We can all agree some of the greatest challenges that we as business owners face today is Time, Money, and Team.  The most important aspect of growing a business is to have a good team because without it, you put your business at risk of going into chaos.  You may have good systems in place to help you run the business, but without the right people to run it, then the system fails to produce positive results.  My formula for this is SYSTEMS X PEOPLE = RESULTS.

Every business owner needs to have the best possible team to keep their business moving forward.  They are the first contact with your customers, and they are your brand ambassadors in the community.  Hiring and building a team will be one of the most important thing a small business owner will need to do in order to have a better business!

The following are 4 mistakes that should be avoided when building a team:

1.       They do every Job they Can

Many business owners go into business hoping to create freedom from a regular job, but once they start their business they treat it as just another job.  This results in them working too many hours, don’t get the time to build their business, which ultimately stunts the growth.  The responsibility of a business is to work on the business not in the business. 

2.      Lack an extensive screening process in hiring

Small business owners tend to lack a hiring process, because they are too focus on the project on hand, as a result they rush in to hiring an employee. Do not rush into hiring, you put your business at risk because a bad employee can create an unhealthy environment and produce low quality of work.

3.       Failing to Define Your Culture

One of the major mistakes that business owners make is not having a defined culture and vision.  Those companies that do not have a vision, or a defined culture experience a lot of problem, because they end up having lost employees, who are unclear about their expectations.  The lack of vision leads to a chaotic environment.

4.       Letting Problems Fester instead of Nipping them in the bud

Companies that do not have groundrules for specific behavior, open the door for conflicts because without guidelines it doesn’t allow for good communication to happen within teams. Create guidelines that define the roles and responsibilities of each employee because this will resolve conflicts a lot faster.  It is important to remember as a leader of your company that you make sure that you do not let conflicts fester, because unresolved conflicts leads to lack of productivity and can handicap your business.

The key to building a winning team is to avoid these four mistakes and start focusing on strong leadership, having common goals among your team members and setting clear rules of the game.  Take the time to build your team because they can be one of your greatest investments in your business.

Your coach

Andrew Houston ( www.total-business-coaching.com)