When it comes to finding talent for your team you need to do an assessment of your needs and your goals to ensure you are hiring to fit your current needs and your future needs as well. What role do you want to play in directing and leading others? Your leadership abilities can greatly impact the longevity of your team members. Are you looking to maintain the level of business that you have and have more balance in your life? Do you want growth and you don’t want to scale a large business? Is massive growth and building an empire what you are looking for? Do you want to be the one to lead the team, and cast that vision or do you want to be removed and have someone do that for you? Where do you want to be personally and professionally in 1 year, 5 years, or 10 years? It is critical that you assess this before you begin the hiring process to ensure you, your team, and the people you hire are set up for success.
Once you know where you want to go, you should begin assessing what & who you need. What are the soft and hard skills required for the role? You may be wondering…what is the difference between hard skills and soft skills? Why does that matter? Soft skills are non-technical skills that relate to how you work. They are things like communication abilities, adaptability, creativity, and work ethic. Hard skills are learned abilities either through education, experience, or on-the-job training, things such as bookkeeping, database management, and marketing. These are all things that can be taught.
Knowing this before you begin the hiring process is key as you prep a job description and compose your job posting. Your job description is your internal document – what are the expectations and day-to-day of this role, and what is the trajectory? Your job posting is your marketing piece, what is going to get the type of person you are looking for to say “that’s the job for me!” If you are looking for a driver that will be a key part of taking your business to that next level use words that speak to that, ie: Driver, Intraprenureal, Builder, etc. What are those key hard and soft skills you are looking for? Keep your posting simple – this is a quick hit, eye-catching description of the position.
Ensure you are hiring the right fit for the role. A driver is not going to be content or last in an environment where they do not have growth, they have to see upward momentum and a growth trajectory to get them to where they want to be. The flip side of that is someone who is not a driver will not last in a high-growth role. They are people that are more oriented to consistency and routine, they are not change-oriented.
Clarity on what your goals are and where you want your business to go and hiring to that will result in greater longevity and overall satisfaction for both you and your team.
One of the most rewarding hires that we see on a regular basis is the right hand of an executive. Through time, official “titles” have evolved to more than we can list, and they boil down to the same thing- your partner, your builder, your go-getter, your protector. How do you know if you found that person though? What should you look for? Should they be just like you?
Let’s talk about that by sharing 4 (arguably) fun facts we have uncovered through experience.
#1- (Probably the least favored one) What you think you need is probably not what you actually need.
(Gasp!) I know, sit down, and take a deep breath, we’ll get through this. The default when exploring a hire of this nature is to want someone just like you. You want them to think like you, work like you, dream like you, hire like you, produce like you, and…do you actually, though? This person should be your BALANCE, not your MIRROR. You need someone who thinks about what you may NOT and poses questions that you may not have even thought of. You want someone to hold you accountable, keep the vision, keep the momentum, and fuel the growth. Make sure you are super clear on who you are and how you show up and what you NEED to move your business forward before you accidentally hire someone just like you. The vision is beautiful and the ideas are plentiful, and if there is no execution or implementation, the vision never comes to life, it lives in the “dream” phase.
#2- You actually do NOT know everything there is to know about them by reading their DISC or behavior assessment.
Personality assessments have made a huge debut in recent years as preliminary supplements to applications, with nearly 68% of jobs requiring them for submission for review. These assessments provide an outstanding baseline for conversations, clarifying questions, and learning more about your applicant (and quite frankly- yourself!), and they do not tell you everything you need to know about a person. Hypothetically, a candidate could be a low match in assertiveness yet a high match in protective instincts, and employers may interpret that as a lack of being able to make decisions on behalf of the business and its best interest, and I would ask, does that protective instinct show up as assertiveness when they are acting on behalf of the business and the team they are building with you? I would like to know more. Reducing someone down to a description solely defined by their personality assessment gives you a sea of space to miss great talent.
#3- You actually may NOT want someone who has had their own business before.
This can be easy thought to lean into, after all, someone who has run their own business knows the day-to-day, and what needs to get done to be profitable, right? Sure. Does that necessarily always make them a good fit to partner with you in your business? Nope. When seeking out this person, you need to be really clear and dive into their entrepreneurial spirit and goals. Do they want to ultimately have their own business again? Are they looking for a Segway? Do they want to build something alongside someone and enforce the structure and strength of being a backbone? There are so many different facets to diving into this to gain clarity without assuming that previous business owners are an easy “plug and play” to make your business more successful.
