3 Things to Have Down Cold Before Scaling Your Team

July 9, 2014

Is your hiring process keeping up with your plans for growth? Monetate VP of People Ben Russell outlines three core responsibilities you need to take on in order to prepare your team to scale.

Sometimes growth happens when you least expect it. Before you know it, your product is taking off and you find yourself in an enviable, but still difficult position — you need more hands-on-deck, stat. The last thing you want is to be caught scrambling for new hires and put into a position where you’re rushing decisions that will have such a significant, lasting impact on your success. After all, hiring efficiently isn’t just about filling positions — it’s about finding the best talent who fit your culture and can effectively take your organization to the next level.
That’s why if you’re at the helm of a startup you need to start making preparations to scale from Day 1 — and that means preparing to scale your team, not just your product. In the video below, Ben Russell, VP of People at web optimization company Monetate explains how you can adopt a “CEO of Talent” mindset to elevate your hiring process.

How to Prep for Scaling Your Team: 3 Things to Have Down Cold

1) Be Confident You Can Find and Hire the Best Talent

Your company may have grandiose dreams of growth, Russell says, but achieving that can only be possible with an all-star team. Adopting a “CEO of Talent” mindset means it’s your job to create a process that enables you to consistently find the best talent possible. Of course, at a growing company, that means doing so in a fast and efficient way, so consider developing a reliable but flexible recruiting function one of your top priorities.

2) Define the Values of a Great Employee

Russell says one of the first things you have to do is evaluate the current talent in your organization and identify the key qualities that make a “great employee” at your company. Once you’ve singled out the characteristics that add the most value to your company that will better equip you to finding employees who are the right fit more quickly and effectively — cutting down on hiring costs and boosting retention.

3) Standardize Your Hiring Process

Chances are, if you’re at an expansion-stage startup, multiple departments at your company are hiring at once. Standardizing your hiring process across the organization will allow you to keep things streamlined and organized, which is critical to maintaining a fast pace of growth. Of course, that means it’s your job as “CEO of Talent” to established set processes around interviewing, talent evaluation, hiring, and onboarding.

Looking for More Tips on Establishing Your Talent Function?


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Photo by: Colin

VP of People

Ben is transformational business leader with thirteen+ years of experience developing and driving human resources strategies that fuel rapid growth, organizational health and business results. He is an Independent Consultant and was previously the Vice President at <a href="http://www.monetate.com/">Monetate</a>.