Hire the very best people you can.
- Plan on eventually losing them to other departments because you've hired people who will be assets in many different areas if their skills are recognized and utilized.
- Never quit training.
- Cut loose troublemakers.
Your staff should be good at what they do and do their jobs with such enthusiasm and proficiency that other departments hear about their talents. It is a privilege for me to brag about my staff to others in our company. It's also exciting to have other managers call me and ask for the opportunity to hire one of my employees away from me.
The reason for this excitement is my genuine desire to see my people advance and do well. This is only possible if my staff is following some simple guidelines—quality, courtesy, and consistency—and if I am continually looking for quality employees. Word of excellent work spreads quickly and encourages others, while word of poor service spreads even more quickly and brings disappointment and discouragement among the ranks, not to mention among your customers.
In our business, all that you can learn will help you in future positions in the company. Therefore, we offer not only good initial job training but also ongoing training for all as long as they are in our department to continue to enhance skills and improve performance in current positions and open future opportunities. We, as managers, must realize that we're in the same position as our employees; we don't know everything, and there's always room to improve.
Don't be satisfied with good; strive for great. If there is someone you've hired who is not working out well in a position, help him or her in every way that you can. If it becomes clear that he or she is not going to make the grade, do not be afraid to let the person go. This is better for you and for the employee in the long run. The president of our company, Bob Pritchett, wrote a book in 2006—not about Bible software but about how to take care of your business and deal with employees. Bob's book, Fire Someone Today, offers a great insight relating to having the right person in the right job:
"What about Exceptional Employees Who Are Jerks?"
A recurring question sent to the business-magazine advice columnists goes something like this: "I have this super salesperson who is my consistent number-one performer. The problem is that while he is always nice to clients, he is rude to everyone else in the office. I have tried talking to him to no effect. He is killing the company morale, but I can't afford to fire him because he sells twice as much as the next salesperson."
Fire the jerks. Don't move them to another department. Don't isolate them from their coworkers. Get rid of them. You spend too many hours of your life in your business to be wasting your time with jerks. Don't waste your good employees' time that way, either, or you will lose them and be stuck with a business full of jerks.
Just as a bad apple can spoil the whole bunch, your employees make up a team that is going to show the world what your company is like. There is no better testimony about your company than truly happy employees who radiate that excitement to your customers. You can't tolerate anything or anyone that will destroy that continuity between happy employees and a solid team. Hire the best and keep on doing it!
