People have different strengths and weaknesses, different attributes, and different areas of expertise, so it is so important to ensure you have the right person in the right job. Creative types will assist you with your planning and your vision,but chances are that they will not be interested in or excel in administration or financial area. Analytical types will often be the opposite.
It’s also important to recognise your own areas of expertise and capabilities. If you struggle in some areas, bring in help or lean on someone who knows what they are doing or are experts in these particular areas. You may need accounting advice or need to bring in a Gen Y person to update and bring your social media uptodate with the current trends.
When I operated retail travel centres, I always found it best to employ people whohad the right personality for the job, more so than people who had the skills and expertise on paper. Travel is exciting and fun, so customers want to talk about their travel aspirations and will ask for suggestions—the most important thing for them is to feel comfortable with their consultant and to be able to develop a relationship with them, whilst getting the expert advice and suggestions that they are seeking. Of course the consultant also did need to be able to secure reservations and share their first-hand experiences and knowledge, but much of the actual processing and booking side of things could be taught and developed with the right training. Personality was the key!
If you have the right people in the right jobs they will develop themselves and often look for opportunities to do more. Sometimes moving people around or giving them flexible work conditions can also help them to thrive. Take the time to find out what makes your employees tick—more often than not, it won’t just be financial. People like to be recognised, rewarded, and given the opportunity to grow and progress.
