October 10, 2024 • 23 mins
Unlock the secrets to breaking free from the exhausting cycle of hiring, firing, and rehiring. What if you could transform your team into a stable, high-performing powerhouse? Join me, Tanya D. Harrison, on the Operations Toolbox podcast, as we explore the strategic steps leaders can take to overhaul their hiring processes and build teams that thrive—and last. We dissect the hidden pitfalls that perpetuate turnover, from unclear expectations to poor onboarding, and discuss actionable solutions to set your team up for sustainable success.
We dive into the importance of aligning new hires with your company's culture and values, going beyond just the technical skills. Discover how standardized interview procedures and team involvement can offer a broader, more inclusive perspective on potential hires. Plus, learn why a structured 30, 60, 90-day onboarding plan is vital for setting the right tone from day one. Embrace a leadership mindset that views employees as long-term investments, and watch your team not only meet but exceed its potential. Tune in to learn how to foster an environment of growth and stability, turning the hiring chaos into a well-oiled machine that propels your business forward.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:12):
Welcome back to another episode of the
Operations Toolbox podcast,where we help business leaders
build and lead high-performingteams using operational
strategies and leadershipprinciples.
I'm your host, tanya D Harrison, an operations and leadership
consultant who's been there,done that, and now I'm helping
(00:35):
you avoid some of the commonchallenges that many team
leaders face.
Today's topic is one that manybusiness leaders struggle with
the never-ending cycle of hiring, firing and rehiring.
If you're constantly losingteam members or firing them,
(00:58):
only to find yourself back tosquare one trying to fill the
same same roles, this episode isfor you.
We'll break down the reasonsbehind the cycle, what it is
costing your business and you asa leader, and, most importantly
, how to break free from it andbuild a stable, high-performing
(01:20):
team.
So when we talk about thisright, this is something that
people think, that this is justthe way business is.
As a leader, this is somethingthat I'm going to always have to
deal with, and that's not thecase.
Before we get into how to breakthe cycle, let's start with why
(01:42):
this happens.
For many leaders, the cyclebegins with a rushed hiring
decision.
Maybe you are feeling thepressure to fill a role.
It could be because you aredoing the job or you're a
business owner and your businessis picking up and you can't
(02:04):
keep up with things.
Whatever the reason is, itusually stems from rushing right
.
So you're really trying to rushto fill the role and you don't
take the time to vet thecandidate, or you don't have
some of the processes in placeto help you vet the candidate
and onboard them successfully,to help you vet the candidate
(02:24):
and onboard them successfully.
So what we quickly realize isis that when we rush to hire
someone and we don't vet themwell, and then we bring them on
board, we realize that they'renot a good fit.
They're just not the right fitfor this role, and this leads to
a termination or they end upleaving.
(02:45):
And then here we go again.
You're right back at thebeginning.
So if this sounds familiar,let's talk through this.
(03:08):
The problem with this cycle isthat it is incredibly expensive,
not just in terms of money, butalso time and energy and the
toll that it takes on you as theleader and, if you have other
team members, the team's morale.
So every time you lose someone,productivity hits ground zero,
right, and someone else or youhave to pick up the slack.
This can be extremely taxing onyou as a leader, right?
(03:31):
So I mostly work with peoplewho have small teams and there's
not 20 other people to pick upthe slack, so it really hits
home when you lose someone.
So sometimes that's why we fallinto the other part of this
cycle, which is holding on tosomeone too long just to have a
(03:54):
warm body, and we don't want todo that.
So here's the thing.
The cycle doesn't have tocontinue.
There are things that we can doto break it, and it starts with
identifying what the root causesare, and in my experience, I'm
going to share three root causesthat are usually tied to this
(04:18):
cycle.
The first one is lack of clearexpectations, and we're going to
get into each one of these in alittle bit more detail.
The second one is lack of clearexpectations, and we're going
to get into each one of these ina little bit more detail.
The second one is poor hiringprocesses.
We don't have things in placeto make sure we're hiring the
right people.
And then the third thing isinadequate onboarding process.
Now, again, all of these arethings that we could fix.
(04:41):
So that's what we're gettingready to do.
That's what we're going to talkabout how you can break the
cycle and how we can get youfrom this state of overwhelm.
