HOW TO HIRE A PLAYERS
HOW TO HIRE A PLAYERS
Why is it important for business owners to understand generational differences within their teams?
One is not better than two. This concept is crucial because it helps us avoid dismissing someone's feelings or giving unnecessary weight to them when it's not justified. It's about understanding that everyone has a perspective, and we need to respect that while achieving our goals.
I’m creating an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) because I want everyone to have skin in the game. This aligns well with the generation that most of my staff belong to. As an entrepreneur, it's important to understand who you have on your team and how to move the organization forward by recognizing generational differences. Many people don’t grasp these differences or what they mean. Often, one generation criticizes the next, but it's not about being terrible—it's about being different.
What is the value of utilizing a variety of tools in business?
It’s like using a nail gun instead of a hammer. Now, workers carry hammers to drive in nails that a nail gun might not fully secure. For Gen Xers or Baby Boomers, it’s important to recognize that new tools may be better than what we used before. However, there are drawbacks. One example is communication. When there’s an issue, I tell my team to pick up the phone and call rather than handing it over email. Tone can be easily misunderstood in emails, and we've all had situations where an email was taken the wrong way, especially by younger generations like Gen Z.
How can business owners effectively implement core values across a multi-generational workforce?
My three core values are: do the right thing, be the gold standard, and practice extreme urgency. We call it "RUG"—Right thing, Urgency, Gold standard. What does urgency mean? In my generation, urgency meant responding when I got back to my computer or answered a phone call. Now, urgency is expected 24/7, but we also have to consider work-life balance.
The hardest core value for me is "do the right thing." My organization is a Christian company, and this value comes from my faith as the founder and now CEO. I’ve had to explain this core value clearly, and the best way to do that is through consistent communication and examples.
In every meeting with three or more people, the facilitator asks for three examples of our core values in action. They go through "do the right thing," "urgency," and "gold standard" and share specific examples. For instance, someone might mention a colleague who calmly helped an upset client or note that the company supported an employee whose relative passed away by covering the funeral costs.
One of my mid-level staff raised a good point: what does "do the right thing" mean? It can be subjective, especially when working with three different generations. For some, doing the right thing might mean helping the group over the individual.
What role does company leadership play in shaping a people-first hiring process?
As an entrepreneur, I believe people are the most important part of any business, even if you produce a product like widgets. People make the widgets, so they are the core of your company. People also change and evolve, which adds another layer of importance.
Our interview process is based on this belief. After the first few interviews, when we identify a strong candidate, we assemble our top management team, which includes the seven top executives in the company, for the final interview. This process shows that we truly value people; we demonstrate this by involving our senior executives, who dedicate their time to these interviews.
