Kailyn BaumSmall business owners are uniquely aware of the importance of building a focused yet diverse team in order to fill the numerous and changing roles within their company. A recent article on Entrepreneur.com takes another stab at listing the necessary characteristics of “types of employees” to bring onto your team at a small business in order to fill these needs. However, the interesting piece of this article is that, rather than list a number of skills you should look for when hiring new people, it describes personality types that will help the company move forward.
Employers also know that at times, it makes more sense to bring on a teachable new hire with the right attitude rather than seek out someone who has the necessary skills. However, especially at a small business, this is probably the more daunting option in terms of the time and energy it might take to bring that employee up to a level where they are effective. This doesn’t always have to be the case. Based on the article, here are a few ideas on what character types can be beneficial when building the team for your small business.
An employee with a passion for sharing knowledge.
Though in the article this characteristic is split into two separate types of employees, a mentor and a learner, it seems to me that they could be one in the same. Small companies must stay on top of industry trends and always be looking for new and innovative ways to improve business. An easy way to stay abreast of changes and news is to have someone on the inside with a passion for learning what is new and upcoming. This person should also be tasked with sharing out information to the rest of the company when they come across relevant news or pieces of wisdom.
An employee with tenacity and the right kind of instigation.
Companies will not move forward if they only maintain the status quo or fill the office with people who always agree with the boss. Companies benefit from an employee who is willing to stir the pot in a way that drives the company forward. This employee will likely be good at asking questions that require reflection and action. This employee should be able to disagree with confidence. As the article so aptly puts, “Every now and then we all need a reality check – and the people who are living and breathing your business on a daily basis are just the ones to give it.”
An employee who is a Jack-of-All-Trades.
Again, I’m combining two of the types of employees the article mentions, the Morale Booster and the Renaissance Man. This is because it seems to be a given that small businesses need employees who can wear many hats. The key is to find an employee who does so gladly and with enthusiasm. Their eagerness to take on new and different tasks will inevitably be contagious to other employees.
These suggestions only skim the surface of the personality types that are beneficial to a small business or start-up. What other characteristics would you seek when building a small team? What character types do you think are the most effective? Let us know in the comments below!
IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr by moodboardphotography
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