When it comes to the hire fire,rehire cycle, the first thing
that I mentioned is lack ofclear expectations, right?
(05:03):
So let's start with this.
There's no clarity in terms ofthe role that you wanna hire for
.
This is one of the most commonmistakes I see leaders make, and
it's really not having a clearunderstanding of what it is you
need in a new hire.
(05:23):
When roles aren't clearlydefined, it's easy to hire the
wrong person or not provide theright direction for the person
you do hire.
If your expectations aren'tclear to you, they're not going
to be clear to your team members.
So, without defining roles andresponsibilities, the people
(05:48):
that you hire tend to struggleto meet your needs.
So you really want to take thetime to document why are you
hiring and what success lookslike for this role.
So take a step back and reallyevaluate the role you're trying
to fill.
What are the exactresponsibilities?
(06:10):
What are you looking for themto do?
Write it down.
What skills are non-negotiable?
These are some things that theyabsolutely need to have, right?
So there's going to be someskills that you're like okay,
these are a nice to have.
There's going to be some otherskills that are non-negotiables.
They have to have these skillsin order to be successful.
(06:32):
And then you want to thinkabout personality traits.
If you already have a team, youwant to traits.
If you already have a team, youwant to understand how are they
going to fit within the teamdynamic.
Not only that, how are theygoing to fit with you if they
are going to be working directlywith you?
You don't have a manager inbetween you and them.
(06:55):
They need to understand how youwork and they need to be able
to vibe with you, and you needto be able to vibe with them.
So you need to take thesethings into consideration.
I know a lot of times we thinkthat if we hire someone and they
have the right skills, that'sall we need, but that's really
not the case.
They have to be able to vibeand gel with you and your team.
(07:22):
This not only helps you in thehiring process, but it also
ensures that your new hire knowsexactly what's expected of them
from day one.
So being crystal clear onexpectations is key.
It's also crucial tocommunicate expectations clearly
(07:42):
during interviews.
We don't want any.
I didn't know, I didn't expectyou know.
I didn't know I had to work somany hours.
I didn't know I had to beavailable from this time to this
time.
Whatever those things are, youwant to be really clear during
your interviews, so transparencyabout job demands is going to
be crucial.
(08:03):
Also being transparent aboutgrowth opportunities and any
challenges.
That's going to help to filterout candidates who might not be
a good fit.
And not only that right, itmakes you feel better as a
leader, because you want to hirefrom a place of integrity.
We're not trying to flim flamsomebody.
(08:28):
We want to really be open withwhat the expectations are, so
everyone knows what it is thatthey're getting into and they
can come to the role fully withthe understanding of what's
expected.
The second thing is improvingyour hiring process.
So if you don't have a hiringprocess or it is kind of weak,
this is something that you wantto tighten up on.
(08:48):
So let's talk about the hiringprocess itself.
Many leaders make the mistakeof rushing through the
interviews just to get a body inthe seat and then you hire them
without having a process right.
So one of the things that wewant to keep in mind with this
(09:12):
entire thing you want to be slowto hire fast to fire, but in
order to really make this stick,you need to make sure that
you're doing your due diligencewhen you hire.
You want to make sure that youhave a process in place.
What exactly does this looklike?
(09:34):
And we want to have somethingthat we can consistently roll
out to everyone that weinterview with.
Here's a couple of things thatyou want to include when you are
going back and reviewing yourhiring process or developing
your hiring process.
The first thing is you want tohave a standardized process,
(09:56):
right.
So when you're interviewingcandidates, you want to have a
standardized way of doing it.
That way, when you arecomparing, you're comparing
apples to apples.
This is from the set ofquestions that you ask.
If you are giving them a testsome type of whether it's a test
or project or something likethat you want to make sure that
is consistent across the board.
(10:17):
And when you are looking tohire people, you want to be
looking at technical skills aswell as cultural fit.
So one of the things that wetalked about is making sure that
they are able to vibe and gelwith you and your team.
So hiring solely for experienceis not going to get you where
(10:45):
you need to go.
That's only part of it, right.
So experience is important, donot get me wrong, but you have
to have alignment with you andyour team and your company's
values.
This is critical.
