Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM MARCH 2025 26 W hat are the elements of a successful team? In a nutshell, whether it's an athletic team, a dance team, or a business team, the critical elements are people who are knowledgeable, committed, dedicated, productive, work well with others, and constantly seek to improve their skills. Hiring the right people and firing the wrong people are equally important. You know what you want in your employees, and you'd do well to know what you don't want. When you're ready to hire, write a job description that will identify the skills necessary to do the job. Employees need to know exactly what you expect of them. A job description is also important for your own use when you're evaluating an employee's performance, because it provides you with specific items on which to base your evaluation. Develop a pool of potential employees. Ask your best employees for referrals for people they've worked with in the past, because they'll recommend others who share their work ethic. Don't overlook retirees and disabled people. They take great pride in their work and will be among your most valuable assets. Conduct in-person interviews. As you do so, pay attention to personalities. Does the applicant smile, make eye contact, and actively listen to what you say? Keep in mind that you can train for skills, but you can't change people's attitudes. Look for characteristics such as friendliness, professionalism, and enthusiasm. Ask open-ended questions. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What are you most proud of accomplishing? What are you hoping to achieve here if I hire you? Make your company and its jobs as appealing as you can. That might include offering flexible work hours, commissions, and job sharing. Once you have identified top candidates, conduct background checks. If someone has lied to you during the hiring process, you won't be able to trust them when they're on the job. Once you've hired the best candidate for a job, it's important to do everything you can to retain them. That includes training them, motivating them, and recognizing and rewarding them. It's also critical that you fire employees who aren't doing the job for which they were hired. I estimate that every organization has at least five to 10 percent of their workforces that should be fired. The cost of keeping those employees on your payroll is high. I'm speaking from experience. Several years ago, I had an employee I should have fired, but I waited for five years. During that time, she embezzled $340,000 from my company. As managers, you need to realize that your own job is at risk when you're unwilling to terminate employees who aren't dedicated and productive and aren't willing to grow in their jobs. Those people are a cancer to your company. You cannot let a non-performing employee's attitude or actions infect your other employees. If you don't take the appropriate action and fire them, your other team members will start to question your ability to lead and make decisions. They'll resent you for relying on them to pick up the slack. Firing an employee involves several steps. Proper documentation and decisive action are essential. Conduct performance reviews on a regular basis. Give the employee an opportunity to improve and deliver on your expectations. This will give you a road map to provide more coaching or to let the employee go. My advice in six words: Hire well and fire when necessary. For more information on John Tschohl and the Service Quality Institute, visit www.customer-service.com. John Tschohl Customer Service John Tschohl is the founder and president of Service Quality Institute, a global leader in customer service. He is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on all aspects of customer service, and has developed 18 customer service training programs, including Coaching For Success: Motivating and Managing and Even Firing For Improved Employee Performance. His monthly strategic newsletter is available online at no cost at www.customer-service.com. HIRING AND FIRING Critical steps in building a successful team RO

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