I’ve heard all the naysayers when it comes to hiring:

“No one can do it like I do.”

“There aren’t enough good people out there.”

“It’s hard to get good help.”

And the mantras, like…

“Hire slow, fire fast.”

Hiring the right employees is one of the fundamental ways of moving from an overwhelmed and frustrated entrepreneur into CEO mode.

And, unfortunately, for many the process leaves them more overwhelmed and frustrated.

Recently, I have been helping a lot of people with hiring.

And, as it seems to be with many things…I don’t necessarily agree with the mantras out there.

(And I definitely don’t agree with the naysayers.)

My hiring approach is a little different – part “woo” and part pragmatic.

The first thing I have my client do is track everything they do for a week.

Yes, everything.

Each item goes into one of two categories.

First is the things that only the business owner can do

Second is the things that someone else can do.

Now, don’t worry, we aren’t going to delegate everything all at once.

This simply gives us a list of skills and tasks so we know who to start with.

When you group those items together, what seems like the greatest need?

Do you need an assistant?

Social media or marketing?

Bookkeeper?

This defines the skill set you are looking for.

The pragmatic part.

These are the non-negotiables for the position.

After listing out the skills needed, you may think it is time to start collecting resumes.

But you would be wrong!

Many people stop too early, before the “woo.”

In addition to listing out the skills needed, I have my clients list out the personal qualities or compatibility quotient of the person they would want to work with.

Who is going to bring complimentary ways of being so the two of them can work as a team?

What is going to make it easiest to work with someone on a regular basis?

The determining factor is who they are as a person, how they work and relate with others.

As the client gets clearer and clearer about who she is looking for – the person and personality – it seems really shocking…

But that person actually shows up.

Every. Single. Time.

If this was a one-time thing I would say it was a coincidence or whatever.

But I have gone through this with client after client.

And every single time my clients go through this process, the person they described, and thought of, and conceived of – shows up to fill the space and they work out perfectly. It’s amazing.

So, are you ready to manifest your perfect employee?

Until then…stay passionate!