Your company's values this iscritical.
Make sure you clearly defineyour vision, your mission and
(11:06):
your values and then use them tohelp guide your business
decisions, your hiring decisions.
This ensures you're bringing onsomeone who fits both the role
and your culture of theorganization.
If integrity is high on yourlist, you want to make sure that
you have conversations thatallow you to evaluate their
(11:29):
integrity.
So think about what your visionis, what your mission is and
what your core values are, evenif you're hiring contractors.
This is something that'sextremely important.
When I am in the beginningstages of deciding if I'm going
(11:49):
to work with someone, one of thethings I ask them and I'm a
consultant one of the things Iask them is about their vision,
because I like to be able to seemyself within it.
Like here's their vision,because I like to be able to see
myself within it.
Like here's their vision howcan I play a part, how can I
play a role or what is my role?
So I'm already thinking aboutthose things because I'm
(12:11):
thinking about how do I make animpact in this person's business
?
Same thing when you're hiringsomeone, it helps if they could
see how they fit into it, andthey may not like your vision,
they may not want to even be apart of it.
So, again, this helps you tokind of filter through the
people that are best fit orsuited for the role and for your
(12:35):
organization.
The other thing is, if you haveother team members, involve
other team members in theprocess, right.
So this allows you to get inputfrom other people.
So you have another point ofview.
The other thing is is that itmay help you to determine if
(12:57):
they're a good fit for the teamdynamics.
If you don't have a team and youare just starting out in this
role or you're a solopreneur, isthere a peer or someone that
you could have sit in on theinterviews?
That would be helpful as well.
Again, especially if you arenew to hiring and you haven't
(13:19):
done this a lot, or if you findyourself in this cycle and you
want to make sure that you'reconsidering all things that you
can consider, have somebody elsesit in on the interviews.
The next thing you want to dois use assessments.
So I talked about earlier.
If you have somebody doing aproject, right, have all of them
do the same project.
(13:40):
If I'm hiring somebody forcustomer experience or a
customer service position and Iknow that they are going to be
responding in writing, viaemails or chat or whatever the
case may be, I may give them ascenario and ask them to write a
response and then that way Ican see what their writing looks
(14:02):
like.
You know what I mean.
I can see if they have thecustomer service level that I
want them to have.
It gives me insight into isthis person a fit?
Further checking some of theboxes off the list.
And then the last thing I findthat some of us do because we
are in a rush, is we don't checkreferences thoroughly.
(14:25):
Don't skip this step right.
So a candidate's pastperformance can tell you a lot
about how they'll operate withinyour team.
So don't skip it.
Go through it, do it, and do itfor all of your candidates.
If they are referred, that'sgreat.
But do your own research, doyour own due diligence right,
(14:48):
and I find that when you followthese steps, you are weeding out
people a whole lot easier andfaster.
And now we're getting to thepeople that are truly going to
be a fit for our organization orour department.
Once you've done all that, youwant to make sure that you
invest in onboarding anddevelopment.
(15:10):
So the next key to breaking thehire fire rehire cycle is
proper onboarding.
Too many times we think thatonboarding is just filling out
some paperwork, but a robustonboarding process should set
your new hire up for success.
(15:31):
So your onboarding processshould cover not only the tasks
and the responsibilities, butalso how they fit into the
larger company culture andvision.
This is a great opportunity toshare your vision with them
again and share how you see themfitting within the
organization's vision or yourteam's vision.
(15:53):
See where they can literallysee where they fit in and the
impact that they have as a partof this overall vision.
The other thing I like torecommend is doing what I call
30, 60, 90 day plan right.
To recommend is doing what Icall 30, 60, 90 day plan right.
(16:13):
So it's a 90 day plan, but youbreak it down into 30, 60 and 90
day increments and what thisdoes is is really a plan for
success Over the course of thefirst 90 days.
I'm laying out what I expectand what success looks like at
the end of this period and eachmilestone they're in.
By doing this and sharing itwith the new hire, we are on the
(16:35):
same page.
I'm telling you at 30 days,here's what I expect.
At 60 days, here's what Iexpect.
And 90 days, here's what Iexpect, and we're reviewing it
periodically.
