Coach Up or Out: What to Do When Jack’s Skills Aren’t What You Need Any More
In a previous article, “Why You Might Have To Fire Your Jack-Of-All Trades,” I explained that versatile employees able to perform in a number of capacities can be an asset during start-up, but can later become a significant obstacle to growth. Instead of having a team of utility players covering all the bases, a growing business […]
Coach Up or Out: What to Do When Jack’s Skills Aren’t What You Need Any More
In a previous article, “Why You Might Have To Fire Your Jack-Of-All Trades,” I explained that versatile employees able to perform in a number of capacities can be an asset during start-up, but can later become a significant obstacle to growth. Instead of having a team of utility players covering all the bases, a growing […]
3 Reasons Why You Haven’t Hired Experts (And Why That’s Bad Business)
If you are going to get past a plateau, one of the most important factors is getting your key personnel on board. What often ends up happening is that a founder caps business growth by hiring people beneath his or her own competency level. That is, he or she doesn’t hire anyone with greater knowledge, […]
The Dos and Don’ts of Hiring
In 2003, sisters Jenny and Jane DeLaney launched a business that created customized meal plans and shopping lists for subscribers. The concept caught on, and the company grew quickly. When they’d accrued 100,000+ customers, the DeLaneys faced competition and a looming plateau. Jane said, “I was at a point where I needed to bring in […]
Why You Might Have To Fire Your Jack-Of-All Trades
Think of five Major League Baseball players. Now, of those five, did you list Bill Hall, Ryan Freel, Michael Young, Omar Infante, or Jeff Baker? No? Probably because these are all utility players: they play a variety of positions competently, but switch so frequently that they never develop into the big hitters or playmakers. Business […]
How to Retrain Your Jack-of-all-Trades into a New Role
I often talk about the importance of hiring experts but I’m not suggesting you should fire all your loyal staff and start fresh. Sometimes you’ve got terrific employees already working for you. The challenge is to retrain someone who has been a Jack (or Jill)-of-all-trades to prepare him or her for a particular role that […]
What Kind Of Executives Do You Need for Your Small Business
What’s the best kind of executive to have on your team: a) A Yes Man? b) A Doubting Thomas? The truth is that when you look around the board table of high growth companies, you see a wide variety of leaders, and that’s the way it should be. Having a yes person isn’t a problem […]