How Hiring High Performers Will Grow Your Company

People are an important part of every organization. Companies have collapsed because they have hired the wrong people for the job. We had hired so many wrong people over the years for our companies that at some point we were scared to hire. It wasn’t a distinct fear that was spoken off, it was very subtle, innate, something we dare not voice out. Our small team of three did everything on our own for a while till we came to agree unanimously that in order to grow we will need people, we will need to grow the team to grow the company.

We came back into the game of hiring; but this time well prepared. We were not going to settle for less and since then, we never do! Revamping our recruiting process is by far one of the best decisions towards growth. We no longer hire out of a desperation to fill the role; you can either do the job or you can’t. You either fit into our culture or you don’t. It’s very simple.Building a high performing team is very crucial to the growth of a company. High performing staff are more productive, producing four times the amount of results than the average employee. The sub-standard ones will have you spending more money and making less. The more high-performing people you have, the more results you get. Directly tied to revenue, the percentage of high performers you have in your company will increase your profits exponentially.

So how do we fish out these high performers?

• High performers tend to be more focused on goals and results. Why are we doing this? What do we hope to achieve? When do we want this done? How much time do we want to spend on this daily? Which of these is more important? How much will we make from this? It helps them to block out all the noise and prioritize tasks, working on what matters at every given time. The reason you need high performers is because they are focused on getting results and not just running around doing activity. They are intentional about their activities and make sure that it always ends in some result being achieved.

• Growth is a major concern for high performers. This is closely tied to the foresight that most high performers have. They anticipate what needs to be done including the skills needed to get it done and start working aggressively towards getting those skills. Understand that a company is as good as the employees they hire. Your team needs to have the skills and qualities needed for the job in order to grow. High performers are life-long learners, always looking to grow and becoming the best at what they do.

• High performers know how to get things done. You can’t call yourself a high performer if your results don’t prove it. Execution is at the core of a high performing team. Their ability to deliver on their promises reflects in every aspect of their lives. High performers set a goal and work tirelessly towards achieving that goal. They know how to allow for and manage their distractions in order to get things done. They won’t stop till it’s done, working and reworking the strategy and implementing till they find what works.

• You will see a high performer always showing up as their best self. They want to wow their audience every time no matter how small the task ahead. It is important for them to be known as high performers in everything they set out to do.

• High performers are social and emotionally intelligent! Much as they want to get things done and achieve goals, they know how to pull people along. In a high performing team, there is interaction and idea sharing. There’s feedback and consequently there could be fights. High achievers will speak up for themselves and stand their ground and this can lead to fights which aren’t detrimental because they are all aimed at achieving the main goal.

Now we know them, how do we find them?

Before you set out to look for a high performer, you need to first be a high performer yourself. It is best to be a high performer to attract other high performers to work with you. Also, create an environment conducive for high performers to function in. That’s what we did. Over the years we worked on ourselves, learning and growing, to become the high performers we were looking for. Now it’s easy for us to spot them and bring them in.Your hiring process must be practical. Cliché interviews and aptitude tests won’t do. Your recruiting process needs to bring out the qualities you are looking for in your employees. Last year we added practical tests to our recruitment process to test the technical skills of the applicants. We also added focused group discussions to the mix. These discussions taught us a lot about how everyone in the room thinks. The questions were both random and technical. Focus group discussions open you up to who a person really is and their life’s perspectives. There are other ways you can do this. Find what works best for your industry and implement.

Your existing high performers must be involved in the hiring process. Don’t just leave it to the HR team. The high performers are there to fish out those who are like them and to test the applicant’s technical skills.

Don’t be scared to let go. A lot of companies once they hire, are scared to let go. They let emotions get in the way of letting go of employees who aren’t performing well in their company. We fell in this trap too. When you think about the fact that the employee could have a better chance at succeeding in a different place, it doesn’t seem like a bad idea anymore. It’s not only for the good of your company but also for them to find their niche and to grow.

SIDE NOTE: One of the key things we look out for when hiring is this: Does the applicant fit into our company culture? The culture is the bloodline of the company and everyone that joins us has to fit in. Social interaction is a must. Being flexible, open to trying new things and having a no-tolerance for mediocrity attitude are skills we cannot compromise on. What does your culture look like? If you don’t think the new applicant fits in your company, do not hire them. Keep searching. Don’t settle for less.

Happy hiring!