Now I'm having meetings withyou, because you're a new hire
Nine times out of 10, I'm hiringmeetings with you more often
than 30 days, but we're alwaystalking about where you are on
(16:59):
this journey.
Where you are, because it'sextremely important that they be
successful, and a part of thembeing successful is you being
really clear on what successlooks like and what you expect
from them from day one.
So you want to make sure thatyou are laying these things out
and you're having conversationsabout it.
(17:20):
Also, if there's an opportunity, you want to really invest in
your team's development.
Of course you definitely wantto have regular meetings with
them, regular feedback, buttraining opportunities and
training doesn't always looklike going outside the
(17:40):
organization.
It could be within yourorganization.
Is there an opportunity totrain them on something that
they've wanted to do?
Train them on something to makethem better?
So think about that as well,but also career growth, right?
If you're in the beginningstages of building your team, at
some point there may be anopportunity for them to take on
(18:01):
a lead role or a manager role oryou know something like that as
they continue to grow with thedepartment and with the
organization.
And as you continue to grow.
Right, you want to have asuccession plan, but that's a
whole nother podcast.
But you want to make sure thatyou are really investing in
(18:26):
their development, right?
Having those conversations,what's their expectations?
You know where do they seethemselves?
And if there are ways that youcan help, then you help.
I feel like if we invest in ourteam, they are more open to
investing in us and what ourvision is and what it is that we
(18:49):
see.
So make sure you are findingways to pour into them and
invest in their future, and thisultimately boosts retention and
reduces turnover, right?
So now you know what those rootcauses are and some of the ways
, some of the things that youcan start to do right now to
(19:09):
break the cycle.
The last thing that I want totalk about is the mindset shift
for leaders, right?
So really thinking about whenyou are bringing someone on.
This isn't this kind of one anddone thing where I hire
somebody and that's it.
When you are hiring somebody,this is a long term investment
(19:31):
and you want to think of it thatway, right, and you want to
think of this as a relationship.
That's kind of give and take.
It's not just you know.
Of course, you're paying themfor whatever it is that they are
doing, but the other thing isare there other ways to pour
into them?
Are there other ways to pourinto them?
Are there other ways to build arelationship with them?
(19:52):
Right, and making sure thatthis isn't just completely
transactional.
If you really want people tostay around for any length of
time, it has to go beyond atransaction and it has to go
into a relationship.
So think about how you can dothat.
Not only that, you don't want toexpect perfection from day one.
(20:16):
You want to give everybody anopportunity to learn and grow,
especially in the early stages,right, and a part of learning or
a part of growing is themmaking mistakes.
It's going to happen.
No one is perfect.
So think about as they grow.
(20:37):
They're going to make mistakes,so you have to consider that as
a part of it and you want tomake sure that you do everything
you can from making sure thatyou are providing coaching and
feedback and you have processesin place and all of this stuff
to minimize the number ofmistakes right, but there's
going to be some mistakes thatare made.
So you want to keep that in mindand I know sometimes it's hard.
(21:00):
You know when you're hiringyou're thinking I really don't
have time for this.
But you have to make time tospend time with new hires right
out the gate and make sure thatyou are giving them the support
that they need, along withsetting the expectations so that
you're both are on the samepage.
All right, so that sometimesrequire a mindset shift from I
(21:24):
don't have time to spend time, Idon't have time to coach, but
the flip side is you're going tofind yourself continuously in
this cycle.
So remember, a high performingteam is built over time, not
overnight, and by investing inyour people you build loyalty,
trust and long-term success.
All right, so just in conclusion, let's think about this.
(21:47):
Let's talk about someactionable steps to break the
cycle.
So we are going to break thehire fire, rehire cycle and the
first thing we're going to do isyou're going to define clear
roles and expectations beforehire.
The second thing is is thatyou're going to refine your
hiring process to focus onskills and cultural fit.
(22:10):
It's nice that they have skills, it's nice that they have
experience, but do they have thevalues?
Are they going to fit withinthe team?
The next thing is invest in arobust onboarding to set new
hires up for success.
Think about what I said aboutthe 30, 60, 90 day and carving
(22:31):
out time to provide coaching andfeedback.
