When E-Myth Worldwide was founded almost 30 years ago, it was based on a single underlying principal:
"Systems run the business and people run the systems."
And absolutely every frustration you experience in your business has a systemic solution.
"Every frustration?" you ask. "But my frustration isn't about systems. I just can't find good people."
Yet good people are everywhere. Some of them may even be working for you right now. And although they're good, maybe they're not good at what you're asking them to do.
There could be several possible reasons for that frustration:
One is that they're good people who don't have the minimum required skills to do what you're asking them to do. So begin trying to discover where their skills could be applied. That's employee development.
Another reason could be that, even though they may have the skills required to do the work, they don't know how that work is to be done. They don't know what "done", to your satisfaction, looks like. As one of our E-Myth clients remarked, "One of the skills they don’t have is the ability to read my mind."
I suggest that's not their fault. It's yours and your managers.
"But," you protest, "I tell them what I want, and even how to do it."
But how often? And what systems do you have in place to reinforce and remind them, and to make it possible for them to train someone else on what you want and how to do it?
When you look to systems to run your business, your thinking has to become systemic. You don't get results by blaming people. You only get intimidated people.
So before you call in that employee for a little talk, make sure you have a system in place that makes it possible for him or her to successfully understand and achieve the result you're seeking.
Now, a third reason you may not be finding good people may lie in your recruiting and hiring system.
Is it simply a sign that says "Help Wanted" or "Now Hiring"? If so, then you're getting exactly who you deserve, although probably not who you want.
Like your good employee who doesn't know what “done” looks like, your job applicants haven't a clue from your recruiting system what "help" looks like either!
Give them a system that describes what you're looking for, and an opportunity to demonstrate in advance that they have the minimum required skills to make you happy.
One of our clients at E-Myth Worldwide provided a stunning example of a recruiting system for his growing medical practice.
His posted ad read:
"I need a full-time office assistant in my growing medical practice. No experience necessary. Must enjoy following written procedures and have a passion for order. Please include with your reply your written system for preparing and consuming breakfast."
He received several dozen responses, and considered only those that completely complied with his written instructions. Of those, one stood out. This was the candidate who’d sent an "Action Plan for Preparing and Consuming Morning Nourishment," which described "how to determine a clean bowl," schematics of his table setting, exacting cereal-to-milk proportions, a diagram showing the movement of the spoon to the mouth, and accompanying color pictures.
He'd found his office assistant.
It didn't surprise me to learn that this candidate's first job had been as a shipping clerk for a business owned by another E-Myth client!
Vi W. says:
I agree with this article, with a note that in hiring talents are just as important as skills (probably more important). You can learn skills, but you can't learn talents. Talents are ingrained in you and make you who you are inside.
The ad example was exactly that, the doctor placed an ad that allowed him to determine if the candidates had the talent he needed - a talent for order and thinking systematically.
Nice story.
Vi Wickam
President
On-Site Computer Solutions
http://www.424help.com
IT that makes Business Run!
Submitted Jun 13, 2008 2:20 PM
Debrah D. says:
Success Leaves Clues! Don't wait until it's too late to determine those clues. Love the idea of asking for a candidates "interpretation" of a system UP FRONT!
In addition to our Position Agreement, we do a Missing Person's Study and identify what traits, education, talent and experience that the position requires BEFORE we look for the person. We try not to make compromises. Once we have a good candidate we get into relationship with them with a detailed phone conversation and a three hour evaluation of their future plan for their life.
It takes us a long time to hire someone, but we have made fewer mistakes along the way.
Debrah Dyck
VP of Operations
Frontline Property Management, Inc.
Fort Worth, TX
Submitted Jun 13, 2008 3:15 PM
Howard T. says:
Always a good idea to make applicants jump through a few hoops to be considered, as a process of weeding out the wheat from the chaff.
Love the breakfast "system" qualifier - very telling!
Howard Tiano Senior Editor, http://OutsourceOuttakes.com
Submitted Jun 13, 2008 3:45 PM
lorna p. says:
Great Article... and great ideas on this blog.
To the note that we can learn skills but not talents. Yes, skills are easy to us.... for the talents, we can model others, as demonstrated in NLP.
Lorna Paterson
Counselor and Teacher
Submitted Jun 13, 2008 5:59 PM
Pat F. says:
I love that E-Myth advocates managers finding the right person for the right job, and I can understand why this has been designated a secret, because it does help tremendously the entrepreneur communicate their needs to prospective clients. However, there are two types of entrepreneur: the leader and the teacher type. Although the secret might help those of a detailed orientation, the teacher type, I think that true leaders would benefit greater from understanding their natural insightfulness and using that to the full.
Leaders are incredibly insightful beasts: they know, but very often can’t explain where their business needs to go. They see the solution as plain as day and, because it is so obvious to them, they can’t understand why their team can’t see it too. The words: “It’s simple… are you lot blind!” Can be heard, ringing out of businesses just before they take yet another fall. The reason why it looks so simple to the leader is: the solution is their life’s solution, nobody else’s, just their own; everyone else in their team has their own, individual life’s solution. Saying that, lives’ paths cross in order for us to be able to learn from each other and whilst learning from each other, we help each other grow and move forward.
For true leaders, the key to successful recruiting is: knowing our vision and understanding that with a mind free of doubt and, more importantly, pre-conceived ideas, we’ll be open to all opportunities available in order to get us to where we want to be. As to the people who come along and share our journey: some will remain with us for their whole lives, sharing our vision and our journey, others will be around for brief glimpses. The length of time isn’t the important factor, it’s the quality of the engagement and relationship that counts. With open and honest communication, the quality will always be second to none.
Pat
Loving life!
Submitted Jun 15, 2008 4:25 AM
Allan S. says:
I followed this advice in hiring a summer intern to help with marketing. I asked them to sell themselves to me. The winning candidate used her unusual name "Smile" (in color) to tell me why I should hire her, and promised that if I did, she would make me smile. She did.
Submitted Jun 17, 2008 6:21 AM
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