Podcast 138: How To Hire A Players and Where To Find Them with Vicki Suiter

The #1 problem in the industry is finding and retaining key people.
When you hire A-players, it is the secret to having more profits, more time and more fun.
The reason it’s so hard to find good people is two-fold: 1) everyone is super-busy due to a supply and demand issue, and 2) the next generation of contractors are going in to the trades in far fewer numbers.
Questions to consider: Are we building the kind of business that makes people want to come and work for us? Are we creating a culture that people are attracted to?
The contractor industry should find ways to connect with kids in building more interest and tap into their desire to learn skills in the trades.
Millennials want to work in an environment where they feel like they belong, where they matter and have a sense of contribution. This is actually a fundamental desire of everyone and a very important part of building an organization that makes people want to come and work for you.
You need to build a team around you that takes ownership of their responsibilities so that if you need to step away from the company, they can run it.
Build a culture where your people are accountable to a result.
Implement “position agreements”, versus “job descriptions”. Job descriptions reflect a helper position with a task list. Position agreements have the employee own and manage results.
Always be recruiting, training, and retaining.
People, in general, want to do a good job, and as a business owner, you need to give them the opportunities to succeed.
When you implement these steps and your employees love to work with you, they’re going to be talking about you, and this will help attract your A-players.
Have clearly-defined interview questions before your candidates even show up. Ask open-ended questions. You should be doing about 20% of the talking, and they should be doing 80% of the talking.
The cost of turnover for the average employee is about $25,000, so you want to hire well. This will also be less stressful to your employees.
When you build a culture where your team is out there talking about what a great place it is to work because they have that sense of belonging, they feel like they’re treated well, good communication, they know how to win the game with you, and they get paid well, then people talk about it and want to work for you.
Your people is your most important asset.