Then you want to develop yourteam continuously through
feedback, trainings and growthopportunities, and then shift
your leadership mindset to seeemployees as long-term
investments and relationships.
All right.
So by following these steps,you can stop the endless cycle
(22:55):
and start building stable,high-performing teams for your
business to thrive.
Thanks for tuning in to thisepisode of the Operations
Toolbox for Business Leaders.
If you found this episodehelpful, make sure to subscribe,
share and leave a review.
And remember success inleadership isn't just about
(23:15):
hiring the right people, it'sabout leading them to success.
Until next time.
Welcome back to another episode of the
Operations Toolbox podcast,where we help business leaders
build and lead high-performingteams using operational
strategies and leadershipprinciples.
I'm your host, tanya D Harrison, an operations and leadership
consultant who's been there,done that, and now I'm helping
(00:35):
you avoid some of the commonchallenges that many team
leaders face.
Today's topic is one that manybusiness leaders struggle with
the never-ending cycle of hiring, firing and rehiring.
If you're constantly losingteam members or firing them,
(00:58):
only to find yourself back tosquare one trying to fill the
same same roles, this episode isfor you.
We'll break down the reasonsbehind the cycle, what it is
costing your business and you asa leader, and, most importantly
, how to break free from it andbuild a stable, high-performing
(01:20):
team.
So when we talk about thisright, this is something that
people think, that this is justthe way business is.
As a leader, this is somethingthat I'm going to always have to
deal with, and that's not thecase.
Before we get into how to breakthe cycle, let's start with why
(01:42):
this happens.
For many leaders, the cyclebegins with a rushed hiring
decision.
Maybe you are feeling thepressure to fill a role.
It could be because you aredoing the job or you're a
business owner and your businessis picking up and you can't
(02:04):
keep up with things.
Whatever the reason is, itusually stems from rushing right
.
So you're really trying to rushto fill the role and you don't
take the time to vet thecandidate, or you don't have
some of the processes in placeto help you vet the candidate
and onboard them successfully,to help you vet the candidate
(02:24):
and onboard them successfully.
So what we quickly realize isis that when we rush to hire
someone and we don't vet themwell, and then we bring them on
board, we realize that they'renot a good fit.
They're just not the right fitfor this role, and this leads to
a termination or they end upleaving.
(02:45):
And then here we go again.
You're right back at thebeginning.
So if this sounds familiar,let's talk through this.
(03:08):
The problem with this cycle isthat it is incredibly expensive,
not just in terms of money, butalso time and energy and the
toll that it takes on you as theleader and, if you have other
team members, the team's morale.
So every time you lose someone,productivity hits ground zero,
right, and someone else or youhave to pick up the slack.
This can be extremely taxing onyou as a leader, right?
(03:31):
So I mostly work with peoplewho have small teams and there's
not 20 other people to pick upthe slack, so it really hits
home when you lose someone.
So sometimes that's why we fallinto the other part of this
cycle, which is holding on tosomeone too long just to have a
(03:54):
warm body, and we don't want todo that.
So here's the thing.
The cycle doesn't have tocontinue.
There are things that we can doto break it, and it starts with
identifying what the root causesare, and in my experience, I'm
going to share three root causesthat are usually tied to this
(04:18):
cycle.
The first one is lack of clearexpectations, and we're going to
get into each one of these in alittle bit more detail.
The second one is lack of clearexpectations, and we're going
to get into each one of these ina little bit more detail.
The second one is poor hiringprocesses.
We don't have things in placeto make sure we're hiring the
right people.
And then the third thing isinadequate onboarding process.
Now, again, all of these arethings that we could fix.
(04:41):
So that's what we're gettingready to do.
That's what we're going to talkabout how you can break the
cycle and how we can get youfrom this state of overwhelm.
When it comes to the hire fire,rehire cycle, the first thing
that I mentioned is lack ofclear expectations, right?
(05:03):
So let's start with this.
There's no clarity in terms ofthe role that you wanna hire for
.
This is one of the most commonmistakes I see leaders make, and
it's really not having a clearunderstanding of what it is you
need in a new hire.
(05:23):
When roles aren't clearlydefined, it's easy to hire the
wrong person or not provide theright direction for the person
you do hire.
