Ok, I could have thought of a more interesting title. I am open to suggestions.

So, as one of the 6 people who actually read my last blog titled “something quite safi”, you will  know that I was leading in to explain why I felt SAFI Technologies as a company had managed to become a successful business. You may remember that the reasons I alluded to were: “having the right people, the right culture and a darn good attitude” - or in other words, “having safi people, a safi culture and a darn safi attitude”.

So, what does it mean to have the “right” people? Well, in my mind there are a number of things. Though at this point, I’d just like to highlight that my business experience  has been me starting a business from scratch and growing it from 1 person to where it is now, which is 12 I think (I stopped counting at 10… sorry Joel, that doesn’t make you any less of an employee). So, if your business is roughly like what mine is or has been like, this blog may be of use,  if not, well… you still might like to read.

From the day you start your business, to the many years that follow, the chances are the business is going to be a reflection of you - you the individual, you the human, YOU in all your strengths and weaknesses. When it comes to staffing and recruitment I believe there are a few things to consider, and believe it or not, its just as much about YOU as it is the successful recruit.

  • You need staff that will challenge you. One of the most common mistakes I believe is made in the recruitment process is the employer hiring “like” individuals. That is, replicas of themselves. Going down this track creates massive limitations for your company and will result in minimal personal growth for you as a boss, minimal growth for your staff, and a very narrow minded company. Get staff who will challenge YOU. A daunting thought perhaps, and perhaps not always the easiest road, but if you and the employee who challenges you are worth your weight in gold, you will learn from each other and respect each other.
  • You need staff that you can work with. (I hear sniggering from the 3 people who will read this blog) Of course you say! Of course you need staff you can work with - that goes without saying. Well, yes, I agree - it far too often goes without saying, which is why I am saying it. My advice here is to KNOW yourself, and, know your staff. Know what they like, how they work, in what circumstances they excel, where they struggle etc. Knowing yourself and your staff in this way will enable to you consciously seek employees who will compliment your team. Note, this does not conflict with my previous point - you still need staff who will challenge you - you just need to ensure there is a balance.
  • You need to be able to have fun with your staff. At SAFI we have a very diverse team, both in culture and personality - and we all have great fun at work! Our diversity does not stop fun, neither do the timber partitions between us. Having fun in the workplace is one of the most important ingredients to a productive company. Fun of course comes in many shapes and sizes, and will vary in interpretation from employee to employee, BUT, fun in whatever form it takes is CRUCIAL. At SAFI fun generally takes the form of mockery (not sure if that is politically correct) of one another (aren’t we weird creations) but is normally at Toby’s expense. Know your staff, and get to know your new recruit, know who considers what fun, then encourage it and turn it into productivity.
  • You need staff who can do the job. The key to this point is knowing what “the job” is.  Don’t rely on qualifications, don’t rely on letters after names and don’t rely on which university it was they went to. Those things may be important, but don’t rely on them, those things are not insurance policies. The employee character is the most important aspect of the prospective employee. Granted, this is not easy to see in a 3 stage interview process, and some people are better at “picking winners” than others, but, look at their experience, talk with their references, know what questions to ask, etc, etc. Joel Spolsky would probably summarise this point as someone who is “smart and gets things done“.

I could list bullet point after bullet point, but I won’t. So don’t shoot me for missing your favourite recruitment tip! The ones above are the ones that I have repeatedly seen are ingredients for building a successful team - within our own company and within some notable other ones. Notice how many of the points relate directly to you as the employer?

Ok, enough from me, feel free to send comments and feedback (makes me look popular). Look for part 3 in the coming weeks/years/century.