Fierce leaders need a winning team to make their business scalable. From increasing aesthetic practice and medical spa sales to reducing employee turnover, you are only as strong as the people you hire and retain.
As a leader, you should be focused on the future, rather than on the day-to-day grind. When you operate from this place, you’ll ask better questions, build better systems, and land better employees faster.
It’s not enough to ask, “Where do I find good people?” or “What’s the best comp plan to motivate an employee?” Instead, you need to shift your focus internally. Ask yourself: Who is the right person to join your team? How will you measure success? What do you need to do, as a leader, to make sure they are successful?
When you ask these questions, the whole dynamic of team building changes. And when you find the right people, you’ll know the most effective way to onboard them so they can quickly produce for you.
Let’s talk through 4 pitfalls I commonly see pop up during the new hire process. Time and time again, I’ve seen these derail aesthetic owners’ business expansion plans and goals.
- Not being organized
- Not communicating frequently or effectively enough
- Not increasing your tolerance for failure
- Not incorporating the WHY factor info every lesson
Let’s go.
Pitfall #1: Not being organized
Before onboarding a new employee, make sure your training systems are in place. That way, as much of their onboarding time as possible is spent actually learning. Doing things the correct way from the start will save you an exponential amount of time down the road.
Begin by creating a checklist with every single item new hires will need to be trained on for success in their role. Think of it as an internal business coaching package to set your new hire up to reach their greatest potential. Save this as a baseline. Then, build upon it as your employee advances in their growth journey.
Pitfall #2: Not communicating frequently or effectively enough
Don’t wait until 30 or 90 days have passed to have a sit-down conversation with your new employee about their progress. Have your first check-in within a week. This will help you set the bar for how they should be moving through your planned training and onboarding.
At this stage, ask open-ended questions to give yourself an early insight into the employee’s level of motivation. You can also look out for any early frustrations they may be experiencing.
Use this time to take a step back and observe how the employee is absorbing information. Do not double down on more training. It’s also the time to look within yourself. Are you 100% happy with how the training is progressing? If not, it’s time to revisit your plan.
Pitfall #3: Not Increasing your tolerance for failure
During your first month with a new employee, you should be putting more into them than they are giving you. If something doesn’t go right, address it immediately. Ask yourself how you could have communicated better to prevent this issue.
Remember: your goal should be to retain people over the long-term. In the future, that will let you look within the team you’ve already built for resources. This is a key tenet of many of my own business coaching packages.
We can’t expect our employees to instantly understand and apply their training. If we do, we risk failing to equip them for success. We may end up losing them prematurely, or worse, not making the most of their potential impact.
Pitfall #4: Not incorporating the WHY factor into every lesson
Make sure that your employees know the “why” behind their role. This is the only way for them to move from simply following orders to making informed, intelligent decisions about running your business.
Have multiple conversations with new hires about what they contribute to the company. Ensure they fully understand how their role contributes to your overall mission.
The first 30 days are the most crucial part of the onboarding process. During this time, your new employee should learn:
- The pace of your team and company
- Your values
- How you like things done
- Why they should be done that way
- How these practices impact your customers
- How business would suffer if they didn’t follow protocol
Remember, every hire—whether it’s a new employee or an intrapreneur—begins and ends with you.
Do you expect to bring an intrapreneur into your business? Then you’d better be willing to make an investment in them. Your new hires must see their relationship with your business as a partnership.
In my business coaching packages, I help clients zero in on business development coaching and consulting skills. That’s what it takes to develop themselves as a leader, and to learn the skills to not just find — but keep — the right people.
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