I’ve written before about how critical it is to hire the right people if you want to transform your company and take things to a whole different level. But it’s not enough just to hire smart, talented, hardworking people. While you definitely want employees with those characteristics, those things alone won’t transform your company.
You see, one of the reasons hiring the right people is so important is that if you’re really going to build a transformative company, you can’t do it on your own. No matter how driven or skilled you are, building a business isn’t a one-person show. Now, you may be tempted to simply hire more people just like yourself. After all, you want people around who share your vision and your work ethic, right? But that’s probably not a great idea.
You really ought to be looking for people who complement your skills, strengths, and abilities. You want people who have abilities that are different than yours and can help you in areas where you don’t excel. In other words: You want to hire to your weaknesses. Doing that actually strengthens your company.
Of course, doing that requires that you know yourself pretty well. Unfortunately, I can tell you from experience that a lot of business leaders (owners, presidents, CEOs, or whatever) often don’t have a good grasp of their own strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes they downplay (or overlook) their strengths. Or perhaps they haven’t developed them, yet. More often than not, however, they ignore (or won’t acknowledge) their weaknesses.
In a smaller company, leaders can often compensate for their shortcomings by sheer force of will, or by adjusting “on-the-fly.” But if you are trying to scale up your business, that’s simply not going to work.
I’ve also discovered that a lot of leaders also often don’t have a good handle on their personality types. They aren’t aware of how their personalities impact the way things are done in their company.
The reason I share this is that if you’re going to hire people to complement your strengths and abilities, you really need to know who you are. That’s something I help clients with on a regular basis. I’ve got the tools and the accreditations to help leaders get an accurate assessment of their strengths and weaknesses—and their relational styles.
You probably shouldn’t hire someone just like you if you want to expand your capabilities and scale up your business. But it’s important that you have a good understanding of what your strengths and weakness are before you try to hire to complement those things. Contact me and we can talk about how to assess your personal situation.
Need help growing your business? With over 35 years of experience and thousands of companies assisted, Chuck Kocher and The Transformation Company can help you scale your business into a truly exceptional business capable of high growth strategies. Businesses are always changing, don’t let yours be left behind. Stand out with our business and executive leadership programs – designed to challenge and improve your business. Your business will thank you for it. Contact me today for a free consultation! 719-339-9505