Firing

All employees will disappoint you at some point in time. That's the reality of hiring people that aren't your clones. Get over it.

When an employee falls short - ask yourself the following:

1) Did I set clear expectations? Simply put - does the employee know what is expected of him or her. Is it crystal clear - in writing. Have you discussed the expectations and has the employee agreed and understood. Expectations can be as basic as "come in on time" and as complicated as "improve customer satisfaction as measured by repeat orders". 

2) Are there barriers to meeting and exceeding expectations? For instance, if the expectation is that the employee arrive at 8am - but the employee is responsible for getting their child to pre-school at 8am - they will not be on time - no matter how many times to demand it. In a more serious situation - the employee is expected to keep orders updated in the 'system' but the 'system' isn't reliable or the employee isn't appropriately trained. These sound straight forward - but in the real world - the vast majority of employees want to excel - but a large variety of barriers may prevent them from doing so. The best way to identify barriers is to ask the employee. You are not looking for excuses - just systematic items to prevent success.

3) Is this a repeat offense or a one time event? Don't sweat the small stuff - keep your eye on the big picture. If you have a bad day or you don't make the sales goals - go have a drink - don't go looking for an employee to blame. Most likely they are as frustrated as you are - and are looking for ways to improve as well. Work together on solutions. If the offense is a regular occurrence - stop and talk to the employee. Buy them a cup of coffee and outline the issue, why you feel it is important, what the employee needs to do to address the concern, and what the consequences are of failing to address the concern.

4) Think twice. It is always better to address poor performance through training, reassignment, barrier removal, and clarification of expectations. Remind yourself of how painful it is to identify and hire new employees. Talk to your spouse or trusted associate - review the issue and your feelings - and your positive attempts to resolve the situation.

5) If all of the above is not successful - alert the employee that the problem is not resolved. Schedule a short meeting at the end of the workday - Wednesdays and Thursdays are best. Be clear and unapologetic. Explain any severance benefits if any. Make it quick and as painless as possible. Don't assign blame or make excuses - it's too late for that. 

Hiring

Building your team is the most critical activity you can focus on. You are looking for people to do the work - but also that meet your requirements for reliability, dependability, honesty, knowledge, drive - and about 50 more! Where do you start?

The first step is to determine what you need. How do you know you need to hire someone? Did someone quite or get fired? Are you growing? Is the mix of work you are doing changing requiring new skills? Did you decide to eliminate a subcontractor and bring the work in-house? Are you getting too busy running the business to keep up with some aspect of your responsibilities?

Take a hard look at your current team. Is everyone working hard and full time? Is there some one that is ready to take on new tasks or more hours? It's ALWAYS better to promote an existing member of the team if possible - and then fill an entry level position. It's ALWAYS better to assign new tasks to the people that have already mastered their current jobs. Most of your team members will be eager for new things to do - especially if it holds the promise of increased status, learning, variety, interaction, and of course - compensation.

Grow My Biz

This blog is now an adjunct to an exciting new website site and consulting company - Grow My Biz - found at www.growmybiz.us.

Grow My Biz is focused on helping small business owners with employee issues - from identifying qualified candidates, to hiring and firing, establishing compensation plans, and most important - motivating the team for maximum performance - and profits.

As a small business owner, I learned that the key enabler of my success - was my team of employees. I also learned that the key factor standing between making money and growing - could also be my employees.

I'll be discussing practical means to improve your team. I also welcome your comments and phone calls - 480 229 5767.