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The Problem with Hiring People Who Are Just Like You

By Evan Hackel

An excerpt from my forthcoming book Ingaging Leadership Meets the Younger Generation

Many company owners, managers, and executives make the mistake of hiring people who are just like they are or putting together teams of similarly minded people. Software engineers tend to like to work with other software engineers, for example, and people who launched businesses by selling assertively tend to hire assertive sales professionals. As a result, their organizations fail to have the balance that they need for peak performance.

Instead, look at what’s happening within your organization. As you look at your team, do you see people who are doing only what they are required to do, rather than what they love to do and at which they excel? If this is the case, your company and your team could be better served if you recruit a mix of people who together provide all the skills necessary for success.

Imagine that your business is like a symphony orchestra. Now imagine your orchestra is made up only of musicians who can play strings and tympani. What kind of music will it make? Granted, it might sound okay, but it will not make beautiful music. A full symphony orchestra usually has a group of musicians who play more than 13 different instruments, not just one or two. Chances are that your organization needs people who can perform well in a dozen or more specific roles.

When considering your business teams, think of yourself as a conductor who, with the right mix of Ingaged people and a beautiful score, can achieve brilliant success.

Consider the variety of people in your company. Are there gaps in ability, attitude, or experience that are preventing your organization from achieving its greatest potential? If you were starting up today, what kind of staff would allow the business to grow and prosper?

Hire and Support People Who Have the Right Attitude

Attitude is the most important trait among your people.

Attitude is a game-changer. If you populate your organization with people who are positive, they will lift others and lead them to excel. On the other side of the equation, negative people can drain the energy out of everyone around them. Negative people in an organization can kill your chances of success.

I am not recommending a staff made up of people who are irrationally positive all the time like artificially upbeat cheerleaders who have no grounding in practical business. You want resilient people who adopt a strongly positive yet realistic point of view when facing business challenges and setbacks. Those will be the same people who will look for ways to make things better, even at times when everything seems to be going well.

Negativism kills. You can talk to some very skilled people who will say, “I know that everything seems to be going well right now, but I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. Negative things are bound to happen, and things will then get worse.”

Although it is good to look ahead and anticipate future problems, you want people who are going to be positive, and who are going to inspire others realistically. When people are inspired, they will perform better, and your enterprise will prosper.

About Evan Hackel
As author, speaker and entrepreneur, Evan Hackel has been instrumental in launching more than 20 businesses and has managed a portfolio of brands with systemwide sales of more than $5 billion. He is the creator of Ingaged Leadership, is author of the book Ingaging Leadership Meets the Younger Generation and is a thought leader in the fields of leadership and success.
Evan is the CEO of Ingage Consulting, Delta Payment Systems, and an advisor to Tortal Training. Reach Evan at ehackel@ingage.net, 781-820 7609 or visit www.evanhackelspeaks.com

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