Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM SEPTEMBER 2017 40 I n his book, Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen wrote about the evolution of the now infamous E Street Band. After having several band members who didn't quite fit, Springsteen realized that he didn't necessarily need the best musicians, but the right ones. By his own admission, The Boss is far from the best guitarist out there. "I decided the world was filled with plenty of good guitar players, many of them my match or better, but how many good songwriters were there?" Jim Collins, in his iconic book Good to Great, wrote about the need for businesses to have the "right people in the right seats". Not the best ones, but the right ones. But who are the right people? How do you know in an interview whether the candidate is right? For Bruce, it was the group chemistry that over the past 40 years helped make "the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, house-rocking, earth-quaking, booty-shaking, Viagra-taking, love-making, Le-gen-dary E – Street – Band". He wanted to recreate the kind of camaraderie he had with the close-knit friends he hung with on the New Jersey boardwalks. At the same time, they had to be committed to Bruce's vision and understand that he was the definitive leader. To help you define who might be right for your organization, first look at those already on your team. Take a survey of each person's strengths and weaknesses. Don't just note "hard working" but specify how that associate exceeds your expectations. Include important character traits like "humility", "enjoys learning new things", "good team member". Try to be as honest as possible—don't exaggerate your top sales associate's abilities just because she adds so much to the bottom line. What character traits do your best tech, best delivery person, best sales associate, and best support team member have in common? Perhaps they show exceptional leadership qualities even though none are managers. Maybe they each go the extra mile in helping to resolve customer complaints. Are they the ones who bring you new ideas? They might be the ones most eager to volunteer for new assignments or to fill in when others are on vacation or ill. Are they good communi- cators who build rapport with other employees? Similarly, what missing attributes would help you move your business forward? What would help round out your team and fill in for whatever skills you don't have in your current group? Would it be good if your next hire was social media savvy? Do you need younger team members to help attract next generation customers? Would command of a second language help you better serve your customers? Revisit the job description for the open position to make sure it still reflects your expectations. Then develop a set of open-ended interview questions that will help you determine if your candidates share some of the characteristics common to your top performers. • Can you give me an example of a time when your new idea might have made a difference in a previous company, team, or group? • Have you ever taken charge of a group to accomplish a goal together? How did you get the team members to buy into your ideas? • How do you spend your time off? • How do you express your thoughts and ideas to others so that they may change their thinking? • Are you a better leader or follower? Give me examples of both. • Tell me about your experience in a position like the one you're interviewing for today? • What skills and experience do you have that qualify you for this job? Be sure to ask each candidate the same questions. After each interview, immediately compare the candidate with the list of skills and characteristics your best people share. Are there commonalities? Gaps? Just like Springsteen, the band you put together represents the best in you. Do they keep an audience on their feet for over three hours or do they produce an average experience for your customers? Your most important responsibility as an owner/manager is to recruit, train, and motivate the right people, put them in the right jobs, and help them see that each member of your band is a key component in the whole. Your team members are your Steven Van Zandt, Jake Clemmons, Nils Lofgren, Garry Tallent, Roy Bittan, Patti Scialfa and Max Weinberg. All are great solo musicians, writers, and actors, but their real power is what they produce together. Elly Valas is an author, speaker and retail consultant. She can be reached at elly@ellyvalas.com or 303-316-7568. Elly Valas Retail Views RO BUILD YOUR BEST BAND

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