Building a World-Class Team

During my time as COO at OMG Commerce, I spent substantial time developing a hiring process that ensured we added long-term, valuable team members.

Facilitating over 50 hires in 7 years presented numerous opportunities and examples of exactly what to do as well as exactly what not to do...not to mention all of the times we had no idea which was which.

All of those experiences taught me one major lesson...

Hiring is always a gamble.

It doesn't matter how much experience, how many personality surveys, technical exercises, interview questions, or references are called - bringing a new person into the established environment and culture is never a guaranteed success.

Interviewers are often subconsciously biased by mutual contacts, commonalities, and compassion (one reason team participation through the hiring process is crucial).

A tale of three specialists

I remember a particular example when we were interviewing three candidates for the same position.

We decided to hire all of them on a freelance basis, knowing we could provide full-time positions to all of them if they worked out.

One of the candidates was my #1 pick, while another was the CEO and department Director's fav.

Of course, I like telling this story because my guy proved to be FABULOUS (the team's word, not mine), while their choice proved to be a poor fit for our work culture.

But if I'm being real, it very easily could have gone the other way.

Both candidates were highly communicative and knowledgeable during the interview process.

Both had impressive resumes with long-term experience.

One (not mine) appeared to have more relevant experience, so there was logic behind pushing for him.

But in the end, it was the actual day-to-day actions that caused us to move forward with one and politely close the door on the other.

And there was NO WAY to predict which way it would go, for either of them.

Then there's the third candidate. She is a ROCK star. She's stable and consistent, gets her job done, and shows up when we need her. She's not overly communicative, but she's not under-communicative. She has her way of doing things and it works well for our team. It might not for others.

It was a gamble we took and it paid off.

Anybody who has hired anybody knows that sometimes the ones that seem like the best fit just aren't, and vice versa.

People are complex and judging them accurately is impossible (go read Nine Lies About Work by Marcus Buckingham if you're skeptical), but it's exactly what you have to try to do when hiring.

Ultimately, the responsibility for a successful hire rests on BOTH the employer and the candidate.

The following principles are what I learned as an agency COO and inform how I build a world-class team.

1. The hiring process is a team effort.

If I tried to make a good hire solo, I'd most likely end up hiring a bunch of people that I would work really well with but aren't the right fit for the particular position or team/clients they'll be working with.

The more team participation we add to the hiring process, the more likely we spot red flags as well as dig into areas we need more clarity to make an informed decision.

Ultimately, hiring the right person isn't about what I think, it's about the impact they will have on our team and our clients and whether they are going to be a good fit in performance and culture.

I'm very proud of the hiring and onboarding processes I developed over eleven years, but that doesn't mean they're by any means complete.

It’s essential to have team members that consistently participate and are willing to provide the feedback needed to keep evolving and improving the selection process.

2. A good onboarding process isn't required for success, but it sure as hell helps.

If anybody hired at OMG between 2013 and 2017 reads this, they'll testify that a company doesn't have to have pretty presentations or well-organized training programs to develop successful employees.

I guarantee they'll also confess that they wish it had been better!

During that time, the onboarding process was never the same twice, because every time we worked through a new-hire onboarding process we updated the process, tasks, sessions, and training.

Pro Tip: Formally let people know in advance what to expect the first day (it's life-changing for your new employees!).

You’ll save time, maximize your resources, and make the new employee experience much more sticky if you have a structure that tells them what they want and need to know to launch them into success as quickly as possible.

3. It's not my job to prove your worth. 

As we saw in the tale of three specialists above, I can't determine any single team member's success. Nobody is perfect, and everyone will have something they need to work on.

As a leader, we have options:

• Overlook issues, to the frustration of the team, the detriment of our clients, and ultimately erosion of our company.

• Address issues over and over, and there could be some incremental change or revolutionary transformation.

• Lay out the path to success, and step back and watch.

As COO and now CEO, I’m committed to not just accelerating clients’ growth but also every single team member’s.

This means setting them up for success instead of failure, which requires intentional structure and communication.

I believe every leader should be dedicated to their employee's success and give every opportunity for personal and professional development.

It's the confidence in the fact that I uphold my end of the bargain that makes it possible for me to say:

At the end of the day, it isn't my job to justify why I hired someone or keep them on the team. That's their job.

And just like it takes effort to maintain a culture and environment that people want to be part of, it takes intentional effort for team members to prove their individual value to the team. 

Your leadership culture can reduce your turnover rate by creating radically loyal and committed team members.

It's very satisfying to have people on board who don't want to go anywhere because you’re so awesome.

Satisfying turns to heart-tingling when you feel the exact same way about each member of your team.