The Art Of Skillful Hiring: Part 1 of The Spurling Group’s Blog Series The Winning Formula: Insights from a Business Coach on Building High-Performance Teams 

The business landscape in 2023 is fast-paced and ever-evolving. But while navigating all the ups, downs, and in-betweens of entrepreneurship in a fickle economy, two facts remain constant: 

1.) The quality of your team can make or break your business, and 

2.) The team you assemble will only be as good as the care, guidance, and attention you put into it. 

Over the better part of two decades, we have mastered leadership skills that allow us to run our businesses remotely for weeks at a time while our teams continue to run efficiently and effectively. That was by no accident. Building a winning team takes effort and skill. Business coaching can get you there. The Spurling Group is dedicated to helping business owners in the Finger Lakes and Rochester, NY regions succeed. Through one-on-one coaching sessions, Randy and Brittney Spurling work closely with business owners to identify areas for improvement and develop strategies for growth. We bring our wealth of business knowledge and expertise to the table, drawing on our own experience as successful entrepreneurs to offer practical advice and guidance. 

Team building requires a specific set of leadership skills that need to be learned, honed, and continually put into practice. This blog series seeks to de-mystify all the aspects of building winning teams in business, from hiring to celebrating long-standing employees. Are you ready to learn what it takes? 

The Importance Of Having a Winning Team In Business 

Teamwork can literally make the dream work. When you have a group of talented individuals who work together cohesively, you’ll have noteworthy outcomes for your business in the bag. Here’s why: 

• Increased productivity and efficiency - An effective team collaborates effectively, delegates tasks, and leverages each other's strengths, resulting in improved efficiency. ● Enhanced creativity and innovation - A diverse team that feels supported brings together different perspectives and ideas where team members feel comfortable sharing those thoughts and ideas. This environment allows for effective brainstorming sessions, where team members can freely contribute and build upon each other's insights. The diverse perspectives within the team can lead to groundbreaking innovations and unique solutions to challenges. 
• Improved employee morale and satisfaction - A positive work environment that values and appreciates its members, where employees feel valued and supported, undoubtedly leads to increased morale and job satisfaction. This leads to higher employee retention rates, reducing turnover and associated costs. 
• Greater adaptability and resilience - In today's rapidly changing business landscape, adaptability and resilience are crucial. A winning team possesses the ability to adapt to

new challenges and navigate uncertainties together. They support each other during times of change and remain focused on the shared objectives of the business. 

How To Lay The Groundwork For Building A Winning Team 

Hire With Intention 

Anyone can slap together a rag-tag group of employees and call it a day. But if you want your business to thrive, you’ll need to lay the groundwork for a winning team before you even start the hiring process. 

You first need to think of the big picture. Before hiring, you should have a solid grasp of what you hope to achieve with your group of employees. You’ll need to establish your company's vision, values, and goals to be able to identify the specific skills and qualities you're seeking in potential team members. From there you can determine the roles and responsibilities needed within your team and outline the essential qualifications and characteristics required to fulfill them. 

Attract Good Candidates With Compelling Job Descriptions 

Crafting compelling and detailed job descriptions is essential to attract top talent. And transparency is good for everyone. Clearly and honestly lay out the responsibilities, qualifications, and any specific requirements for the role. You’ll also want to highlight your company culture, values, and opportunities for growth to attract the candidates who best align with your vision. 

Focus on both hard skills (technical abilities) and soft skills (communication, teamwork, problem-solving) to ensure you're considering a well-rounded set of qualities that will contribute to a cohesive and high-performing team. Before posting, share drafts of your job descriptions with a business mentor, coach, or other professional to ensure you are putting your best foot forward. 

Effective Interviewing Techniques 

You may have found a great candidate on paper, but until you meet face-to-face, it’s impossible to know how that individual will fit within your team. The interview process provides an opportunity to assess a candidate more thoroughly. 

Always provide the interviewee time to ask questions and lead the conversation. This provides a glimpse into their problem-solving abilities, adaptability, and collaborative skills. 

Craft quality behavioral-based questions provide insight into their past experiences and how they handle different situations. Ask candidates to provide specific examples of challenges they've faced in previous roles and how they resolved them. 

Interviewing can be nerve-wracking for both the interviewer and the interviewee. Practice interviewing with a business coach to gain confidence in your interview techniques. A business

coach can also help you develop questions that lead to good information gathering and the types of answers to be wary of. 

References and Background Checks 

Conducting thorough background checks is a crucial step in the hiring process for many types of jobs. In some cases, it’s against the law to hire someone without one (and it’s done at their expense, not yours). At a minimum, you should reach out to their most recent employers and the references they enclosed. This will give you a well-rounded picture of the candidate’s integrity, work ethic, interpersonal skills, and reliability, as well as verify their credentials, work experience, and qualifications. This step helps you make informed decisions and mitigate any potential risks associated with hiring. 

The Winning Formula: Insights from a Business Coach on Building High-Performance Teams 

Skillful Hiring + x = The Winning Formula. 

Stay tuned for the next part of this blog series as we explore the factor of x. If you are ready to dive in with a business coach, contact us today to learn more about how we can help you achieve your goals and take your business to the next level.