Small businesses allocate their budgets to new technologies, tools, and consulting services that help them succeed in the competitive market. However, they often miss an essential component for business growth – their team members.

Employees that align with your values can help your company grow through innovation, creative thinking, and dedication.

That is why you need to focus on hiring and building the right team for your business. 

Align Hiring with Company Goals

Every business needs to have a clear vision. Without it, you are bound to fail. 

When hiring employees, make sure everyone is on the same page. 

To recruit the right employees for your company, create a targeted job description. 

Consider crafting your employee persona first to understand what type of workers you want to attract. Then, create a job description that addresses your target audience. 

Pay attention to the interview process. To find the best candidates, shake up your interviews. For example, consider taking them out of the conference room so you can see how candidates interact with the rest of the team. Do they seem enthusiastic about their potential job? Do they ask your staff questions about their roles at the company? Candidates’ soft skills are critical to your company’s success.

Finally, do not hire the first available candidate. Do detailed background checking and evaluate candidates thoroughly. If your initial candidate pool is not successful, consider attracting new applicants instead of hiring a person who is not a good fit for your team.

Reward Behaviors You Seek

One of the most important things to do when building your team is setting clear goals, values, and expectations. Communicate them clearly to all staff members. Employees should always know what you expect from them. Only that way can they take your company in the direction you want to go.

When your employees achieve crucial targets or exhibit behaviors vital to your organization, incentivize them. Rewards do not need to be expensive. Sometimes, expressing appreciation publicly or a personal note from a manager will boost employee morale. 

Consider investing in employee recognition software that helps you track employee performance and milestones.

Prioritize Effective Communication and Collaboration

To perform at its best, your team needs clear structure and transparency. For managers, that means providing them with clear plans, goals, and roles. That way, they can prioritize tasks and manage their time more effectively. 

You should also focus on eliminating the silo mentality at your company. When working in isolation, your departments lack communication and collaboration. That particularly applies to remote workers. Provide your staff with a wide range of collaboration tools that will facilitate their communication in real-time and across various locations.

Encourage Creative Thinking 

According to a Global Innovation Survey by McKinsey, innovation is vital to business growth. The report says that 84% of executives agree on the significance of innovation. On the other hand, only 6% of them are satisfied with innovation performance at their company. 

If you want your employees to be more creative, build an environment that encourages innovation, autonomy, and problem-solving.

For starters, create a culture of psychological safety across your organization. Individuals at your company should not feel embarrassed to voice their ideas or concerns. They should be comfortable taking moderate risks that will inject innovation into your organization and help it grow.

Make it clear to your team members that your company appreciates creativity and understands its value. Be receptive to new ideas and reward creative thinkers and risk-takers for the contribution they have made.

Help your Team Stay Focused on Company Visions

Once you build and cultivate a strong team, you need to keep them focused on company goals, missions, and visions. 

Schedule regular company meetings, either online or in-person. No matter if you hire 10 or 100 employees, get everyone to attend. Inform them about company accomplishments and updates. Be transparent about any failures, too.

Conduct regular employee engagement surveys. That way, you will understand how satisfied and engaged your team members are. You can also analyze how your employees understand and interpret your company vision. 

Most importantly, set goals that are relevant to your staff members. Meet with your team and ask them for opinions. Let them make choices and set goals on their own, as long as they are in line with your company vision.

Ready to Build the Right Team for your Business?

Hiring a team that aligns with your company goals is vital to your business growth. Only by attracting the right candidates will you build a cohesive team and eliminate company silos. 

Next, focus on encouraging effective communication, risk-taking, and employee engagement. Most importantly, collect their feedback regularly. That way, you will help your team stay focused on company goals and values. 

How do you build a successful team? We are listening!

Eve Anderson is a marketing specialist turned blogger. Interested in sports and exciting travel destinations. Love to share content that can inform people.