I’m helping one of my clients hire for an open role right now, and she is similar to so many other business owners that I have supported through the hiring process. So I can't wait to talk to you about it and give you some advice that I'm giving her. First of all, if you're anything like her, then you know what I mean when I say that she is antsy to get the position filled as fast as possible, and she's excited about the candidates that she easily connects with. Now I know that feeling. I have definitely learned many lessons the hard way myself. I've been there, and I know what it's like to want that position filled as soon as possible. I also, on the other hand, noticed, like, months later, to realize when that hire was not the right fit. So I've made all the hiring mistakes I've learned a thing or 2 about hiring over the course of my career, and I will tell you that every time I try to take a shortcut, it comes back to bite me. But when I keep everything I'm about to share with you in mind, it always serves me well. So I'm gonna give you some advice to save you from all of the hiring headaches that I have experienced, and, hopefully, this is gonna help you if you are looking to grow your team this year. Okay? So first of all, I want to say that hiring the right team members is one of the most critical decisions that you can make as a business owner.

Hiring isn't just about filling a position. I think many of you, many business owners who are maybe newer to building a team, or maybe you don't have a lot of leadership or management or hiring experience, but you're finding yourself in the position to need to grow and hire support, you find yourself in this place where you want to fill a role, but you don't really have the tools, the process to guide you through doing that in a way that is going to serve you well. And what I mean by that is hiring isn't just about filling the position. It's about building a winning team. It's not just Hiring anyone with a pulse to get the work done, you have to find the right fit. And to do so, you want to assess candidates based on 3 crucial aspects that really come together well and they're what I refer to as the hiring try on. So let's talk about each of these 3 factors. Let's talk about their importance and Also, why settling in any one of these three areas can have detrimental consequences to your business. Okay?

The first area is competence. Competence is the 1st pillar of a successful hire. This is going to include things like technical skills and knowledge and past experience that's required to excel in the role. Now here's the deal. Competence is about what they are capable of, not what they aspire to do. You've got to be clear about that when you're interviewing and assessing candidates. Many candidates come in wanting a position that going to be a step ahead of where they are, and you need to make sure that they are capable and ready to fill the position and not just excited about learning and growing into that role. In other words, are they able to step in and do that now, or Are they gonna need some development? A competent employee is gonna be able to hit the ground running. They're going to contribute to your goals They're going to be able to deliver results that add tangible value. So they're not just coming in for you to teach them how to do their job now. There's always going to be teaching and training involved, so I don't want you to get the impression that You can hire someone and you don't have to do any teaching or training at all. You still need to coach. You still need to leave. You still need to have a proper onboarding experience. That's something that we can help you with. By the way, we have a free onboarding checklist. If you'd like to check that out, that's just a side note. But you want to set up your new hire well, and at the same time, they should be bringing something to the table as well. unless you're truly hiring someone completely entry level, then you are looking for a foundation of some past experience in a similar role. Okay?

So when assessing confidence, you're going to evaluate their past achievements. You're going to ask for samples of past work. You're going to test their problem solving abilities. and you're gonna look for those with a track record of success, a willingness to learn and grow, and, of course, a passion for the work itself, the work that you need done. Okay? Competence ensures that a team member can perform their job effectively. It ensures that they can contribute to your business's success. You need a team member with that baseline of confidence in the role that you're hiring them for.

Okay. The second aspect is chemistry. Chemistry refers to all of the interpersonal dynamics within a team. This means hiring individuals who mesh well with your existing team with you so that you can foster a positive work environment and encourage collaboration and creativity. Now team members who feel connected and appreciated are more likely to be engaged and committed to their roles. And when you're hiring for chemistry, guess what? your team members are gonna feel more connected and more appreciated because there is this likability factor. Sometimes when I'm talking to my clients, I just refer to this as the vibe that you get from a person. It's kinda that gut check feel, and sometimes I've even heard this referred to as the beer test where you ask yourself, would I actually want to go get a beer with this person? Would I want to go get a drink? Have fun, spend time together with this person. Now this doesn't mean you have to become best friends with all of your team members. There certainly needs to be a line there, but you need to enjoy spending time together because often you're gonna spend far more time with your team, then you're gonna spend with some of your extended family members even and even some of your friends. So if you're spending a lot of time, you want there to be chemistry. During the hiring process, when you're ready to assess chemistry, you want to look at a candidate's ability to communicate effectively, you want to see how well they adapt to other personalities on the team, diverse personalities. You want to see if they are able to work collaboratively, and you wanna look for those who share your company's values and can contribute to the culture that you want, a culture that's cohesive and supportive. Chemistry is so essential to creating a workplace that -- feels good. That is harmonious, where everyone is getting along, and where your team really can thrive, and bring out the best in one another. Okay? So that is chemistry.

The 3rd factor is character. Character is all about a foundation of integrity. and ethical behavior.Team members with strong character demonstrate things like honesty, humility, accountability, and empathy when they're interacting with others, especially when they face challenges. Right? You can tell someone's character not by how they react when things are going well, but how they react whenever they are struggling, whenever there is a challenge, when they face difficult, when they are uncomfortable. So you want to look for how they respond when they face challenges. Character also plays a vital role in building trust and upholding the company's value. So if someone's able to understand what's expected and then follow through, carry through on that, that's critical as well. Now during the hiring process, you're gonna look for individuals who exhibit a commitment to ethical conduct, a sense of responsibility, and the ability to handle challenges with grace and integrity. Okay? So much of this piece of integrity is about doing the right thing.

But, also, I think integrity has so much to do with following through and doing what you say you're going to do. So it's this kind of balance between you doing the right thing and following through that I think is important.

When you're hiring individuals with strong character, This is going to help you ensure that your business's reputation remains intact and that you have that positive work culture where, again, everyone's getting along, and it just feels good to go to work and, like, your team has your back because you trust one another. So while the hiring process may take time and effort, It definitely is some work. It is well worth it as long as you don't settle because settling for anything less than the ideal candidate can have some serious consequences. Things like damaging your company culture and team morale, causing conflict, reducing creativity and productivity, and wasting so much time and money. Hiring someone who lacks character might initially yield some positive results, but over time, Their true colors are going to emerge. I promise you you're gonna get past that honeymoon phase, and you will see challenges and causing damage to your team morale and your businesses -- limitation. Similarly, hiring individuals who lack confidence can lead to underperformance and lower standards for the entire team. And then overlooking chemistry might result in disruptive team dynamics, a decrease in overall productivity, And again, a misaligned hire can be detrimental to the company's culture. It can hinder collaboration and lead to lost opportunities and decrease creativity, especially when we're talking chemistry. Okay? So you don't wanna settle for someone in any of these three areas. And what I want you to take away from this, what I want you to remember here is that business success hinges on who you choose. Not just what you do. I really want you to sit with that. Your business success hinges on who You choose to work with who you choose to bring into your company, who you choose to hire. Not just what you do. By prioritizing competence, chemistry, and character, you can bring the right people on board You can create a thriving work environment, and you can set the stage for sustainable success.