ADVISORY No 5 - Hire quality over quantity in your start up teams

When we take the next strategic leap in our business, introducing new services or extending into new markets, we’re sometimes tempted to substitute smart strategic planning for increased staffing. 

You see, all too often we see a business changing initiative less as a change process and more as a problem to be solved ... and you solve problems by hiring additional staff right? ... Not necessarily.

We are so busy with our day-to-day workload that we rarely have time to take on the new projects that help us grow.  We complain about headcount restrictions and what we could achieve if only we had a bigger team.  We think that reassignment or appointment of new staff will be the difference between success and failure.

When we pin our success solely on additional people rather than improved process, we neglect to factor in our duty as leaders to build and articulate a clear vision for change.

Without vision, no amount of staff will get us to our goals.

When we throw people at a problem, it rarely goes away.   We only postpone the problem for later.   We forget that when we appoint inexperienced and untrained people at any level, they need to be managed into the business and trained or briefed on the new project. 

This not only takes up our valuable time but in doing so, we’re entrusting the future of our business to an under-qualified or junior team.  This is not the best foundation for any business-changing initiative.

Whether it’s an operational problem, a new strategic initiative or an expansion plan, this is exactly the time when we need a qualified, trusted and experienced team around us.  Often fewer more experienced people will deliver more for our business in the long run.

It is our role as leaders to take the extra time to think, plan and articulate the change we are introducing to our business and then to ensure that we have the best people with the right skills for the project in hand.

Contact The Advisory Partnership to discover how we assist start-ups and developing media businesses with structural and operational reviews that remove the barriers to growth.

www.theadvisorypartnership.com

Post by James Douglas