Have you got the right people on the bus?
Over the years of working with businesses of all shapes, sizes and types, people problems is one of the most commonly occurring themes when a business runs into issues.
Most people who set up businesses do so with an end goal in mind. Whatever that ‘final destination’ is,
if you don’t have the right people on board, it will almost certainly take you longer to get there – and you may not even get there at all! As a result, we’re always talking to clients about the importance of having the right people on the bus. Here we look into this in a bit more detail…
Get on the right bus
We’ve all heard of the phrase ‘trying to fit a square peg into a round hole’.. Essentially saying you can’t fundamentally change a person to fit within a certain role, we tend to think of this phrase in terms of an individual’s skill set and what they are/aren’t able to do. But we think this saying is actually far better applied to the attitude of the employee. All businesses have an ethos – usually driven by its owner/director(s). If a person’s attitude doesn’t align with this, there’s always going to be friction, no matter what role you put them in. Skills can be learned, but attitude can’t.
Are you sitting comfortably?
Having a group of individuals with the right attitude is one thing, but they need to be organised in a fashion to enable the business to function effectively. You’ll usually recruit an individual to fill a specific vacancy – to carry out a function that needs additional support or someone to come in and take ownership of. Although a team structure and the designation of roles and activities may be straightforward on paper, people are living, breathing creatures, so the reality can quickly begin to deviate! Make sure each individual has a clearly defined role and knows where their responsibilities begin and end. But be prepared for this to be a moveable feast! People’s ambitions may change; they may want to learn new skills and take on further responsibility and this should be encouraged.
Make sure they don’t get off at the next stop!
This point is far too frequently ignored by businesses. If you’ve invested time in getting the right people on board and working out your team structure so everyone’s skills can be maximised, the last thing you want is for someone to jump ship. If you’re happy with your team, do take the time and effort to ensure the feeling is mutual.
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