#4-You actually may want someone who IS growth-minded. They may NOT eventually leave you for a new opportunity.
Being growth-minded and driven does not translate the same for everyone, the first step here is understanding what their vision of growth looks like. Where do they want to be? Why do they want to be there? Does this align with your goals? Together, can you create a world big enough for these things to happen? Just because someone wants growth does not mean they will “outgrow” you, it means they are committed to creating a big world for you, themselves, and the future. Stay intentional about that, they will too, and opportunities (in your world) will continue to be endless.
Finding the right person is the key here, it may not always feel quick, and frankly, it shouldn’t. Partnering with someone in business is huge, especially at this magnitude. Honor yourself, your values, your time, and your future in being confident in finding the person you need.
Congratulations on taking the first step towards leveraging your time with your new hire! The first 90 days of training can be the most critical in building the foundation for success.
Here are some tips and tricks to make sure you get the most out of your first 90 days
of training with your new hire:
Prepare your trainee for success:
Prior to your new hire’s first day on the job, make sure you have their workspace set up. They should have access to a computer, business email address, access to your Cloud Storage system with editing privileges, and log in information for the MLS, CRM and any other required systems. Taking the time to prepare prior to your new hire starting allows them to hop into your systems and start learning the business on Day 1.
Know Your Team’s Missions, Visions, Values, Beliefs and Perspectives:
Where does your team want to be in the future? What are your team values, beliefs and perspective What is your team “Big Why?” When building your team, the vision of where your team wants to be in the future and the growth path should be step 1. Team culture is important for recruiting and retention. People desire to know WHY they’re doing what they do. If you don’t have these in place, take time to build it with your new hire.
Know their role:
Before your new hire takes the seat next to you on your team, it isimportant that you outline what their 20% is. During onboarding, you should go over what 20% of your new hires’ tasks will produce 80% of their results. A customized 30-60-90 day goal plan, tailored to your business and your hires 20% should be created together with your new hire. These 30-60-90 day goals outline how your new hire leverage your time allowing you to spend more time on your 20%.
Create a learning environment:
To create the best learning environment on “In the Business” training, it is important to set up time for your new hire to shadow you or the team in your business. Whether it be prepping for a listing appointment or how you organize your inbox, the more they can grasp the way your business runs, the quicker they can jump in and leverage your time!
Set up team meetings:
In addition to scheduling shadowing opportunities, you and your new hire should have weekly one on-one meetings. It is important that these meetings do not get skipped! These meetings should be 30 to 60 minutes to check in on their progress toward goals. If you have more than one team member, make sure you are scheduling a weekly team meeting to check on team progress towards goals, building rapport, and accountability.
A daily morning check-in ,for 10-15 minutes, to outline priorities for the day, and get updates on wins or challenges from the previous day should occur also. A combination of shadowing time and weekly meetings allows for an open line of communication between you, your team, and your new hire to ask questions and make sure everyone is reaching toward the same goals.
Expectations Conversation:
On your new hire’s first day, we encourage an Expectations Conversation. This conversation should walk you and your new hire through talking about honesty, how someone can win or lose with you, sensitive issues, expectations, standards, and accountability. Having this conversation on your new hire’s first or second day sets a standard for how you two can communicate and work together in a new partnership.
Create a System for Priorities & Urgency:
When you are sending action items or goals to your new hire, it is a great idea to set a timeline for when it needs to be completed. This allows them to prioritize important tasks over the other “stuff” on their plate and learn how you prioritize tasks.
This is a snapshot of tips and tricks that allows your new hire to feel supported and lay a foundation for success. Should you have any questions or want to dive deeper into Training Best Practices- feel free to reach out to info@yrltalent.com, we would love to help!
Blogger: Allison Schoch, Trainer, Your Realty Leverage
Mindset?
We talk about it constantly. Right? In the world we currently live in, it’s not uncommon for people to ask you how your mindset is, how you’re feeling, “where your head’s at”. Diving into how mindset, performance, relationships, and growth tie together can get pretty uncomfortable, yet enlightening. Let’s talk about it.