If your expectations aren'tclear to you, they're not going
to be clear to your team members.
So, without defining roles andresponsibilities, the people
(05:48):
that you hire tend to struggleto meet your needs.
So you really want to take thetime to document why are you
hiring and what success lookslike for this role.
So take a step back and reallyevaluate the role you're trying
to fill.
What are the exactresponsibilities?
(06:10):
What are you looking for themto do?
Write it down.
What skills are non-negotiable?
These are some things that theyabsolutely need to have, right?
So there's going to be someskills that you're like okay,
these are a nice to have.
There's going to be some otherskills that are non-negotiables.
They have to have these skillsin order to be successful.
(06:32):
And then you want to thinkabout personality traits.
If you already have a team, youwant to traits.
If you already have a team, youwant to understand how are they
going to fit within the teamdynamic.
Not only that, how are theygoing to fit with you if they
are going to be working directlywith you?
You don't have a manager inbetween you and them.
(06:55):
They need to understand how youwork and they need to be able
to vibe with you, and you needto be able to vibe with them.
So you need to take thesethings into consideration.
I know a lot of times we thinkthat if we hire someone and they
have the right skills, that'sall we need, but that's really
not the case.
They have to be able to vibeand gel with you and your team.
(07:22):
This not only helps you in thehiring process, but it also
ensures that your new hire knowsexactly what's expected of them
from day one.
So being crystal clear onexpectations is key.
It's also crucial tocommunicate expectations clearly
(07:42):
during interviews.
We don't want any.
I didn't know, I didn't expectyou know.
I didn't know I had to work somany hours.
I didn't know I had to beavailable from this time to this
time.
Whatever those things are, youwant to be really clear during
your interviews, so transparencyabout job demands is going to
be crucial.
(08:03):
Also being transparent aboutgrowth opportunities and any
challenges.
That's going to help to filterout candidates who might not be
a good fit.
And not only that right, itmakes you feel better as a
leader, because you want to hirefrom a place of integrity.
We're not trying to flim flamsomebody.
(08:28):
We want to really be open withwhat the expectations are, so
everyone knows what it is thatthey're getting into and they
can come to the role fully withthe understanding of what's
expected.
The second thing is improvingyour hiring process.
So if you don't have a hiringprocess or it is kind of weak,
this is something that you wantto tighten up on.
(08:48):
So let's talk about the hiringprocess itself.
Many leaders make the mistakeof rushing through the
interviews just to get a body inthe seat and then you hire them
without having a process right.
So one of the things that wewant to keep in mind with this
(09:12):
entire thing you want to be slowto hire fast to fire, but in
order to really make this stick,you need to make sure that
you're doing your due diligencewhen you hire.
You want to make sure that youhave a process in place.
What exactly does this looklike?
(09:34):
And we want to have somethingthat we can consistently roll
out to everyone that weinterview with.
Here's a couple of things thatyou want to include when you are
going back and reviewing yourhiring process or developing
your hiring process.
The first thing is you want tohave a standardized process,
(09:56):
right.
So when you're interviewingcandidates, you want to have a
standardized way of doing it.
That way, when you arecomparing, you're comparing
apples to apples.
This is from the set ofquestions that you ask.
If you are giving them a testsome type of whether it's a test
or project or something likethat you want to make sure that
is consistent across the board.
(10:17):
And when you are looking tohire people, you want to be
looking at technical skills aswell as cultural fit.
So one of the things that wetalked about is making sure that
they are able to vibe and gelwith you and your team.
So hiring solely for experienceis not going to get you where
(10:45):
you need to go.
That's only part of it, right.
So experience is important, donot get me wrong, but you have
to have alignment with you andyour team and your company's
values.
This is critical.
Your company's values this iscritical.
Make sure you clearly defineyour vision, your mission and
(11:06):
your values and then use them tohelp guide your business
decisions, your hiring decisions.
This ensures you're bringing onsomeone who fits both the role
and your culture of theorganization.
If integrity is high on yourlist, you want to make sure that
you have conversations thatallow you to evaluate their
(11:29):
integrity.
So think about what your visionis, what your mission is and
what your core values are, evenif you're hiring contractors.
This is something that'sextremely important.
