How To Build A Productive Team Without Negative Team Members

As hard as you may work and as determined as you may be, you can’t do everything on your own, nor should you. It’s not practical, and it’s not working smarter — it’s working harder.

Consider the phrase, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” You might be great at some things, but chances are there are areas in your business that would benefit from outside support.

You might be tempted to try to do everything yourself, telling yourself that you’ll save money.

A lot of entrepreneurs make that mistake and it leads to failure. They undervalue their time and energy and underestimate how hard it will be to wear every hat, every day.

Choosing a team means that you’ll have ongoing support within your own customized network. You can delegate tasks — something we’ll talk about later — and have time to do the things you do best.

You’ll also be able to enjoy other aspects of life because, let’s face it, you’ll work better if you make time to play, too.

The trick, of course, is building the right team.

*Tips for Attracting Team Members and Knowing When You Need Help*

You need a team, but where you do you start?

The first step is identifying the key areas where you need help. If you’re building a business, you’ll need to build a brand, create products, design your website, structure mailing lists, attract new clients, service those clients, and so on.

Start by looking at the things you do very well. Maybe you’re a killer salesperson or a master communicator. Those may be things you can do on your own.

Next, look at the things that aren’t in your wheelhouse. Maybe you have very little marketing experience or you’re not great at organization.

The first team members you hire should be the people who can help you with your weaknesses. You’ll have the best chance of success if you use this method.

The next thing you need to do is attract the right team members.

To do that, you’ll need to:

• Write accurate and attractive job descriptions.
• Offer payment north of fair.
• Place ads to help team members find you or look for them on sites like LinkedIn.
• Interview people.

Make sure that you ask for samples of their work where it’s appropriate and check their references.

These days, it’s easy to hire people to work remotely without ever meeting them. You should set up Skype interviews with anyone you don’t plan to meet in person.

It’s also a good idea to impose a probation period on any new hires. That way, you’ll be able to make changes easily if you need to. Just make sure to put everything in writing.