Paul Wright shares one of his biggest ever health business success stories, and explains how you can do the same…
Recently I was asked a very important question, which is relevant to almost all health business owners. The question was: ‘How do I know when I need to get more staff?’
Essentially – this health business owner was looking for a guide or indication for when they should start actively looking to expand their team. Hiring right is often one of the pieces of advice that successful entrepreneurs share with those seeking to learn from them.
Why is hiring right so important for business success?
For those who have read Jim Collins excellent book Good to Great you will know about the First Who – Then What’ philosophy. This business strategy is founded on the belief that truly great businesses are always on the lookout for team members – and will employ a great person (even if there is no actual position for them in the business at that time) – because truly great people – will create a position for themselves in no time.
So a Good to Great business will actively recruit great people – then create a position for that person- or they will create a position for themselves. Now this is rather foreign to most smaller health business owners – who are much more comfortable filling positions as they become available – essentially on supply and demand.
However this is not a great way to run a business as you are always at risk of not being able to fill a position when someone resigns – and you lose hard earned momentum.
When is the right time to hire team members?
I encourage all of my private coaching clients to “Always be Advertising for Team Members” even if they do not actually have a specific position available for a new therapist. A classic example happened in my business some time ago. I was not actively looking for team members (even though I should have been) but was approached by a slightly eccentric acupuncturist/ massage therapist regarding the possibility of starting an acupuncture/ massage department.
At that stage I knew very little about acupuncture – however this guy had a incredible energy about him, was enthusiastic, had exceptional people skills and was a dead set standout in the interview (even though my beautiful wife Helen thought the interview was like watching two aliens from different planets trying to communicate).
I gave him a job on the spot – even though I did not have an acupuncture department or even a clue what to do with him. But, in true Good to Great style I employed on the ‘First Who – Then What’ principle, and before you knew it we had a fully booked acupuncture department.
To this day, my relationship and development of that incredible therapist was one of the absolute highlights of my health business ownership career.
You need to do the same in your health business: look for the best people – even though they may not fit exactly the box you want to put them in.
The best people create a position for themselves, just like my legendary acupuncturist.
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Article written by Paul Wright for the What’s New in Fitness Magazine – Summer 2015 Edition.
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