The Right People in the Right Seats

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:03 — 13.8MB)

Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats. – Jim Collins

Through our work in economic development, we have heard over and over again that talent is the #1 thing organizations are looking for today. In a market where everyone is looking for top talent – how do you win? Southwest Michigan First has been recognized as the best small business to work for by National Best and Brightest Companies for a few years, in part, because of our unique recruitment and hiring practices. So today, we’re talking about our hiring strategy and sharing some of our “inside secrets.”

Some of our best practices that we cover include:

• We do not post job openings on our website or other job boards; we rely on relationships.
• We hire based on talent and hard-wiring, not experience alone. To do this, we use great assessments like a Talent+ phone interview and the Gallup StrengthsFinder test.
• Fit is huge for us. Because we spend 1/3 of our lives at work, it is critically important that the people we work with fit well together. Talent and experience must match the culture.
• The entire team has to buy-in. By saying “yes” to a candidate, the team is saying they are personally committed to supporting the new teammate and ensuring their success in the organization.
• One candidate must always be a diversity candidate, meaning they bring a unique element to the table differing from other candidates: race or ethnicity, gender or educational background, etc.
• It takes time! This entire hiring process can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to full a year. It isn’t about finding just anyone to do the work; it’s about finding the best person to contribute to the team.

I hope you enjoy today’s conversation. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Always Forward.
Ron

Question: What are your organization’s best practices when it comes to hiring new team members?

[Tweet “Because we spend 1/3 of our lives at work, the people we work with must fit well together.”]