Building Great Teams
Last week at Work-Bench, we were lucky to have Tom Carroll, Chief Human Resource Officer of RR Donnelley, present a Lunch & Learn on “Hiring New Employees.” When not busy advising and teaching yoga at Work-Bench, he leads and manages all aspects of HR for RR Donnelley, a publicly traded international corporation with 58,000 employees. Here are Coach Carroll’s three top tips:
Right Hire, Right Time
The smaller the team, the more critical the right hire becomes to the success of the team. Unlike a giant corporation, a single bad hire can have disastrous consequences for a startup. Small teams have to anticipate their needs and make the right hire at the right time. Waiting until the pressure to hire increases can be problematic. As the pressure to hire becomes greater, the more likely you are to make an error filling the position. The job of a truly great CEO is not to “hire when it hurts,” but to anticipate when it will hurt.
Warm Introduction, Cold Fit
Working in tight knit communities, startups often end up finding candidates through word-of-mouth recruiting and employee referrals. It’s important to keep in mind that just because the candidate is a warm introduction doesn’t mean that person is a good fit. Just because they are a friend or they know somebody doesn’t mean they are a better fit than someone who doesn’t. You should cast a wide net, and look within but also beyond your personal network for the right fit. Avoid the local maximum; anchor your goal to the global environment rather than your immediate surroundings. You are building a business, or better yet a tribe, but you are not building a social club. Ask yourself, “is this the best possible person for the team and the task?”
Active Listening
During an interview, it is your job to talk less and listen more. Even if you’re excited, you need to be comfortable being silent. Your only goal is to show up with questions that you want to ask (and know what questions not to ask). You should ask behavioral based questions that require the interviewee to tell a real story reflecting an honest answer. Look for a candidate that gives you a specific situation, an action they took, and the result of that action (whether it’s technical or personal). If the person talks too long because they are nervous, it is an indicator of what they are going to be like under stress. Also think about the nonverbal cues that they are giving you. Whatever experience you are having with them for the first time is the experience others will have as well. If after 10 minutes you are not feeling it, end the interview and move on — consider it speed dating for the business world.
