All quotes are taken from my podcast Inter:views, Cracking The Entrepreneurship Code.
“Finding the right people, that’s the trick. Always make sure that the door is open to people who’re going to be good for your team. Don’t necessarily try to find job titles for specific work.” David Cole, Founder, Ateliers Cole, UK, ep. 14.
Despite how you may feel sometimes, let me tell you: Entrepreneurs, you’re not alone!
You won’t succeed without the help of others.
Others include people within your organization, like your employees, as well as people outside your organization such as your clients, suppliers, advisors, and any other stakeholders.
My key message is simple: Surround yourself with people, because they’re more resilient than technology.
When technology breaks down, you need people to fix it.
“What I like to see is people with different experiences coming into an organization to contribute to the greater good. Bringing different perspectives, different experiences, different viewpoints. That’s what gonna start conversations, that’s what gonna have a healthy debate within a company.[…] If everybody comes from the same place, what value-add does that bring to the conversation internally?” Adam Posner, Founder, NHP Talent Group, USA, ep. 32.
Internally, take as much time as you need to hire the best for your business. Not necessarily the most gifted, but people who combine passion, the right attitude, and a good dose of technical skills together.
One piece of advice, though: don’t recruit people who are built based on your profile. It’s tempting to find clones of yourself, but by doing that, you’d multiply your strengths as well as your weaknesses.
Instead, remember there’s only one you, and that’s you. Hire people who complete you, who excel at what you’re weak at.
Once you’ve recruited the best people for your business, explain your “why” and your strategy to execute it, show them trust, empower them with responsibilities, make them accountable for their decisions, then let them do what they came to do.
“The more I empower our team the easier my job becomes. Because they can handle more things without having to get my permission, and they’re going to do it very well because they will think about the benefits for the company. I don’t have to make any decision.” Eric Fankhauser, co-Founder, Swiss Auto Glass, Switzerland, ep. 12.
“My task is to bring other people up. It’s a very powerful thing to know about yourself. Once I realized that leadership is to make sure that I have super clever people around me, and I just need to make them bloom, you really become a coach in the organization.“ Sofia Pohls, co-Founder, Finders Seekers, Finland, ep. 52.
“Team building is one of the most important things that you can do. Surround yourself with people who are super competent but also passionate and committed to your mission and what you’re reaching and aspiring to do” Ilana Milkes, Founder, World Tech Inc., Colombia, ep. 56.
As you can see, this chapter includes many quotes because all my guests stress the importance people play in building a successful company.
Here’s another recommendation for you: Know when your experience is no longer enough, when you need people from outside your organization to help you and bring them on board.
Accepting external help is not necessarily easy. So, learn to be humble about the fact that you need advice, that you require the help of others.
People outside your organization (other entrepreneurs, mentors, coaches, business leaders, etc.) are very valuable because they bring a different perspective on your situation.
In addition, they may have dealt with similar issues you’re facing right now, and therefore can provide you with some practical tips on how to tackle them. Sometimes, there’s no need to re-invent the wheel.
Learn from those who’ve been there before you or who are experts in their field.
You will save a lot of time, achieve more and boost your motivation level.
“You need to be very humble and ask for advice. That‘s probably the best thing you can do for your business. Don’t pretend to know everything. Allow people to tell you the mistakes they made so you do not make the same ones.” Celia Boyd, Founder, SHE Investments, Cambodia, ep. 2.
Remember the biggest risk you face is becoming the bottleneck in your business. One of the reasons it happens is because everything is tied around you.
Don’t be that entrepreneur. Don’t stay isolated. Get people around you, people who can support you and with whom you can share the load.
“It’s absolutely crucial that you have a motivated, capable, personable, cuddly group of people taking care of your customers. Ultimately, you need good people to develop the next line of product, you need good people to service, and represent the products you have, so if you don’t get that piece right, I don’t think you’re ever gonna have a great company.” Jeff Morrill, co-Founder, Planet Subaru, ep. 59.
This is an extract from my eBook The Entrepreneur Mindset: 7 Tactics To Avoid Being The Bottleneck In Your Business.
Download the full eBook for free here.