Are You Listening?

Many small businesses love the idea of hiring someone. After all, what shows more growth than adding an additional employee? In addition, many of these small business owners are intent on hiring someone and making them part of “the management team.” They want to be great bosses; to lead and guide and get great ideas from their new hire.

Sadly, this is almost never how it works out. Big dreams give way to whatever the business owner learned while he was at his last job. If the cultural norms at the fortune 500 company were mistrust, micro management, penal systems, and backstabbing, then those will often become the cultural norms with the new hire. This comes from the uncertainty of being responsible for another person, the instinct to protect our turf, and the confusion of miscommunication.

Judging from some of the emails I get and conversations I have with people that read this blog, I think many employers may be missing out. In many cases, these employees of small businesses are there because of their own entrepreneurial drive and business acumen. They feel they will have more to contribute in a small business environment. Let’s face it- they are certainly not there because they want to get promoted! Indeed, they want to become part of your business success. They have ideas that could revolutionize your business.

Here are three important points to keep in mind if you expect to get the most out of your new hires:

1. Trust is the name of the game. If you did your homework and found someone that met what you were looking for, chances are he or she isn’t there to steal from you. Give the new employee the benefit of the doubt and treat him or her similar to the way the business owners are treated. Don’t get bogged down making a bunch of rules for the new employee unless you are going to abide by them yourself. Trust that the new hire is there to help your business succeed, and it may actually happen.

2. Keep open lines of communication. Meet regularly with your employees. Not to discuss the minute details of projects, but to keep each other informed, accountable, and have a place to express thoughts and ideas. If you save everything for a quarterly or yearly meeting, chances are you will dwell on the negative- on what isn’t meeting your expectations. But an open line will allow you and the employee to discuss what is and is not working.

3. Incentivise Success. The employee will need a reason to stay motivated. Business ownership is a great way to keep the employee from feeling like an outsider. Profit sharing is another great tool. Financial rewards are great, but most important is to help the employee feel like they are part of the business, not just some guy you hired. However you do that is up to you.

The bottom line is that you need to listen to the people you hire. Don’t forget why you hired them in the first place, and don’t let big office politics creep into your 5-person show. Enjoy the benefits of being a small company, and let the employees enjoy those same benefits.