Written by Liz Atkinson, Co-founder of League of Extraordinary Women and Founder of Zest Possibilities
The exciting thing about growing a business is recruiting a team. At Zest we have been recruiting and building teams of promotional and sales staff for nearly 9 years, and believe me, during that time we have witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly!
We have had thousands of staff under our umbrella, through the highs and lows. Periods of smashing goals, growth and success and then we have also experienced the times that the teams stop performing and become stale, unmotivated and lazy.
These times have brought with them important lessons – learning how to read the signs of when it’s time to say goodbye to certain team members is up there as one of the most important! I call it ‘trimming the tree’.
To keep standards high in your business, it’s always important to recognize when you should let them go. Hanging onto them for reasons such as: ’They used to be great’ and ‘I’m sure they will improve eventually’ can have damaging effects on the success you are working towards. It’s about staying tough and putting business first.
How to spot the signs
The signs come in many different ways. The most obvious is a drop in work ethic and a sour face when they come through your door in the morning. Other signs range from personal issues coming into work, a huge focus on problems with no attempt to find solutions, to the stuff I personally dislike the most: gossiping, moaning and generally being negative around other team members.
If you start to see 2 of the above you need to act fast! Don’t wait, never leave one of these issues as they will only get worse.
MY NUMBER 1 TIP
At Zest I work on a simply system that I do at least once a month. Each month I split my team members into 3 categories;
‘A’S
My top performers, the ones I can trust to always put 100% effort in and do the best on the company’s behalf.
‘B’S
The people with potential, perhaps with extra training I can move into the ‘A’ category. Trustworthy, reliable and don’t cause issues.
‘C’S
Anyone underperforming or showing signs of negativity.
Now this might sound harsh, but as soon as I have worked out the team members in the bottom category I instantly have a one-on-one with them to voice my concerns. If I feel they cannot back their ideas up I give them a warning and set them strict expectations for the coming week or two. If nothing improves from there, they HAVE TO GO!
Trimming the tree and letting people go can be tough to start with, especially if you have a good personal and business relationship with them, but to keep your business growing and on track it’s imperative you take this type of approach … trust me I have 9 years of experience.
Liz Atkinson
Founder of Zest Possibilities
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