Hiring and Supporting the Right People

Lesson learned: Ask your best people for recommendations of people they know who would be a good addition to your organization.

Lewis and Clark hand-picked their team members from the hundreds of men who had signed up for the journey. As new men were selected, they were immediately trained with daily marching orders and their minds kept sharp with equipment readiness assignments. The expedition was outfitted with more than two tons of supplies, including boats, muskets, medical equipment, food and hand tools; necessary supplies were replenished along the way. Business owners would do well to follow this example. When we meet with prospects and clients and conduct a business review, I am truly amazed at how often the “expedition hasn’t been fully supplied.” We’ve seen salespeople hired without a telephone or laptop and support people without workstations, phones or computers. Often there is no training and new hires are left to their own resources. Certainly it’s important to take the time to hire the very best people, but don’t stop there. Equip them and train them to be the very best they can be.

Lesson learned: Don’t consider hiring someone unless you can afford to properly equip and train them.

Much like the journey to find the Northwest Passage and open the American West, building a business is arduous and not everyone will make it successfully. But it is through a combination of setting clear objectives for hiring, selecting the best possible team members, and equipping and training them well that adversity is overcome and success attained.

Got Questions?
Ask the Channel Coach. Send your questions to wbtaylor@corporateladders.com. Please include your name, city, state and a phone number where you can be reached. First names and locations only will be published.

Bill Taylor is president of Corporate Ladders, a management, sales and business development consulting and coaching firm specializing in technology, telecom, Internet, health care and financial services companies. He can be reached at +1 201 825 8296 or wbtaylor@corporateladders.com.