One of the most expensive lessons that I've learned with The Digital Jane was hiring for the wrong roles. This may sound crazy coming from a person who literally helps businesses to define who they need to hire and what their workload will be, but two things can be true as I always say.
In 2021, my team was at its largest, but I can now, in hindsight, see that I did a lot of hiring based on the busy work that not having streamlined services created. Instead of hiring for strategy and thought leadership, the team I had at that time was all focused on client services, and I maxed out my staffing budget by hiring all support positions.
I have no regrets; the team I had at that time was AMAZING, brought so much value to the table, and supported our clients well, but if I had to do it again, I would do this differently.
I would hire someone to focus on sales and new business development. By 2021, the leads for new business were flowing in for about three years straight, so getting business never felt like a challenge. However, I would hire someone to focus on real pipeline development, going after new business opportunities, and managing the process.
I would get support in obtaining ALL of the women and minority-owned business certifications. I would have someone dedicated to applying for grants and programs. Anyone who has ever had to complete one of these applications knows how tedious it is! Having a dedicated person to manage this would be a game-changer and position us for the opportunities we are pursuing now.
I would hire someone to be our tech implementation lead. We have always done it all: built the process, built the systems, trained the team, and in the earlier days, we managed it all, too. My goal now is to divide and conquer and put folks in a position where they can do a thing really well and take lead in it, rather than being scattered across so many things.
I'd restructure our support team's services and processes sooner. Broad scopes of work limit system development for service delivery. We'd keep our core services customized but with clear limits to ensure consistent workload and service delivery.
It's a mindset shift for a leader to realize that it's not always an "assistant" or a support hire. Sometimes, we need thought leaders and experts who aren't just managing tasks; but can bring strategy and solutions to the table and build on what we've created.
Before you hire someone else, really assess how this contributes to not just the workload that exists now; but the forward vision of the company.
Do you need a support hire or a GROWTH hire?
That's what I would ask my 2021 self, who felt bogged down by tedium and wanted to create opportunities as the client demand increased.
Until next time, have a wonderful and productive week!
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