September 29, 2008
By Dr. Joe Blaes, editor of Dental Economics
I was recently reading some e-mails and came across this interesting information from Laura Harris, a nationally renowned speaker and author of the new small business owner self-help book "Surrender to Win" (October 2008 release). She says, "The answer for small business owners in hard economic times is to hire and retain the right staff."
Harris' five hiring tips are:
Tip 1 -- Take time to get to know a prospective team member rather than hiring on a gut reaction. Part of the interview process should include introducing the potential employee to key staff so you know how the team members will interact. This process is invaluable.
Tip 2 -- Don't hire a prospective employee with an unprofessional phone voice or sloppy appearance. The first impression you have of a prospective employee is the same first impression clients will have of your company.
Tip 3 -- Hire an experienced person you can train to mesh with your style of leadership. Personnel with experience often come with old habits and preconceived notions. Training someone from scratch means you can mold them to perform the way you prefer.
Tip 4 -- "Steal" good employees from other industries. Someone who goes above and beyond for his or her current company has a good enough work ethic to work hard for yours.
Tip 5 -- Hire someone with different strengths and weaknesses than your existing team members rather than hiring someone based simply on how much you like them. Adding staff should expand what your business has to offer.
