How do you find the right talent for your scaling team?

In simple words: Hire for attitude, train for skill 🙏 I think experience, education are puzzle words now. Get someone who’s proactive, willing to invest in him/self.

Absolutely, nailing down what you actually need in a team member before you start the search is crucial. A detailed job description not only helps you sift through candidates more effectively, but it also sets the right expectations for everyone involved. It's like a roadmap that guides you to finding the right fit for your team's culture and goals.

The first thing that I tell every founder is that they need to do the job first themselves. This allows the founder to get a good understanding of what skills they need to hire for. How can you set up your first sales hire for success if you have no idea what skills someone needs to sell your product? For roles that you cannot pick up quickly such as coding, I would suggest leaning on mentors and advisors who have the technical experience to vet talent you may hire.

In addition to traditional qualifications, assess candidates for their personality traits, such as adaptability, communication style, and teamwork.

In my experience, “behavioral” interviews and understanding how a prospect reacted under different circumstances gives us better insights to the persons belief system and culture. If these behavioral traits match up to your expectations, the candidate should succeed in the job. The other aspects to consider are the value system of the candidate and whether the candidate resonates with your organizations core values. Candidates who do not connect / understand your organizations values are unlikely to succeed.

Totally agree. Leveraging your network is like tapping into a pre-vetted talent pool. People you already trust can point you towards candidates who are likely a good cultural and skill fit. Plus, referrals usually come with built-in testimonials, which is invaluable. Social media and events then complement this by giving you a broader reach. It's a balanced and effective approach.

To attract top talent, ensure your compensation packages are competitive within your industry and region. Consider offering additional benefits like flexible work arrangements, professional development opportunities, etc.

This works at any level or stage in the business. Using your network will always be the best and cheapest way to generate quality talent. It's the old saying top talent hangs out with top talent. Rest assured leveraging social media will only draw more eyes and attention to your business.

Before you start looking for candidates, you need to have a clear idea of what skills, roles, and responsibilities you need to fill in your team. Think about your current and future goals, your existing strengths and gaps, and your culture and values. Then, create a detailed job description that outlines the expectations, benefits, and challenges of working with you. This will help you narrow down your search and communicate your value proposition to potential hires.

From my perspective, tapping into your existing network is invaluable. I believe that leveraging referrals from employees, partners, and stakeholders not only provides access to qualified candidates but also ensures a cultural and vision fit. In addition, showcasing your brand story on online platforms can further attract the right talent that resonates with your mission.

Offer opportunities for continuous learning and skill development. Talented individuals often seek roles that allow them to expand their knowledge and expertise.

It's not just about the paycheck. Offer value and flexibility to make your team stay and thrive. Value goes beyond salary—think equity, bonuses, perks, and growth opportunities. Flexibility is key—remote work, flexible hours, work-life balance. Understand their needs through direct questions, surveys, or market research. Tailor your offerings to align with their aspirations. It's about creating an environment where they don't just work; they flourish.

In today's world of hiring it's completely different than two years ago. If I were to create flexibility for any organization, I would advise them to work from home Monday and Friday. Offering hybrid right now is what talented candidates are looking for. Last year two years everyone was remote but were seeing the changes take place in certain industries.

From the most and the least important: 1. Growth and Development: Most important. It's a fully intrinsic motivator that works in the very long term. 2. Equity: In startups, equity is a high motivator for the long term, ensuring high alignment with the company's mission. In listed companies not so much. 3. Feedback and Recognition: This works in the long term and aids in development. It's a medium to high motivator, depending on execution, and a mix of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. 4. Bonuses and Perks: Entirely extrinsic, these work only in the short term. They are very effective for recruiting but don't have a long-term impact, as their effect lasts from 1 week to 3 months.

I'm all for building a Winning Culture where everyone wants to win! and that's all you do is Win! I see the mistake oftentimes where they want to build a fraternity culture or sorority culture and you miss the point by doing that in my opinion. You are there to WIN. I remember when I played sports, I had certain teammates I didn't get along with but when the time came to play, all we cared about was winning and business is the same way.

Culture starts with clearly communicating vision and values. My team knows we're here to make a real difference in people's lives. I foster an open, collaborative environment where everyone feels heard and empowered to innovate. Wins are celebrated and failures seen as learning opportunities. I regularly solicit feedback and act on it to improve our culture. Our shared mission creates a sense of purpose and community. With trust and transparency, we build an aligned, engaged culture where each person can thrive and contribute to our success.

Culture is the soul of a team. Define beliefs, behaviors, and norms to create a shared identity. It's the glue that keeps everyone together. Communicate vision and values clearly, fostering trust and collaboration. Celebrate victories and learn from failures—it's a journey. Solicit and act on feedback to evolve and adapt. A strong culture isn't just a perk; it's the secret sauce for a motivated and connected scaling team.

Hiring for a start up should really come down to: 1) can they do the thing we need them to do? 2) can we get along with each other? Anything beyond that and you’re over-complicating it. Once you get to be a larger organization you can have all the competency frameworks you want, and it *still* won’t make it a foolproof process. So whilst you’re still small, keep it really simple.

Building a scaling team is like crafting a masterpiece—it's all about the details. Consider the power of diversity. Different perspectives create a vibrant tapestry. Foster an inclusive environment where everyone's voice is heard. Also, don't underestimate the impact of a fun and collaborative workplace. Laughter is a great team builder. And remember, it's okay to pivot. The best plans often need adjustments. Stay agile and open to change—it's the heartbeat of innovation.

Pay Well. Don't look for cultural fit, instead look for Talent, Skill, creativity, Integrity and Righteousness. Respect others Time and Contribution. Create a growth environment. Appreciate and Lead by Actions. Attract Talents, they can't be pulled in to stay long. Avoid Dependency. Have Second Line of Incharge. Immediately cut off the Bad Influencers and Drama.

I think it depends what stage your scaling organisation is at? As a small, new start-up, you will usually have to work harder to find candidates as you're unlikely to have built up brand / market awareness. Most early-stage start-ups will leverage their networks for referrals. However, you need to be careful as this approach doesn't always build a diverse company. Early-stage companies should think about how they can proactively source candidates whilst not discounting the long-term value of building their employer brand presence and EVP.

En mis años de experiencia todos hablan de atraer a los mejores talentos, pero considero que es importante reconocer nuestras debilidades antes de sumar talento. Nuestro ego nos puede perjudicar cuando creemos que no tenemos debilidades y solo nos centramos en nuestras fortalezas. Saber lo que nos falta es importante antes de atraer talento.