Your mindset is determined by your surroundings. WRONG.
Determined? No. Influenced? Yes. You get to make a conscious decision, every second of every day, how you choose to approach, execute, deliver, and maintain your day and how you show up. If you allow yourself to accept the idea that you are “just that way” and “that’s just the way it is” then that’s what you’ll be and what it will be, the funny thing about your brain is that it believes you, and it will manifest whatever you tell it that you believe to be true. Be careful what you tell it, it takes it’s job very seriously.
Self care is only necessary when you’re tired or overwhelmed. WRONG.
Do you wait until you are completely out of gas and broken down on the side of the road to add gas to your car’s tank? Do you wait until every dish or piece of clothing in your home is dirty before you start washing? Of course not, you know the process and the cycle, and you know to be proactive, you need to wash the dishes and the clothes to ensure you never run out. Here’s a big one, do you let your phone completely die before you plug it up? Ouch, right? I highly doubt that’s the case. Why should your self-care or recharge for yourself be any different? You are proactive in the pursuit of making sure the things in your life have what they need to continue to run and move forward, yet you ignore the signs that you also need that.
Some days I don’t choose my mindset or how I show up/feel, I am just existing and going through the motions. WRONG.
Whether you consciously say, I’m going to have a great day or today sucks, you are still making a choice. Making an effort puts you in control of your day and your mood. Ignoring it or choosing not to acknowledge it, does not mean it does not exist or is not relative, it just means you are choosing to take a reactive approach that will likely create frustration and chaos and leave you in a constant state of overwhelm and burn out.
Your mood and your mindset are the same thing. WRONG.
Moods are the emotions we feel. A mindset is the thoughts and ideas that go along with that mood. In order to understand how these two interact, you need to pause and think about what you’re feeling and why. Put those feelings into words, like, “Goodness, I’m really upset right now” or “I’m feeling really lonely.” After you have identified the WHY, you must then accept what you feel. Whatever you feel is OKAY- let yourself feel the feelings- it is normal to be annoyed when it rains every day of your vacation. It’s part of being HUMAN. What you do next is the pivotal piece. Choose how you move past it. What comes next for you to shift? How are you going to change the narrative around the rain? Go dance outside? Read your favorite book? This is where you get to decide. Choosewisely.
Growth always comes with pain. Wrong.
Growth will come with discomfort, you are venturing outside of your comfort zone. Growth can happen in your comfort zone and outside of your comfort zone. Reflection and self awareness often comes within the bounds of your comfortzone. The key factor is being willing and receptive to the growth, you have to embrace it and absorb it, uncomfortable or not, discomfort is temporary, growth is permanent.
Everyone who loves you will always support your growth. WRONG.
Ouch, right? That one stings. Let’s be clear here- people who love you, likely support you and your success, and that does not always mean that they support your growth. The funny thing about growth is that often we find that people, relationships, habits, and hobbies that we may have had our whole lives no longer serve us or bring us joy, and when you make big transformational changes like that, it makes people around you uncomfortable. The case here is usually that people see this as a “sudden” change, they don’t see the internal process you have gone through to come to your decisions and the revelations you have made to get here, and they become defensive because they feel like it’s personal. The only thing you can do here is what is best for you and who you are becoming. This piece of growth and success is likely the hardest, be steadfast, it will be worth it. Learn to be okay with the fact that not everyone will be a “life long” part of your story.
What steps can you take TODAY to shift your mindset?
The way you talk to and about yourself, let’s start there.
Replace/eliminate words that have negative connotations.
- Want vs. Choose (Ex: I want to be better vs. I choose to be better)
- Try vs. Will (Ex: I try to improve vs. I will improve)
- Eliminate just (implies lack of importance) (Ex: I just need to. I just want to. I just have
to.)
- Give some day, soon, one day, later a timeline for self accountability purposes. Nail down a timeline- don’t leave it out in space.
Our mindset influences every conversation, interaction, relationship, and step we take every day. It is such an important piece of achieving your goals to be who, where, and what you want to be. It is the key to the car that will get you to that place, make sure you are utilizing the power in that key- it is far more strenuous and exhausting to push a car than to just put the key in and drive.