When I am in the beginningstages of deciding if I'm going
(11:49):
to work with someone, one of thethings I ask them and I'm a
consultant one of the things Iask them is about their vision,
because I like to be able to seemyself within it.
Like here's their vision,because I like to be able to see
myself within it.
Like here's their vision howcan I play a part, how can I
play a role or what is my role?
So I'm already thinking aboutthose things because I'm
(12:11):
thinking about how do I make animpact in this person's business
?
Same thing when you're hiringsomeone, it helps if they could
see how they fit into it, andthey may not like your vision,
they may not want to even be apart of it.
So, again, this helps you tokind of filter through the
people that are best fit orsuited for the role and for your
(12:35):
organization.
The other thing is, if you haveother team members, involve
other team members in theprocess, right.
So this allows you to get inputfrom other people.
So you have another point ofview.
The other thing is is that itmay help you to determine if
(12:57):
they're a good fit for the teamdynamics.
If you don't have a team and youare just starting out in this
role or you're a solopreneur, isthere a peer or someone that
you could have sit in on theinterviews?
That would be helpful as well.
Again, especially if you arenew to hiring and you haven't
(13:19):
done this a lot, or if you findyourself in this cycle and you
want to make sure that you'reconsidering all things that you
can consider, have somebody elsesit in on the interviews.
The next thing you want to dois use assessments.
So I talked about earlier.
If you have somebody doing aproject, right, have all of them
do the same project.
(13:40):
If I'm hiring somebody forcustomer experience or a
customer service position and Iknow that they are going to be
responding in writing, viaemails or chat or whatever the
case may be, I may give them ascenario and ask them to write a
response and then that way Ican see what their writing looks
(14:02):
like.
You know what I mean.
I can see if they have thecustomer service level that I
want them to have.
It gives me insight into isthis person a fit?
Further checking some of theboxes off the list.
And then the last thing I findthat some of us do because we
are in a rush, is we don't checkreferences thoroughly.
(14:25):
Don't skip this step right.
So a candidate's pastperformance can tell you a lot
about how they'll operate withinyour team.
So don't skip it.
Go through it, do it, and do itfor all of your candidates.
If they are referred, that'sgreat.
But do your own research, doyour own due diligence right,
(14:48):
and I find that when you followthese steps, you are weeding out
people a whole lot easier andfaster.
And now we're getting to thepeople that are truly going to
be a fit for our organization orour department.
Once you've done all that, youwant to make sure that you
invest in onboarding anddevelopment.
(15:10):
So the next key to breaking thehire fire rehire cycle is
proper onboarding.
Too many times we think thatonboarding is just filling out
some paperwork, but a robustonboarding process should set
your new hire up for success.
(15:31):
So your onboarding processshould cover not only the tasks
and the responsibilities, butalso how they fit into the
larger company culture andvision.
This is a great opportunity toshare your vision with them
again and share how you see themfitting within the
organization's vision or yourteam's vision.
(15:53):
See where they can literallysee where they fit in and the
impact that they have as a partof this overall vision.
The other thing I like torecommend is doing what I call
30, 60, 90 day plan right.
To recommend is doing what Icall 30, 60, 90 day plan right.
(16:13):
So it's a 90 day plan, but youbreak it down into 30, 60 and 90
day increments and what thisdoes is is really a plan for
success Over the course of thefirst 90 days.
I'm laying out what I expectand what success looks like at
the end of this period and eachmilestone they're in.
By doing this and sharing itwith the new hire, we are on the
(16:35):
same page.
I'm telling you at 30 days,here's what I expect.
At 60 days, here's what Iexpect.
And 90 days, here's what Iexpect, and we're reviewing it
periodically.
Now I'm having meetings withyou, because you're a new hire
Nine times out of 10, I'm hiringmeetings with you more often
than 30 days, but we're alwaystalking about where you are on
(16:59):
this journey.
Where you are, because it'sextremely important that they be
successful, and a part of thembeing successful is you being
really clear on what successlooks like and what you expect
from them from day one.
So you want to make sure thatyou are laying these things out
and you're having conversationsabout it.
(17:20):
Also, if there's an opportunity, you want to really invest in
your team's development.
