There are pivotal tips to follow when putting together a team for excellent results. Not everyone can be part of an award winning team. Reproduced here with permission from Gb Adolph Obasogie.

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Vital Ingredients in Employee Recruitment
In this section, we will be looking at recruiting and developing an effective
team.
 Who is good enough to be hired?
 Steps to Hiring
 Performance Measures
 Training and Development
 Necessary components to Employee Experience
 The feedback Model
 Management Tips

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Who is Good enough to be Hired?
Employees are at the heart of your business. If you want to run a
company of calibre, you need to employ people of calibre. Getting quality
people into your company from the start will set the tone and get things
moving in the right direction. That’s why the hiring process deserves time,
effort and careful consideration.
To hire quality people, you have to ensure quality people apply. The way
to attract them is through marketing, which is done in much the same way
as you market to customers. Highlight the aspects of your company that
you’re proud of. Find ways of letting prospective employees know that
your company shines at what it does. People want to work for a high-
quality company, so let them know just how great you are.
Seven steps to hiring good employees:
1. Create a detailed ad and job description that accurately reflect
the position. List the set of skills you are looking for, the different
roles that need to be filled, the necessary education and experience
levels of the applicants, and the personality traits that are important to
the position and the company. Next, write a detailed advert that will
prevent unqualified people from applying. Post it on the Internet, in
newspapers or anywhere else where you think the right people might
see it.
2. Sort through the CVs. Once the resumes are in, start sorting them
out. Separate the resumes into three piles – “definitely qualified,”
“definitely not qualified” and “somewhere in between.” Eliminate those

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“definitely not qualified,” and you will reach a more manageable
number.
3. Perform preliminary phone interviews. Before you meet face-to-
face with your qualified applicants, make sure that they are at least a
possibility for the position by conducting preliminary phone interviews.
Have a list of questions – quick and easy ones that weed out
applicants that aren’t right for the position. For example, if the position
you are trying to fill requires travel, ask applicants how they feel about
that. Eliminate those who are not up for it. Make sure that you are
using the same set of questions for each applicant when conducting
the interviews. There needs to be a basis for comparison.
4. Conduct face-to-face interviews. After you’ve narrowed the
applicants down to a few qualified possibilities, schedule face-to-face
interviews. At this point in the process you already know the
education, experience and basic set of skills of each applicant. This is
your opportunity to ask more in-depth questions. Find out whether
they are introverted or extroverted, open-minded or close-minded.
Assess their behaviour and personalities. This interview is a chance
for you to see how the applicant might fit in to the company’s culture.
Again, be consistent with your questioning and maintain a fairly
structured meeting.
5. Pre-employment screening. Running a background check is
essential. You might find that an applicant has a criminal record or
that information on his or her resume is false. You can search the
Web for companies that perform background checks. Performing a
background check online is easy and convenient, but it’s not free, so
be prepared to spend a little money. Online verification solution

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RefCheck is a well known pre-employment and background
screening solution that helps you to know your employees and
reduce the risks associated with employing staff with questionable
integrity, credibility and skills. Visit www.lexisnexis.co.za for more
information.
6. Psychometric tests. Employee selection tests are becoming
increasingly popular. These tests aim to provide the employer with an
insight into whether the applicant will be able to cope with the
intellectual demands of the job and how well they work with other
people. They generally test aptitude, ability and personality.
7. Select the candidate who is the best fit. Remember that the most
qualified applicant is not always the right choice. You’re going to be
spending a lot of time with this person, often under stressful
circumstances, so you need to choose someone you can get on with.
Obviously the person has to be a good fit for the position, but he or
she also has to fit well with you and be able to grow with the
company. If an applicant is intelligent, eager and open-minded, the
training will be easy and the skills will develop on their own.
Retaining good employees
Bringing good employees into your company is only half the battle;
keeping them there is equally important.
Employee retention basically falls into two categories: monetary and non-
monetary. If any of your quality employees are looking to move on to
greener pastures, you may have to pay them more to stay. To retain good

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employees, however, you must offer them more than decent wages and
benefits.
But many employees look for other things besides money. Here are some
examples:
Performance measures
To do well in their jobs, employees need an accurate job description and
an annual review that lets them know how they are performing and what
they can do to improve. They also need access to an employee handbook
so they can understand the expectations of the organisation.
Opportunity
As employees show signs of readiness, be willing to entrust them with
new tasks and greater responsibility to keep them challenged and
engaged.
Flexibility
Talk to employees and find out what steps you can take to make their
lives better and easier. If there are certain tasks that an employee doesn’t
need to be in the office for, allow them to work from home on occasion.
Sometimes it’s just as simple as letting employees work out their own
schedules. If the work is not sensitive to any particular day or time, let
employees work when it’s most convenient for them, as long as they are
still accomplishing the same amount of work.
Recognise good work

