Hire Good People, Then Set Them Free

We have all heard the business wisdom that as business
owners or managers we should hire people who are better than ourselves. I had been aware of this advice for years but it was only after purchasing my agency and making a few hires that I realised how true it was. Good, honest, hardworking staff are not easy to find but can be the saviour of the entrepreneur.

When I bought the agency there were two staff on the payroll, a secretary book-keeper and a graphic designer. Both are talented people who can be great at their respective roles, given the chance.

As I explained in my previous post, I was pretty much responsible for every other task in the agency, from client liason, media placement, copywriting, direction and post production. I realised that I couldn't continue to do all of these roles similtaeneously and have a successful, enjoyable business. I had to divide these roles up and gradually allocate them to others who are excellent in these respective areas.

My first hire was to move into client liason and media placement. While these are considered to be two seperate roles in most agencies, the size of the agency at the time meant that one person could comfortably do both for now. My second hire was a blessing from above. A creative director, production manager with Hollywood experience. She could take care of the other main function of the business, advertising production. Suddenly the most time consuming jobs had been allocated to others, who quickly demonstrated they were more efficient than me in those roles.

It probably took another 6 months before I relaxed enough and had built strong enough relationships to realise the second part of the equation when hiring good people. They are only as good as you let them be. I believe all my staff are very talented, competent people, who had never really had the permission to really shine in this industry.

Business owners are generally control freaks. We are told all of the time management concepts and business management theories, but they usually involve reigning in employees....keeping them under control and accountable. I dabbled in this management style for a while until I realised that it was better if I stayed out of the way. If you set the business up so that decisions and actions will not happen without your permission, then your staff has little choice but to sit back and wait for your lead.

The key is to empower your team to make decisions on their own, or together, but with necessarily involving you. I have found the best way to do this is to take a week off and tell them you will not be only occassionally contactable. If you have a good team then they will sail through the week, solving any problems that arise, and keeping the wheels of commerce turning over with little fuss. Issues that may have been brought to your attention if you were in the office will be either addressed or ignored in you absence.

The entrepreneurial role is to launch the business and set the vision. Your team needs to understand the vision and their role in carrying it out. Then get out of their way. Set them free to achieve the vision. Natural leaders will emerge and other talents will be revealed. I know most owners worry that staff will relax with the boss not around, they will be less productive without someone looking over their shoulders. I have not found this to be the case at all. Sure, initially they might relax a little but then they get bored and want to do something.

On my last two week vacation my team had to deal with a dispute with one of our media suppliers. Normally I would have been called in to solve the issue, but as I was on the golf course and uncontactable, they addressed it collectively and achieved the right result. During that same vacation we signed two new mid-level clients with absolutely no input from me. It was the most profitable holiday I have ever had.

My staff have told me several times that one of the most rewarding things to them is the fact that I trust them with my business. They are proud of the fact that I respect them enough to make the right decisions and produce great work.

Interestingly, I am yet to advertise for staff. All my team has been referred to me or approached me themselves. This tells me that they are both respected by others and motivated to work for my agency. As word has circulated about the growth and success of the agency, and what a happy workplace it is, more and more very talented people have approached me for employment. I wish I could hire them all but my plans do not involve a lot of staff.