by Matthias Miller
Jared (name changed) reaches over a half million people every week on social media. Energetic, motivated, and visionary, he’s clearly capable of figuring things out and making things happen.
However, because he’s got so many things demanding his attention, he doesn’t have time to do it all. His vision goes far beyond what he’s focused on now.
In the past, he’s hired assistants to help him with some of these operations. However, they left his projects in chaos and some even ran away with the cash bag. Despite his optimism, he eventually gave up on getting an assistant and started doing more of the work himself.
Jared made the same mistake many entrepreneurs make: he hired someone exactly like himself. And by the way, how many entrepreneurs do you know who would make great assistants?
Jared approached me about one of the projects he needed to complete. As we talked, I realized the technical part of the project was only half the problem. The other half was finding the right person to help get it done.
That’s when we started looking for an assistant.
Whenever we look for team members, we evaluate four characteristics.
1. Integrity. Can you trust this individual will never steal from you…ever? Will they tell you the truth, even if it costs them? Since you must have deep trust in your team members, you’d better be sure beyond a shadow of a doubt they’re trustworthy!
2. Personality. Does the role fit their personality? For example, don’t try to turn an introvert into a gregarious party host (and please don’t sit the chatterbox at the bookkeeper’s computer in the back corner!).
3. Conation. Does the role fit their instincts? The Kolbe assessment is the only scientifically validated index that measures conation, which is how individuals take action when they’re trying to get things done. We rely heavily on this index to ensure individuals naturally fit their role.
It’s worth asking, “Will this individual naturally behave in a way that fits the role?”
4. Skill. Does this person have the required skills? If not, will they be able to quickly learn the skills required?
In Jared’s specific situation, we prioritized integrity and behavioral instinct as the most critical factors. While we could have posted job listings in specific venues, we instead targeted recruiting within our network.
The result? We managed the project for Jared and he was delighted by the outcome. In fact, we were so happy with the assistant we found, we ended up taking her from an independent contractor and hiring her as a member of our MYS team.
That’s a win-win!
Matthias Miller is the business growth consultant and founder of Multiply Your Strengths. He’s passionate about seeing people excel in their strengths. His intentional pursuit of professional growth has given him extensive experience in software development, project management, leadership, and marketing. He lives in Canon City, Colorado, with his wife Bonita and their family. https://www.multiplyyourstrengths.com/
