Dec 23, 2014
Welcome to the SuccessLab Podcast episode #29. I’m in the lab
with Juan Kingsbury, founder of Career
Blindspot. We discuss how to find and hire the right
people, and perhaps more importantly how to find your role within
in your own company. A lot of times, as entrepreneurs we have to
wear so many hats - initially it’s just something that must be
done. But as you grow and begin to hire people on, how do you know
what role you should play in the company and where you will be most
effective?
- Can you give us a little background on you?
- I’m 32 and for the last two years I ran my own consulting
company now known as Career Blind Spot. I
worked for about 6 years for a assessment company that provided
personality profiles to other consultants that use them in their
businesses. From fortune 500 to mom-and-pops, they would coach,
help them hire the right people, deal with poor-performing
employees, etc. As a background player or a third party I would
help these other companies and one day I realized I have a learned
a lot and I think for the most part I can do this just as well or
better. About two years ago I made my official jump and cut the
cord. A large part of my time is devoted to helping other
consultants to help them figure out what they want to do.
- You work a lot with people who may not be entirely
happy with their current job, how do you generally advise them on
making changes?
- There’s not a simple answer. But the reality is most people are
too afraid to take that leap and go into something full time. I
don’t think everyone has to be an entrepreneur. One thing I’ve
found common among entrepreneurs is they don’t wait around but you
don’t have to necessarily have your own business to take control of
your career.
- First, look around. Why are you dreaming about this other job
or position? Why is this a mismatch? Self reflect.
- Identify what kind of work you want to do? Where do you want to
be challenged?
- Decide to put your focus into what it is you want to do.
- Ask what it will take to get you to that path.
- Along similar lines, a lot of entrepreneurs struggle
with burnout and that can be a product of them not fulfilling a
role within their company they are not really happy with. And some
times that can be a simple shift. How can they determine that
role?
- First, go to where your mind enjoys doing things. Think about
where your mind lights up. What do you enjoy doing? One thing that
a lot of people don’t realize when they start a business is they
have to wear multiple hats. So if you’re burned out as an
entrepreneur, it’s because you are wearing too many damn hats, and
it’s very real that you may have to do that. But you need to be
doing the roles that are most important and hire out the rest. I
heard a great quote the other day, “If you expect to be promoted,
you need to be replaceable.” Because if someone can’t do your job,
that means you can’t stop doing that job and move on to something
else.
- If an entrepreneur is not in a position to hire, and
has to do something they may feel resistance towards doing, how can
they overcome that?
- Do an annual review, and take a hard look at what it’s costing
you to continue doing this and not get someone else. Of course in
the immediate, you’re saving money by not hiring someone. And I
hear this a lot, that the potential hire can’t do this as fast as
me or as good as me. Run a cost analysis. If you’re doing something
that you could’ve paid someone $10 an hour for, and you’re time is
worth more than that, then you’re wasting a lot of money.
- Do you have any tips for hiring? Does this apply to
contractors as well.
- It’s going to be different for everyone. Most people are bad at
it, unless that’s your job, most people just aren’t great at
hiring. It’s like dating. Most people are not good at dating.
You’re good at it when you filter out all the people who aren’t the
right fit. You have to know what you want first. Then clarify how
that job should be done. If you don’t do those two things first,
you won’t attract the right type of person. So know what you want
first, and not the superficial stuff like I want someone who will
work hard and show up on time.
- Proverbial phrase - slow to hire, quick to fire. How do
you know when it’s time to fire?
- Again, know what you want. You have to have a clear picture of
your goals. Identify what superior performance looks like. When you
fire it comes down to, ‘Can this person do what they were hired to
do?’ Then the next question is, ‘Are they willing to try?’
- Do you have a tip or tool you can share? Something
you’re loving right now?
- My tip is if you’re a business owner get better at sales. If
you can’t convince someone that your product or service is
valuable, then you don’t have a business. My favorite sales book is
called “Selling Techniques,” by Bill Brooks.
- How can people connect with you?
This week’s Biz Hack:
This week’s biz hack is not so much a hack, but something every
entrepreneur should be aware of when planning their 2015 marketing
strategy. It’s something that could really be detrimental to your
plan. So what is it? Last year’s tactics. Christopher S. Penn actually talked about
this in a recent blog post. His point was, we too often integrate
past tactics and outdated knowledge into new plans, which often
leads to ineffective marketing. Of course the big, overarching
strategies are still very much relevant, but just look at how
quickly marketing tactics have shifted in the past two years. To
stay relevant, and effective, connect with customers and potential
customers regularly. How, when, where and why do you they like to
receive information from you? What do they most want to you, your
industry, product or service? Christopher also suggests subscribing
to a handful of email newsletters from key players in the marketing
arena or in your industry. These folks usually keep a thumb on the
pulse of what’s happening. Check out Christopher’s suggestions. A
few he mentions that I absolutely love are Jay Baer’s One Thing for content marketing, Search Engine Land for search and SEO, and
Social Fresh for social media. I also really
like Content Marketing Institute for content marketing,
SEO Moz for digital
marketing, and of course Christopher’s newsletter, Almost Timely.
Action Items:
Review your 2015 marketing plan and be on the hunt for evidence
of last year’s approaches. Highlight them or make note of them,
then go spend some time reading some timely resources. Take note of
new trends and tactics. Then revisit your plan with this fresh
knowledge and make changes accordingly.
Quote of the week:
”The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it
can’t be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.” ~
Elbert Hubbard
You won’t want to miss next week’s episode. I’m in the Lab with
Dan Tyre, employee #6 and a director at HubSpot. We talk about
managing growth, hiring, firing and managing a team, and business
mistakes to avoid. Dan is an energetic, quick-thinking, and
inspiring guy with some of the craziest stories I’ve ever heard. We
couldn’t pack them all into this episode, but it’s a really great
interview.
For past action items, biz hacks, interviews and inspirational
quotes venture over to SuccessLabr.com