Of course you definitely wantto have regular meetings with
them, regular feedback, buttraining opportunities and
training doesn't always looklike going outside the
(17:40):
organization.
It could be within yourorganization.
Is there an opportunity totrain them on something that
they've wanted to do?
Train them on something to makethem better?
So think about that as well,but also career growth, right?
If you're in the beginningstages of building your team, at
some point there may be anopportunity for them to take on
(18:01):
a lead role or a manager role oryou know something like that as
they continue to grow with thedepartment and with the
organization.
And as you continue to grow.
Right, you want to have asuccession plan, but that's a
whole nother podcast.
But you want to make sure thatyou are really investing in
(18:26):
their development, right?
Having those conversations,what's their expectations?
You know where do they seethemselves?
And if there are ways that youcan help, then you help.
I feel like if we invest in ourteam, they are more open to
investing in us and what ourvision is and what it is that we
(18:49):
see.
So make sure you are findingways to pour into them and
invest in their future, and thisultimately boosts retention and
reduces turnover, right?
So now you know what those rootcauses are and some of the ways
, some of the things that youcan start to do right now to
(19:09):
break the cycle.
The last thing that I want totalk about is the mindset shift
for leaders, right?
So really thinking about whenyou are bringing someone on.
This isn't this kind of one anddone thing where I hire
somebody and that's it.
When you are hiring somebody,this is a long term investment
(19:31):
and you want to think of it thatway, right, and you want to
think of this as a relationship.
That's kind of give and take.
It's not just you know.
Of course, you're paying themfor whatever it is that they are
doing, but the other thing isare there other ways to pour
into them?
Are there other ways to pourinto them?
Are there other ways to build arelationship with them?
(19:52):
Right, and making sure thatthis isn't just completely
transactional.
If you really want people tostay around for any length of
time, it has to go beyond atransaction and it has to go
into a relationship.
So think about how you can dothat.
Not only that, you don't want toexpect perfection from day one.
(20:16):
You want to give everybody anopportunity to learn and grow,
especially in the early stages,right, and a part of learning or
a part of growing is themmaking mistakes.
It's going to happen.
No one is perfect.
So think about as they grow.
(20:37):
They're going to make mistakes,so you have to consider that as
a part of it and you want tomake sure that you do everything
you can from making sure thatyou are providing coaching and
feedback and you have processesin place and all of this stuff
to minimize the number ofmistakes right, but there's
going to be some mistakes thatare made.
So you want to keep that in mindand I know sometimes it's hard.
(21:00):
You know when you're hiringyou're thinking I really don't
have time for this.
But you have to make time tospend time with new hires right
out the gate and make sure thatyou are giving them the support
that they need, along withsetting the expectations so that
you're both are on the samepage.
All right, so that sometimesrequire a mindset shift from I
(21:24):
don't have time to spend time, Idon't have time to coach, but
the flip side is you're going tofind yourself continuously in
this cycle.
So remember, a high performingteam is built over time, not
overnight, and by investing inyour people you build loyalty,
trust and long-term success.
All right, so just in conclusion, let's think about this.
(21:47):
Let's talk about someactionable steps to break the
cycle.
So we are going to break thehire fire, rehire cycle and the
first thing we're going to do isyou're going to define clear
roles and expectations beforehire.
The second thing is is thatyou're going to refine your
hiring process to focus onskills and cultural fit.
(22:10):
It's nice that they have skills, it's nice that they have
experience, but do they have thevalues?
Are they going to fit withinthe team?
The next thing is invest in arobust onboarding to set new
hires up for success.
Think about what I said aboutthe 30, 60, 90 day and carving
(22:31):
out time to provide coaching andfeedback.
Then you want to develop yourteam continuously through
feedback, trainings and growthopportunities, and then shift
your leadership mindset to seeemployees as long-term
investments and relationships.
All right.
So by following these steps,you can stop the endless cycle
(22:55):
and start building stable,high-performing teams for your
business to thrive.
Thanks for tuning in to thisepisode of the Operations
Toolbox for Business Leaders.
If you found this episodehelpful, make sure to subscribe,
share and leave a review.
And remember success inleadership isn't just about
(23:15):
hiring the right people, it'sabout leading them to success.
Until next time.
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