy
Entrepreneurs need a strategic plan to achieve success, but I’ve seen many corporations that do not really know what they need. Success can come quickly, but so can failure. As an entrepreneur growing what you are promoting and hiring for recent roles, it is your job to establish a “North Star” – clear expectations about where you want to go and how to hire the right people to get there. This involves planning goals for the next five years and giving employees the freedom to set goals for each department with North Star in mind.
One way to establish a strategic staffing plan is to use SMART technique: Is it specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-oriented? If a company hired 100 people last 12 months and wanted to hire 200 this 12 months, this goal would meet many of these criteria. Recruiting leaders need to step back from their business goals to ensure they are recruiting the right individuals who might help the company achieve and execute its strategic plan.
3. Listen more
In addition to the HR team, managers and other leaders must agree to truthfully listen to employees’ ideas and concerns. Turning a vision into reality is difficult and requires honest conversations with stakeholders and learning to glance through different prisms. Those of us in leadership positions need to ask ourselves: Do I all the time reject other people’s ideas? Can I accept constructive criticism?
If not, there are many training programs available to develop energetic listening skills. Moreover, entrepreneurs must cooperate with other entrepreneurs. So, find resource groups where entrepreneurs can share what worked for them or when they’d to make a change. Finally, be as available as possible. Personally, I find it irresistible when people come to my office and leave laughing because I know they feel secure enough to express their opinions.
4. Combine creativity with data
In the era of artificial intelligence, creativity alone is not enough. Using data to show why your hiring and workforce initiatives are each strategic and financially responsible is critical to the success of your scaling efforts. At the same time, it is easy to get so stuck in data that you turn into risk-averse, so use data to amplify and validate your creative ideas, not stifle them.
Data is as much about determining where to turn because it is about explaining why a creative attempt might go mistaken. Analyzing data similar to worker churn, tenure, productivity, etc. Ensuring optimal hiring practices to support the right company culture needed to scale and thrive is critical. Where there is room for improvement, take it as a lesson or pointer for the future. If your worker turnover is not where you’d prefer it to be, work out why it’s happening, take the vital steps to correct it, and move on. Don’t use words like “failure.” Ultimately, the art of analytics is about combining creativity with decision-making in partnership with those that shall be at the heart of your success.
To grow, hire free thinkers
I’ve seen the difference between corporations that scale and meet the challenges of growth and those who miss the opportunity by being willing to truly listen to their employees and embrace change. Leaders need to come to terms with the proven fact that teams are a part of their development. Steve Jobs got here up with the idea for the iPhone, but it was only as amazing as the people behind it.
Perhaps now greater than ever, more and more employees are looking for an environment in which they really feel a sense of self-worth. Don’t be afraid of the unknown; be open to the craziest ideas. This shift in mindset is essential to supporting innovation, driving growth and staying ahead of the competition. With this in mind, hiring the right people will sustain the entrepreneurial spirit throughout your growing organization.