In another installation of our innovative Who Not How series, Visionaries Alec Broadfoot of VisionSpark (a prominent corporate talent acquisition firm) and Emily Morgan of Delegate Solutions continued a conversation with Shannon Waller of Strategic Coach about the successes they’ve had in focusing on their who rather than their how.
The Switch from Rugged Individualism to Unique Teaming
Inefficiency happens most often when we are learning how to do something, entering at the bottom of the learning curve. If we are able to find someone who can help us to do what we don’t know (called a “who”), we can maximize our own time, efforts, and our potential for success.
The Power of the Perfect Who
As creative innovators, we are oftentimes struck with lots of ideas, but without the passion and expertise to complete all the steps towards our goals. Success is all about asking “who should I have do this?” rather than “how should I do this?”
This happened to Morgan, who, in her own words, “got ambitious about [her] content.” An expert on delegation, Morgan identified three incredibly ambitious goals: to write an ebook, design a learning series, and expand her ebook as a full-length text. By determining which parts of these projects most excited her, and which may be barriers to success, she decided to hire a graphic designer, a training consultant, a marketing consultant, and a scribe. The combined skills of these individuals allowed Morgan to focus on what she loved most – creating the content.
Delegation is an energy management tool. Doing only what you are skilled at, and finding others to do work that they are skilled at, helps you to increase your impact and eliminate burnout.
Treat Employees as Investments, Not Costs
Drawing up a blueprint of the behavior, traits, and values of your desired hires can help you attract the right people and repel the wrong ones. Investing in strong marketing strategies for attracting these new hires is essential—the rewards of finding the right person greatly outweigh those of getting just a body in the seat.
To be confident in your decisions, you can use behavior interviews, group interviews, resumes, and assessments to help analyze your hires.
And if you get the wrong who? Consider if you have the right person in the wrong seat. If you still can’t find a fit, know that letting go of someone ultimately comes down to a 15-minute conversation. If you’ve evaluated what you need in that position, and the strengths and weaknesses of the hire, you can rest easy knowing that there are other positions out there that will better utilize their skills, and other candidates who are a better fit to support your business.
Remember, even a perfect hire can’t solve anything if you are unclear about your internal processes. But, if you want your future to get bigger, now is the time to start looking for who not how.
