They're two very different hiring decisions.
It's something I learnt growing my electrical business.
In the early days, I needed good electricians who could go out, deal with customers, make decisions and get the work done without me constantly checking on them.
As the business grew, we had supervisors and crews in place.
That changed what we needed from some of our new employees.
If we picked up a construction job and needed extra electricians, we could bring capable people into a crew that was already well managed.
They didn't all need to be future leaders.
Stop hiring for the wrong job
Before advertising a position, work out what you actually need.
A small team
- Can this person work independently?
- Can they make sensible decisions on site?
- Will they deal with customers properly?
- How much supervision will they need from you?
An established team
- Who will supervise them?
- What work will they be responsible for?
- Do they have the skills to do that work?
- Are you paying for abilities the position doesn't actually require?
And if you're hiring somebody to manage people or take responsibility for the office, that's a different decision again.
You need to be much more deliberate about their judgement, attitude and ability to work with the rest of the team.
A useful test before your next hire
- 1Write down the three things this person must be able to do without your involvement.
- 2Then ask yourself whether your business has the management structure to support the rest.
If it doesn't, you may need a more experienced person than you originally planned.
If it does, you might be making the role unnecessarily difficult, and expensive, to fill.
Don't just hire the best person you can find. Hire the right person for the job your business actually needs done.