This sounds counterintuitive, right? If I’m always open, how can I possibly take a break?
The demands of running a business are never-ending, and it’s hard to do it alone. In order for you to take a vacation without checking your email or turning your phone off during family dinner, you need the peace of mind that your business is in good hands. As the professional world shifts to remote work and labor shortages, I frequently hear that it’s hard to find good people when you need them.
One of my favorite adages for hiring is to hire the right person before you need them. How do you do this? Be always open. Being “always open” means you are always open to hiring the right people, whether you have a job opening or not. Are you hiring? Yes. The answer is always yes if the right person is asking. The door to your A-Team is always open.
Before you cringe at the cost impacts of hiring every great administrative professional, let me elaborate. Being “always open” is not a commitment to over-hiring. You still need to be strategic about your costs and team structure. Being “always open” is a mindset of being open to opportunity. When you’re “always open”, your unsolicited applicants don’t attend interviews, they have conversations…and conversations are free.
But what will they do if I don’t need someone now?
The best way to have a clear idea of how this great new person can contribute to the team is to take inventory of your current team. Peel off responsibilities that are overburdening or don’t quite fit in their wheelhouse. Another great way to shed light on unidentified needs is to do a SWOT analysis. If you’re unsure, check out this resource SWOT Analysis.
Doing a full SWOT analysis is incredibly useful, but it is also a time-consuming strategic exercise for more than just your administrative support team. It is possible to do a targeted SWOT analysis where you’re only focused on the administrative functions of the business. In this case, instead of thinking about leveraging your product or service, you’re thinking about your internal processes, leveraging your best admin, finding places where balls were dropped, and identifying inefficiencies. This gives you a better idea of what’s nice to have versus strategically sound to have.
But I can’t afford to hire someone I don’t need.
When you adopt the mindset of being “always open”, building your A-Team becomes easier. You will attract talent and hone your skills for recognizing good people for your company. The best time to practice honing this skill is when the need is not pressing. When there are no immediate holes to fill, you can take your time finding and assessing your next A-Player. I’ve made some of the worst hires when we’re under pressure. When there is an immediate need, there is anxiety over finding someone quickly and that doesn’t always lead to the best fit for the company. You can’t afford to hire the wrong person when there is a need.
Being “always open” isn’t a commitment, it’s a mindset.
As your company builds a reputation for being a great place to work, you will begin receiving unsolicited resumes and referrals. In the context of being “always open”, I invite you to start with an abundant mindset. This is difficult for starting or struggling small businesses because resources are limited. However, ideas are never limited. The idea is that you always have the tools and materials stored in your company to build a new position. Don’t think of this as real dollars, hours, and paychecks. Ideas are free and abundant, and being “always open” is simply an idea. Receiving unsolicited resumes and having conversations is not a commitment to hiring every bright professional you meet. Being “always open” means you’re open to an idea. By realizing that new positions can be built at any time, and you have everything you need to build them, the potential becomes wide and open. You might be surprised at the ideas that emerge from having conversations with unsolicited applicants.
Remember that vacation you took when you didn’t check your email? Remember how relaxed you felt when you could turn off your work phone without worrying that you’d miss something? That peace of mind comes from knowing your business is in good hands. Your A-Team does the blocking and tackling so the fires are put out before they reach you. Having the right people keep your internal framework strong helps you sleep at night. What’s that worth to you?