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When a day runs smoothly, tell your employees what a good job they
have done – and mean it. When collections are going well, let the billing
staff know that you appreciate it. In a bigger office, consider awarding an
Employee of the Month, nominated by peers and announced to all
employees. Any award will be greatly enhanced if the boss takes the time
to deliver it face-to-face.
Leave
Employees have lives outside of work, lives that are very important to
them, so don’t underestimate the power of extra time off.
An attractive, relaxed work environment
Many employees just want a work environment where they feel
comfortable, not tense. An unpleasant workplace atmosphere can be
enough to cause any employee to want to quit. Make the physical
environment bright and cheery. Give employees free reign to voice their
opinion, and have a little fun. Employees that dread going to work rarely
stay long. They are also not nearly as productive as happy employees, so
keep lines of communication free and clear so that you can make work an
enjoyable place for everyone.
Employee Training & Development
Employee training and development is your responsibility as the owner of
the business. The responsibility of management is to provide the right
resources and an environment that supports the growth and development
needs of the employee.

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For employee training and development to be successful, you need to
start with a comprehensive and well-crafted job description. This is the
foundation upon which all employee training and development activities
should be built. That will enable you to provide training that the employee
requires to meet the basic competencies for their job.
To do that, you need to have a good understanding of the knowledge,
skills and abilities that your organisation needs now and into the future.
What are the long-term goals of the organisation and what are the
implications of these goals for employee development?
Share this knowledge with staff. Encourage your team to look for learning
opportunities in daily activities. Explain the employee development
process and encourage staff to develop individual development plans.
Importantly, offer support for your staff when they identify learning
activities that make them an asset to your organisation.
10 components of a successful employee learning experience:
1. The goals of the employee training or development programme are
clear
2. The employees are involved in determining the knowledge, skills and
abilities to be learned
3. The employees are participating in activities during the learning
process
4. The work experiences and knowledge that employees bring to each
learning situation are used as a resource

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5. A practical and problem-centred approach based on real examples is
used
6. New material is connected to the employee's past learning and work
experience
7. The employees are given an opportunity to reinforce what they learn
by practicing
8. The learning environment is informal, safe and supportive
9. The individual employee is shown respect
10. The learning opportunity promotes positive self-esteem
Delegating
Delegation is an essential skill for business owners. It increases your
effectiveness so you can use your time and talents where they are most
necessary. It also teaches you to communicate persuasively, supervise
and train, and expand your sphere of influence. To delegate effectively,
you need to build a team by giving people a stake in the outcome. It’s all
about inspiring and motivating your staff.
Here are some top tips:
1. Select the people for the job
Define the outcomes and deliverables of the work and the completion
dates. Outline the steps for each task and decide which skills are needed,
and identify the right person for the job. When you delegate a new job to
someone, express enthusiasm and emphasise the importance of the
project.

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2 Match the person to the task
People like to take on tasks that match or expand their skills. To make
the right match, get to know people. Find out about their experience,
education, hobbies, and training. Some people work well with little
supervision, while some expect routine guidance.
4. Track progress, give feedback, and help people solve problems
Check in periodically and ask about their progress. Are they on schedule?
Do they have the resources they need? Have they run up against any
obstacles? Do they still understand the requirements? Monitor the work
and give feedback in a positive, helpful way. If the work is behind
schedule, or unsatisfactory, maintain a helpful, open attitude. Explore how
improvements could be made. Ask what additional help or resources they
need.
5. Allow for variations in work style
Don’t focus on the details of how the job gets done. People work
according to individual learning styles and preferences. The person you
delegate to may not perform the task exactly as you would, but if you have
selected skilled, talented people, they will probably do the job just as well,
if not better.
6. Provide incentives and show appreciation
Pay increases, bonuses, and promotions – these are significant
incentives for getting people to go the extra mile. You can give other
rewards too, such as time off, a letter of appreciation in the personnel file,
special mention, an award or a gift. Send personal notes of thanks.

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Delegating mistakes
Avoid these top delegating mistakes:
 Being hesitant to delegate.
One of the biggest mistakes that entrepreneurs make is to assume no-one
can do the job as well as they can. Remember that if the job is good
enough, that’s all you need.
 Rushing to delegate
Don’t delegate without providing proper training and without giving clear
expectations for performance. Assigning tasks to the wrong person or
multiple people simultaneously can lead to chaos and confusion.
 Undermining the delegation process
Once responsibilities have been delegated, employees still tend to want to
ask the entrepreneur to give them an answer or make a decision instead
of the person now assigned to that area. If the entrepreneur does the job
for the person now in charge, it completely undermines the process of
delegation.
Recognising & Rewarding Performance
Performance management is the systematic process by which you, as the
business owner, involve employees in improving their effectiveness so
that the company can achieve its goals and objectives. Progress toward
those goals must be measured and employees given feedback. Care

