4 Questions to Attract Your Dream Team
Jan 07, 2024
It begins with something like, “She’s just not working out…” and wraps up with “It’s just hard to find the right person today.”
Whether you’re a small business owner or a C-Level Executive of a Fortune 50, you’re in search mode 24/7 for the right person in the right place at the right time for the right reasons.
Here are four questions to ask as you attract and search for your Work Positive Dream Team members:
Where is the Place?
Place refers to the position on the team. Every football team has one quarterback, one center, two guards, two tackles, etc. Their places are defined clearly. They are trained to know what to do when.
Does the position you’re seeking to fill have a complete description with results clarified?
Did the team participate in writing it?
Is everyone’s mind clear about how the team Works Positive once it’s filled?
Incomplete position descriptions are typically discovered by the candidate in the first 90 days when the “other duties as assigned by leader” take over the previously understood primary tasks.
First, where is the place?
When is the Time?
Time refers to a couple of realities. First, what happens once the person is hired? Is there a prescribed process for on-boarding?
Second, and this is most important, who will take the time in this process to train the new team member? When will the leader receive feedback from the trainer to monitor the process? What are the benchmarks for appropriate progress?
Even if all of the dominant tasks are exactly the same as the candidate performs currently for another company, your work culture is different. That means training is required for team and task integration to occur. Neglect training and you install a revolving door on your team.
Second, ask, When is the time?
What are the Reasons?
Reasons refers to an evaluation of the team’s opening. Why is this position open on the team now? What was the impact of our relationship with the immediate past team member on this opening? Is it a new position designed to increase capacity? Then what are the ripple effects on the team, i.e., who relinquishes what and how?
Discover the reasons for this opening by looking back at previous teammates’ experiences gathered from exit interviews or at a strategic planning process that led to the creation of the position so you forecast accurately for maximum effectiveness.
Third, ask What are the reasons?
Who is the Person?
Finally, who is the person? Diagnostic tools are readily available to determine the person’s fit and finish with place, time, and reasons. You previously defined place, time, and reasons. Now you define who the person is that fills the position best.
Pursue an understanding of the person and who she or he really is by using case studies and role plays. Do personality indicators. Dig deeply into second-generation referrals. Examine social media content.
Insure that the team participates in the “fit” part of the process. The Likeability Factor (Tim Sanders) is integral to achieving desired results.
Inviting someone on your team is analogous to getting married—for better, for worse. The key is to assure as many “best” experiences as possible.
Find your Dream Team member when you ask these 4 questions and Work Positive.
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