Jon Piggins – IT Recruiter, Sales & Marketing
6 Tips for Building a High Quality Management Team
By Jon Piggins, Executive Recruiter, IT Sales & Marketing
When recruiting new management, or professionals who can be groomed to move into leadership positions, it is imperative to get the right combination of skills and qualities. When building a team, from the outset recruit new employees with the skills and abilities that will strengthen the department. And additionally look for these qualities in candidates in order to build a high quality management team:
1. Big Picture Thinkers
Of course a candidate must be excellent at what he/she does, and must be a strong contributor to the team or department. Moreover they must fundamentally understand the business, the industry, the competition, and the economy at large. Those who can take your group to the next level must be strategic thinkers who have a grasp of the big picture.
2. Mentors, Coaches
Success requires individual contribution as well as good team playing, but those who rise above the others in management should also know how to mentor and help their team members develop. Think back to your favorite coaches growing up. These people knew how to develop your strengths, work on your weaknesses, they knew how to put you in a strategic position where your contributions and talents could best serve the team with the objective of a win for all. And the coach made you excited to come back and play the next time and do even better. These are imperative skills for successful management as well.
3. Distance Runners
Achieving business objectives and strategic goals requires going the distance, rolling with the punches, adjusting to whatever challenges get thrown in the way. It is important that all the team members have the stamina to keep focus over the long haul. This is often apparent in terms of past tenures held by candidates, as well as in their philosophical approaches. Achievement of a long term career vision is typically a good indicator of such distance runners.
4. Passion and Dedication
These are sometimes the hardest folks to recruit because they are typically invested and passionate about the mission they are currently on. These are the passive candidates that must be enticed by a new challenge and opportunity so great that it makes them stop and listen. The best managers are passionate about what they do and the company they do it for, and their passion is contagious. Ideally all your employees are like this, but absolutely your management must be totally dedicated and passionate in order to create a culture of problem solving and goal achievement as opposed to allowing any inkling of a clock-punching mentality.
5. Fearlessness
Fearlessness is not recklessness, it is the ability to objectively analyze any situation and take it head on. It requires being open to new or nonconforming ideas, approaches, and people. It necessitates creativity and the ability to pursue new avenues that may as yet be unproven. It means being assertive in setting out a vision and pursuing it to the end.
6. Sense of Humor
Humor is a magnificent tool for relieving tension, curing tedium, and defusing hostility, which are issues that will arise. Humor is also a powerful tool for breaking the ice, softening hard situations, building relationships and creating camaraderie. And frankly it’s always more fun to be surrounded by people who can make you laugh.
About the Author: Jon Piggins, Executive Recruiter, IT Sales & Marketing
Jon is personable, knowledgeable and completely reliable. He has extensive sales and business development experience, in both B2B and B2C. Put Jon’s business insights and acumen to work for you by expediting your talent acquisition and hiring processes.
About Redfish Technology – Nationwide IT Recruiting for the High Tech Industries
Founded in Silicon Valley in 1996, Redfish Technology has been a leading provider of high tech and clean tech professional and executive talent. Partnering with growth mode companies, small and large, Redfish staffs executive functions and builds out the teams below. The company provides services nationwide and has offices in Silicon Valley, the East Coast, and Sun Valley.