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must be taken to develop the employee skills needed to reach these
goals.
Employee performance management includes:
 planning work and setting expectations
Work must be planned in advance. Planning means setting performance
expectations and goals for groups and individuals to channel their efforts
toward achieving organisational objectives. Getting employees involved in
the planning process will help them understand the goals of the business,
what needs to be done, why it needs to be done, and how well it should
be done.
 monitoring performance
Assignments and projects must be monitored continually. Monitoring well
means consistently measuring performance and providing ongoing
feedback to employees and work groups on their progress toward
reaching their goals.
 developing the capacity to perform
Employee development needs must be evaluated and addressed. This
means increasing the employee’s capacity to perform through training,
giving assignments that introduce new skills or giving them higher levels
of responsibility. Providing employees with training and developmental
opportunities encourages good performance, strengthens skills and
competencies, and helps employees keep up with changes in the
workplace, such as the introduction of new technology.

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 periodically rating performance
Summing up and reviewing an employee’s performance is helpful for
looking at and comparing performance over time or among various
employees. It enables you to check performance against the standards
set in the job description and performance plan. It also informs decisions
such as pay increase rates.
 rewarding good performance
Rewarding means recognising employees, individually and as members of
groups, for their performance and acknowledging their contributions to the
business. Good performance should always be recognised as an ongoing,
natural part of day-to-day experience. Daily actions, like simply saying
“thank you” are more informal. Formal rewards may include money, prizes
or time off.
Constructive feedback
The ability to give and receive constructive feedback is crucial to the
success of any professional workplace relationship.
Giving feedback is an essential and effective tool in boosting morale,
supporting career progress and encouraging good teamwork. It should
make people feel that their efforts and contributions are valued. Positive
feedback acts as reinforcement, strengthening the likelihood of the
desired behaviour continuing. It can guide and suggest ways to improve
performance and help to build relationships.

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When you give feedback, avoid personalised criticism that devastates
self-esteem and confidence and will make future performance even
worse. Telling someone they are useless, for example, will achieve
nothing. Constructive feedback is objective, non-judgemental, based on
specific observations, encourages discussion and allows a positive course
to be set for the future.
There are five aspects to giving constructive feedback.
1. Content
It is important to identify specifically the issue of performance involved.
What specific aspect of the performance did you like and why?
2. Manner
Focus on the problem, not the person. You should be direct when
delivering feedback and avoid giving mixed messages.
3. Privacy
Feedback should be given in person and in private. Allowing other people
to see and hear the discussion will embarrass all concerned.
4. Specifics
Tell the staff member exactly what you have observed without diluting
your thoughts into generalisations. If possible, give dates and places.
5. Solutions

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You should focus on solutions. Remember, you are giving feedback to
correct a problem, not to bully the person concerned. Summarise the
discussion at the end so that you both clearly understand what has been
said and what has been agreed upon. If necessary, arrange a follow-up
meeting at which time you can both review progress.
Feedback provides reassurance and support. It is vital that positive
feedback is given on a regular basis as this helps to motivate people.
Prepare carefully for any formal feedback session. Think about the
content of the information you are going to provide during the feedback
session.
It should be specific and to the point. The feedback should focus on the
issue, not the person. Consider the timing of your feedback session. Plan
it so that you both have an opportunity to benefit from the experience.
Positive feedback should generally outweigh negative feedback.
Management Tips
Here are some of the views that top-performing managers share:
1. Your business is an ecosystem
Great managers avoid treating the workplace like a war zone. They create
cohesive teams that adapt easily to new markets and can quickly form
partnerships with other companies and customers.
2. A company is a community

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Your business comprises a collection of people who all have their own
hopes and dreams. One of your tasks is to inspire employees to dedicate
themselves to the success of their peers and therefore to the community –
and company – at large.
3. Management is service, not control
Don’t expect employees to just do as they’re told. Rather set a general
direction, give employees the resources they need to get the job done,
and allow your people to move forward.
4. Employees are your peers
Treat your employees like children and they will behave that way. Treat
them as your peers, and excellence will permeate the business. That’s
because when employees take charge of their own destinies, they strive
to excel.
5. Motivation comes from vision
Fear is not the way to motivate people. As a result, employees and
managers alike become paralysed and unable to make risky decisions.
Rather inspire people to see a better future and how they'll be a part of
it. They will work harder because they believe in the organisation's goals,
truly enjoy what they're doing and know they'll share in the rewards.
6. Work should be fun
See work as something that should be inherently enjoyable and you’ll be
able to put people in jobs that can and will make them truly happy. Your

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reward will be a team of employees who love what they do and are
committed to growing the company.