This week the SBA announced it will be National Small Business Week in the United States in a couple of weeks–June 17th through June 21st if you want to put it on your calendar. Are you ready to celebrate?
A little party would be completely appropriate. Small businesses–people just like you–create between 60 and 80% of the new jobs in the country. Entrepreneurs make the economy run, and are going to be the people who pull us out of the economic quagmire.
Entrepreneurs depend on their team like no one else. Team supports your vision and plan, and move the ball. After all, entrepreneurs make things happen. Therefore, your team must make things happen.
Andy Grove, the former CEO of Intel and one of the most acclaimed leaders in America (even if he isn’t with a small business) believes that getting the right team is one of the BIG reasons why some companies leap and others don’t.
That’s what we see in small businesses too.
So it’s worth asking: when was the last time you evaluated your team? If you haven’t done it recently, and by recently we mean within the last quarter, you’re overdue. And with all the changes, side-steps and just flat out craziness you’re experiencing, a team evaluation is a great call right now.
Here are three simple yet direct questions for you to assess your team:
- Do you have the right people on the bus? High quality people; people who can do a number of tasks; people who support your skills. At this stage it doesn’t even matter that they are doing the right job. They are the right people. You need to recognize who they are and tag them as keepers.
- Who are the wrong people that you need to get off the bus? These folks might be highly talented but not for your company, not for your needs. It’s time for an honest look and a frank conversation. Maybe you’ve grown in different directions. Whatever the reason, you both need a change.
- Who are the right people in the right seats on the bus? Now that your “bus” is in good shape, you need to determine the very best seat for each team member. You must match their talents to your needs. When you have the right people in just the right seat for them…including you…this is when your business is poised to leap.
Your business evolves. So must your team. Evaluating your talent once a quarter is just about right to keep up with the demands of a thriving business.
“There is a growth rate at which everybody fails, [resulting] in a chaos,” says Andy.
The right team in the right seats on your bus enables you to grow, leap and mange even when the chaos arrives. Because it will arrive…might even be here right now.
It all depends on how you handle it.
Go forth and do great things,
Martha Hanlon and Chris Williams