One of my favorite TV shows is “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” on the Food Network. If you’ve never seen it, here’s a quick synopsis: It’s a show where they ask the top celebrity chefs what the best foods they’ve ever eaten are. Best food, best pizza, best steak, best BBQ…. you get the point. This is coming from pros who spend their lives obsessing over food! They then go to that restaurant, show you that dish or meal, how it’s made and why it’s their favorite.
The other night, while working on one of the upcoming issues of our magazine, the show came on and it was all about ‘crazy good foods’. Besides making me hungry and giving me my fix of Giada (I can see my wife rolling her eyes as I’m slightly obsessed with her), it got me thinking of what are some of the absolute best things that I have come across in business. The best of the best.
- The Best Advice I Ever Got…
- The Best Idea I Ever Had…
- The Best Thing I’ve Ever Done…
- The Best Product I’ve Ever Used…
- The Best Service I’ve Ever Used…
- The Best Tool I’ve Ever Used…
- The Best Tip I’ve Ever Gotten…
I came up with a ton of things that have really helped to transform my business. After combing through the list, I thought it would be great to start my own “Best of” series for entrepreneurs and share it as a regular feature here.
So to kick of the series, the first one is…..
The Best Advice I Ever Got: Hire Slow & Fire Quick
One person can make or break your company. Literally. Don’t believe me? Have you ever dealt with a single employee at a company that has made you think that you would never do business or buy anything from that company ever again? I sure have…
Or how about this? You’ve questioned for a long time whether or not you should fire an employee and once you do, you think back, “I should have done this a long time ago!”
A bad hire will not only turn customers away, but can also destroy the culture that you’ve worked so hard to build in your organization. It can be a drain on morale for you and the rest of the team. It can also be a HUGE cash drain.
When hiring new team members, take your time. Interview, interview, interview. Check references. If at all possible, have them work on a temporary or trial basis to see if the person is the right fit. Trials are great because it lets both you and the team member see if you are the right fit for each other. It’s kind of like dating before getting married.
If things aren’t working out with an employee, don’t wait. Fire quick. Fire NOW!
From experience, the chances of things turning around with that employee or contractor are slim and none. People don’t change. So before things get worse and you end up regretting your hiring decision, fire quickly and bring someone in who is the right fit. Your company, your team and your wallet will thank you!
In our upcoming magazine issue, you will hear first hand some of the best advice that Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, has ever gotten. You will also get amazing advice from some of the top business and entrepreneur minds in the world. Make sure to subscribe today so that you don’t miss a single issue.
I’d also love to hear from you. What is the Best “Blank” you’ve ever “Blank”? Leave me a comment below and it may just get featured in this series or in our magazine.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Excellent business advice! Often not taught, only discovered through the school of hard knocks! It is definitely much more effective to hire slowly, versus hiring the wrong person! And if you are in a Hard situation, handle it correctly and you can make everyone happy and will allow everyone to move on . . . to greener pastures!
Thanks Kris! School of hard knocks is right….